Why We Can't Fly
Blog #01
“Birds fly, fish swim, humans run,” said the legendary athlete Emil Zatopek, also known as the Locomotive. Zatopek, as a runner, won three Olympic gold medals in eight days in Helsinki in 1952.
He was right; we can't fly, and we can't really swim either.
With somewhat strange body movements, compared to similarly sized and powerful fish, we achieve ridiculous speeds in the water, and it's clear that with our anatomy and physiology, we have no business in the water. I would even argue that swimming is unhealthy.
However, we can walk and run: and we do it very well. This walking and running, through evolution, has made us humans from primates; indeed, we have become intelligent and innovative precisely thanks to these abilities.
Only sufficient movement ensures that these important achievements are maintained. However, we should also choose forms of movement that correspond to our body structure: vertical against gravity (i.e., not flying and not swimming).
But it's also a fact that we walk less and less. This leads to undeniable consequences. Our joints wear out more and prematurely. However, they do not do so because of overuse. Healthy, correct loading strengthens all structures in our body, including the joints, and thus protects against wear and tear (the term “wear and tear” is misleading and should be reconsidered).
Our joints wear out because the load is too low (lack of training) or because of misalignments and resulting improper loading.
Our activities (including sports) should be performed according to our anatomy; body misalignments must be avoided.
The foundation therefore becomes important. The architect knows this, and our body does too.
Our feet are our foundation, which unfortunately has suffered in recent decades. Lack of movement, but also shoes with footbeds, as well as supporting, cushioning, and guiding the feet, have contributed to them becoming lazy and weak: a very poor foundation, prone to misalignments that can affect the entire body up to the head.
The latest trend is barefoot shoes, shoes without any support. They only protect against cold and injuries. Excellent! Because walking barefoot is undoubtedly the best for healthy feet.
However... We already had this barefoot shoe trend about 20 years ago. All common brands offered these shoes, new ones appeared and quickly disappeared again.
Most people are no longer able to walk barefoot indefinitely. It has also been shown that untrained feet do not easily recover by walking without shoes or with barefoot shoes.
This current trend will also not succeed in turning our “flippers” into feet this time.
This requires a bit more: a personal trainer, good therapists, or the X10D! This is the most cost-effective and simplest way to improve the foundation, (re)discover the joy of walking, and thereby minimize the risk of wear and tear and physical suffering.
© October 2022 Jan Swager van Dok