Have you taken time to consider your existence? Could it be that you aren't aware of your own life?
Have you considered how you continue to exist? Could it be that what you ingest keeps you alive? Have you considered how you obtain what you ingest? Could it be that movement is how you obtain what you ingest? Have you deeply considered how these elements: awareness, ingestion, movement contribute to your existence? Don't listen to me or anyone else regarding your existence. Deeply consider your experience, here and now. There is no other truth.
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When pursuing optimal movement capabilities we must consider the point of diminishing returns. This is the point where additional investment in resources or effort fails to produce a proportional return in profit or results. We have moved beyond our capabilities. There is nothing inherently wrong with this pursuit, but we must be realistic.
The restoration of evolved movement capabilities will require work. However, we must be careful with its application. There is a linear relationship between work and the development of these qualities. The more work you do, the more improvement you will see. However, once you reach a certain point, the amount of work required for continual improvement will exceed your design specifications. The cost will be a significant increase in the potential for movement dysfunction, injury and sickness. Work hard, but work appropriately based on individual genetics, environment conditions and goals. Imagine navigating your day feeling vibrant, calm, and confident - your senses alive and your body completely responsive. You feel as if you are capable of accomplishing anything. This is optimal health and wellbeing, it can be yours, and Human by Design is the way.
There is only one way to completely realize truth: enter it through action. Implementing the Human by Design system involves action, and this is something that must be done individually. We must move beyond understanding and act. Action is reality. Our modern environment makes it difficult to take appropriate action. We have access to unlimited amounts of knowledge. Unfortunately, this makes implementation more confusing than it has to be. Which one of the myriad sources of knowledge is true? What should we base our actions on? Experience is the key. Truth comes down to personal experience. Having access to an appropriate knowledge base is a good way to start. This is the function of the Human by Design system. However, no one else’s answers are going to help in the end. This includes everything that you have read and seen up to this point. Do not take this point lightly. Each of us must find our own answers, and we must depend on our own experience. In order to experience optimal health and wellbeing you must test any and all knowledge out for yourself, and trust your own experience. You must experience and realize for yourself what is true and real - you are the final authority. This applies to every principle, practice and method associated with the Human by Design system. Don’t believe anything I say, but don’t ignore it either. Try it out and decide for yourself. With that said, Human by Design recognizes that you may not know where to begin. Based on this line of thinking, Human by Design has developed the three implementation plans, which are explained below - The Simple Path, The Basic Path, and the Complete Path. Movement is composed of muscle contractions. The three main types of contractions are concentric (the muscles contract), eccentric (the muscles extend) and static (the muscles contract and extend, which results in no movement). These contractions can be dynamic and fast, slow with lots of tension or have no motion at all. In reality, movement is a seamless blend of all three contractions and speeds, with the emphasis depending upon a particular movement context.
An optimal movement practice includes functional movement patterns that emphasize all three contractions. You can do separate movement patterns that emphasize one over the others, but why not practice all three at the same time. This may look something like the following unilateral (one side emphasis) giant sets (more than two sets performed back, to back, to back). Power Skip (maximum height), Single Leg Squat (full range of motion, slow on the way down, fast on the way up), Single Leg Squat Low Position Hold (45 degree angle, hold with tension for five to ten seconds). One repetition each. Repeat other side. Reaching Pull-up (do a dynamic pull-up but release one hand at the top, extending the arm up as high as possible, then catch yourself with both arms), One-arm Pull-up with Assist (use the hand that stayed on the bar, with the hand that extended off the bar grabbing the wrist for assistance – slow on the way down, fast on the way up), One-arm Pull-up High Position Hold (top of the movement, hold with tension for five to ten seconds). One repetition each. Repeat other side. Explosive One-Arm Knee Push-up (start at top and use opposite arm as brace on the opposite leg, stay tight on the way down with dynamic push on the way up – hand may briefly leave ground; you can also do this from a secure bench or from your knees), One-Arm Push-up (slow on the way down, fast on the way up; you can also do this from a secure bench or from your knees), On-Arm Push-up Low Position Hold (bottom of movement, hold with tension for five to ten seconds. One repetition each. Repeat other side. These are intense. One or two sets for each side will suffice. If you are unable to do the initial, unilateral dynamic movements, you can substitute them with similar bilateral movements – ex. Jump Squat, Explosive Pull-up, Explosive Push-up. Please visit for more ideas – www.humanbydesign.info/movement Human awareness is complete and balanced functioning of the primary (instinct)/secondary (reasoning) representation systems. Zazen, the path to wisdom (intuition), is the modern, paleolithic approximation of ancestral awareness.
