Daniel Lieberman (The Story Of The Human Body) gave me the idea for this topic, which I am very passionate about.
There is no doubt that what we have created today enables us to live longer, healthier and we have cured many diseases. And comfort is sometimes good and healthy. Tight shoes aren’t good in any way, tight clothing either, and there are many other examples.
However, we have taken comfort to extreme.
Our bodies, the stone-age bodies, are not adapted to the lifestyle, the modern world we have created. Our bodies are designed to move, walk, carry, bend, they need to eat fresh food, chew food to develop strong jaws and drink water.
Today we use the elevator instead of stairs, sit for hours to work, eat and socialize. Although we know soft mattresses are not good, the desire for comfort and short-term satisfaction takes over.
Same with cars. We know walking is better, yet we look at how fast and comfortable we travel now rather than how strong or weak our bodies will be 10 years from now. Chairs are no different. Yet I am writing this sitting on a very comfortable chair. And you are probably reading it sitting as well.
Technology is also weakening our jaw muscles and bones and changes how we look. To develop strong jaws, we need to stress the bone. Stress by chewing harder food. Not cracking walnut shells, but chewing carrots, celery, nuts, seeds, fruit etc when the skeleton develops (throughout childhood). Drinking the carrots instead of chewing them will, eventually lead to weak jaws.
Chew carrots for 5 min and you will see how your jaw muscles will start aching. They are not strong enough anymore.
Some would argue that the nutrients are best absorbed through drinking. I cannot deny that, as I haven’t done any research myself. By research I don’t mean reading what others write in research papers, but actually be in a lab and see for myself. They may be right.
However, I believe the body is capable of absorbing nutrients just fine. It’s been doing it for millions of years before modern technology. Our bodies are powerful machines, they are not as weak as we may think.
Finally, the development of strong, fit and powerful bodies doesn’t stop after you leave the gym. Everything you do throughout your life, how you use your body daily, determines how strong your body will be. Do stuff, don’t just go for comfort, walk, jump, run and do whatever kids do, they instinctively know.
Elevator vs stairs
Drinking vs chewing
Soft vs tough mattresses
Cars vs walking
Sitting vs standing
…where do you stand? Which is well-being and which is comfort? Give it a thought and look at your habits. I know I look at mine very often.
She specialises in working with runners, beginners and advanced, who want to run faster, further, with less effort and fewer injuries. This is done through natural movement fitness and running technique and mechanics drawn from the many disciplines Alexandra has studies throughout the years, including long distance running.
Since 1995 she has explored how the body and mind works. She has done this through using many different sporting techniques and working with a wide variety of highly respected coaches. Throughout her Martial Arts career she has achieved 5th Dan Black Belt in Karate Shotokan, runs her own Karate club and is IJKA 2017 triple World Champion, 2016 WMO Martial Arts British National and European Champion. She still competes at an international level.
It is through these learnings, and drawing inspiration from respected natural movement names such as MovNat, IdoPortal and POSE Method of running among many others, that she has created The Merisoiu Technique and has established her own unique transformational programs that incorporate thousands of years of knowledge with Natural Human Movement.
Alexandra’s mission is to challenge the status quo of how to achieve the truly strong, fit and powerful body a runner needs to perform at their best level. This is done through building strong, lasting foundations in the natural outdoor environment; reducing the risk of injuries and educating people on the power of the fundamentals of natural human movement and running mechanics.