There is a certain way the body is supposed to move. That way is pure. It is unmolested by toddler walkers, elementary school chairs and desks, modern medicine and many of the fitness machines marketed today.

There was one way that we learned to roll, crawl, sit, stand, squat and walk. Though the people around us tried, we weren’t taught these movements. We were encouraged, but we didn’t have the ability to understand complex directions. The only way we could move then was the way that Mother Nature intended.

Consider me a loyal follower of Mother Nature’s First Church of Movement. The highest doctrine: If a toddler can do it, so can an adult.

At some point in our lives, we stopped doing the movements we did as toddlers. That’s the only reason we, as adults, cannot do those movements now. Most folks in the northern part of the Western Hemisphere older than age 6 cannot perform a butt-to-the-ankles deep squat with the heels of the feet remaining on the ground. Go to the Far East and much of Africa and you’ll find 90-year-olds conversing with each other while in a deep squat.

Technology has slowed us tremendously and forced us to put on more weight and body fat than ever.

We used to be hunters and gatherers, often carrying for long distances what we caught or harvested before we could eat. Now our cellphone voice commands ensure a hot pizza meets us at our doorstep.

Many of us have stopped moving because we simply don’t know proper movement. Well, the words in this space will provide a variety of movements from which to choose. And maybe, hopefully, we will see each other in church one day.

Promise not to get any sweat on you.

Jan. 1: Assessing — where are we now?

Milo Bryant Photo by