Human dietary strategy is based on vegetable matter in the primary position and animal matter in an essential, secondary position. Paleolithic nutrition is the modern, paleolithic approximation of our ancestral dietary strategy. Human movement capabilities are based on terrestrial, bipedal movement and arboreal-based movement such as walking, running, jumping, climbing, carrying, tool making and throwing. Movement qualities include power = fast execution/moderate intensity, strength = slow execution/high intensity, endurance = moderate execution/low intensity. A functional movement practice is the modern, paleolithic approximation of ancestral movement. Execute the following movement session three times a week, ideally every other day. Rest only long enough to catch your breath between movements. (add pics?) Lay on your back and stand up, then return to lying on your back. Do this six times. Immediately after, lay and your stomach and stand up, then return to lying on your stomach. Don't forget to alternate legs. Do this six times. You can use your hands to assist if necessary. Jump in place like you are jumping rope. Do this ten times. Immediately after completion of repetitions, begin jumping forward and backward, using the same motion. Do this ten times for each direction (front/back). Immediately after, jump side to side ten times each direction (left/right). Pretend you are hopping over an imaginary line with front/back and side/side motions. Begin by standing with your feet shoulder width apart with your hands clasped together in front of your lap. Bring your arms up and around, tracing a large circle in front of your body bringing them to rest in the original position in front of your lap. Repeat the same motion to the opposite direction. Do this eight times for each direction for sixteen total repetitions. Make the largest possible circle that you can. Find a door that can support you weight. Hook your hands over the top of the door and pull yourself to the top, using your legs and feet if necessary. Hang in this position for five seconds, ten seconds if you can. When finished and once your grip feels good, hook your hands back over the top of the door and curl your legs up so they clear the floor. Hang in this position for five seconds, ten seconds if you can. Begin by standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, with your hands clasped together in front of your lap. Keeping your arms straight, bend over at the waist and push your butt back bringing your clasped hands back between your legs. From there, stand up and bring your arms up and over your head in a dynamic, arching motion - like throwing a ball over the back of your head. Do this four to six times. Begin by standing with your feet close together, with your hands clasped together in front of your lap. Keeping your arms straight, bring your arms up above your head and stand on your tip toes. From there, bring your arms down in a dynamic motion - like slamming a ball onto the ground. Do this four to six times.
Be completely present - Pay close attention to what is going on around you. Keep at it.
Restore mobility, the ability to move freely and easily - Emphasize ground contact, agility, rotation, jumping, climbing and throwing motions. Give your body what it needs - Remove low quality, anti-nutrient dense ingestibles such as cereals (gluten-like complex), certain tubers (solanum/nightshade), legumes and milk and dairy. Replace with high-quality, nutrient dense ingestibles such as fruit, leaves, roots, tubers, nuts and animal flesh and organs. Become what you are - practice zazen
Move appropriately and often - practice functional movement Give your body what it needs - practice paleolithic nutrition Do you have un-examined assumptions and beliefs about how we should move, ingest and be? What is the truth? How would you know?
We are designed to express a particular body composition. Body composition is the percentage of bone, organs, muscle and fat that composes an organism. Based on these anatomical features, body composition can be very individualistic. However, our bodies are designed to be relatively lean. This particular body composition was a function of the ancestral foraging strategy, which required high levels of physical activity and resulted in the ingestion of high quality food sources.
A general tool for determining body composition is the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is calculated as your weight (kg) divided by your height (meters) squared. Unfortunately BMI does not account for individuals who possess proportionally more or less muscle mass. However, it is an appropriate place to start when discussing optimal body composition. What does BMI tell us about our body composition as it relates to function? Ancestral and historic humans were very lean and had BMI’s in the range of 13 to 19. Even though a BMI between 13 and 19 is ideal, this range is out of reach for most individuals. Science and experience has revealed that BMI’s in the range of 20 to 25 are appropriate for optimal health and wellbeing. BMI’s within 26 to 30 are considered overweight, 31 to 35 obese, and over 35 morbidly obese. BMI's over 30 are associated with a significant decline in overall health and wellbeing. In general, the lower the BMI the better our bodies function. A functional body composition includes an optimal ratio of muscle and fat. Muscle is designed for the production of movement, while fat is designed for energy storage. We know that ancestral humans displayed significant amounts of muscle mass and a low levels of body fat. They maintained a consistent amount of muscle mass due to their foraging strategy. However, their body fat percentage fluctuated within a particular range based on the availability of food sources, which was rarely abundant. This particular body composition is associated with optimal health and wellbeing. We can restore this body composition through appropriate physical activity and the ingestion of high quality food sources. |
AuthorSeth Clayton is the creator of the Human by Design System. He is a human from Charlotte, NC who is interested in helping you achieve optimal health and wellbeing through the avenues of Zen Buddhism, Functional Movement and Paleolithic Nutrition. Archives
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