It’s that time of year again. The time we all set that grandiose goal of getting in shape and say “I’m going to really stick to it this year!” So, we hit the gym, start putting the miles in on the treadmill, do the spin classes, hire the trainers and use all the machines we aren’t really sure how to use. The year starts out with good intentions and pure aspirations, but when reality hits, it all goes off the rails. The reality is we are adding a tremendous new load of stress on the body that we are not prepared to handle. Our tissues have not developed the ability to handle the stress of going to the gym 5 days a week. Our joints haven’t been moved in ranges of motion they are now being stressed in. And our nervous system isn’t connected with moving these tissues and joints in ways that are comfortable, efficient and stable. This inefficiency of moving our bodies happens because at some point in all our lives we made the choice “to grow up” and stop playing.

Play, for all its childish and immature connotations, has a major role in our overall health and movement capabilities. A wonderful analogy I love from Todd Hargrove, a manual and movement therapist, compares the movement of an animal to determine if it’s stressed or being playful. If you observed an animal and it was repeating the same motion over and over without variation, like pacing back and forth, you would assume it was stressed or anxious. On the other hand, if the animal had random variations within its movement, like jumping, twirling around, or changing speed while it was walking back and forth, you would observe that movement to be more like play. This same analogy compares to our movement. When we are in the gym, we don’t want any variation in the movement during an exercise. We want each rep of an exercise to look exactly the same or as we pace on that treadmill we don’t want much variation from stride to stride. We are trying to produce a stress through movement on our bodies, so that it adapts and becomes more resilient. Likewise, during play, variation becomes paramount. Reactions to a moving ball or opposing player, or traversing over an obstacle all require movement variations. This is where our nervous system learns how to coordinate and control our bodies in space and an ever-changing environment.

Play has a built-in reward system for moving correctly. From the time we were infants learning to reach things that interest us, to playing games as kids, movements we created either helped us accomplish our goal or it didn’t. Like rolling or crawling toward something was more useful than just reaching if it was far away and the reward of getting said object made our brains remember that movement. Or when a kid learns to zig and zag to not get tagged by someone faster than them, the reward of being better at the game helps them become more agile. Play allows us to explore our movement capabilities and get instant feedback of movement that is either helpful or not, like moves that feel good vs those that don’t, positions that make us feel stronger and more stable, and movements that help us have better balance and coordination.

Play has numerous benefits besides building a healthier body and better movement capabilities. It builds a healthier brain, teaches emotional intelligence and boosts self-esteem, it cultivates a sense of community and builds relationships, teaches cooperation, improves problem solving, stimulates creativity, reduces stress and builds resilience. All of these benefits are also gained much quicker than it takes to reach a weight loss or muscle gain goal, thus allowing us to get positive feedback for our actions and stay motivated for our long-term goals.

There is certainly a time and place for going to the gym and producing stress to make our bodies adapt and become more resilient. Play is just as important though and the trick is finding the balance between the two. In the spectrum of movement, when most of us start a new fitness goal we tend to lean towards the side of mostly stress and no play. So, my challenge to you this New Years, with your new fitness goals, try to find space for more play time. Take a dance lesson with your spouse instead of a step class, play tag with your kids instead of hitting the treadmill, ride a real bike out on the country side instead of a spin class, climb a tree instead of doing pullups in a stuffy gym. If you do this, I bet you will be surprised at how much better you are at staying on your goals this year, you will become a better mover and you will be one step closer to Living Free!

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All Work and No Play Doesn’t Keep Us Moving Toward Our Goals