Understanding the Importance and Effect of Physical Exercise

Movement increases and directs blood flow. It does so by the overriding great principle of our environment — that pressure is inversely related to volume — which is to observe, that as a muscle mass contracts, the pressure within increases — and so flows into an area with lower pressure, and that is the principle that accounts for flow, or liquid dynamics. To a limited extent, that is what happens whether one realizes it or not — or even babies would not survive for long, but they invariably do — but quickly, some do it quite naturally better than others — and become healthier and more robust than others — in the struggle and quest for survival, and beyond that dominance and mastery of their environments.

The more robust individuals exhibit more, and more powerful movements, which cause their greater blood flow that enables health and growth — because movement is caused by the contraction of the muscles. That is what they are evolved to do. The best example is the function of the heart muscle — that reliably contracts and relaxes so as to provide a reliable pump for which the rest of the body can rely on -- automatically, or autonomously — so that one doesn’t have to think about it 24/7. It will reliably do what it has to do — relying on the signal it gets from the brain about its requirements — particularly the availability of oxygen that the brain is most sensitive to.

That also to some extent, is automatic — but can be enhanced by a greater flow of nutrients into it — mainly caused not by the heart working harder and faster, but by the local (voluntary) muscles contracting and increasing the flow out of that organ and tissues back towards the central organs of the body — including the heart as well as the filtering and recycling organs of the body (liver, kidneys, lungs, digestive tract, etc.) That contraction of those muscles, creates the compression of fluids out of those tissues — that upon relaxation, creates a vacuum for new fluids to flow into — by the reliable contractions of the heart and other autonomous muscles.

But the muscles we have direct, voluntary control of are the large, skeletal, voluntary muscles, which we generally refer to as exercise, and are even more empowered with the proper understanding of its basic functioning and design. Skeletal muscles always contract from the farthest point back towards the center of the body just below the sternum, that the ancient Chinese called the dantian, or anchor of the muscles along the five meridians (pathways) of human movement and expression. No matter what activity or sport, the expression is always at the head, hands and feet — even if one is not aware of those fine movements. It is usually called the “follow through,” rather than more accurately, the leading edge of that movement.

The former implies that the contraction (rotation) around those axes are an afterthought — rather than the whole point of that movement. It is like shooting a basketball — and realizing that only the proper rotation at the wrist will produce the desired accuracy and outcome — and not to rotate at the wrist, will not produce the desired effect. However, that does not prevent exercise instructors from creating movements that have no practicality in the real world — despite becoming proficient at the contrived movement. The most common of these, is to focus the movement around the larger, supporting “core” muscles rather than the ultimate expression and full rotation at the head, hands and feet.

The reason this is important is because the contraction at that focus is the extent to which the tissues are compressed and effect the flow and the evacuation of the residual fluids in those tissues, which is the inflammation and swelling associated with poor health and appearance because those fluids are retained in those tissues, and over time, kill off the neuromusculature it serves in a spiraling deterioration of function and development — generally noted as being “out of shape.” At that point, the development and appearance convey that one is not in optimal health and condition.

By then, the functioning has also declined dramatically — so that the general impression is one of failing health and inability to do what they would like to do — as an indication that one is at their prime — at whatever age and circumstances. But it is not enough simply to want to be in their best shape — to make it so, or obviously everybody would be in that condition. Far more important is simply doing all the right things that make such an outcome inevitable — by first understanding what those things are. Unfortunately, that is not how exercise is generally taught. It is usually just advised if not commanded, that one must do this and that — without any understanding or questioning of what is actually being done, and so many people are rightly turned off by that approach — and will accept any other fate but that blind obedience to the will of authoritarian personalities.

That is not a necessary requirement of such participation in healthful activities — although such instructors will insist it is — or will abandon such regimen at their first opportunity. But if one has the proper understanding of what and why one is doing, then nothing makes more sense to do — as long as they live and want to be better. At no point in life would a rational person think, “I’m done, no sense getting better — that is the way it must be,” and then lie motionless waiting for the end.