Why Should You Be Playing More?
Motivation seems to be a big problem.
The cost of being a member at your average gym is about $60 a month yet every year about 5.1 million Americans end up wasting a total of around $1.8 billion in unused gym memberships.
It’s a strange statistic if you think about it.
We all know that movement is vital in maintaining a healthy body and brain. We know that positive lifestyle improvements are good for mitigating stress and anxiety, increasing brain function, reducing the risk of diseases, and can make us less susceptible to injuries.
Meanwhile, we are bombarded by marketing that idolizes those who are fit and healthy.
Our movies, our television shows, the people we follow on social media… all make it clear that having a strong, fit-looking body brings great social reward and probably loads of self respect and confidence.
To add to it, we even have state of the art facilities staffed with professional exercisers ready to measure us, build dietary plans and workout routines, taking all the thinking and studying out of the equation for us. With all of this help, being our most heroic and sexy selves should be pretty easy.
Yet… we still don’t go to the gym.
As it turns out, the human mind and body is an incomprehensibly complex thing. There’s a lot more going on than what can be adequately addressed through the reductionist method. Movement is much more than just an obligatory chore to meet society’s expectations or to punish oneself for past poor decisions.
Movement, in its truest sense, is a means of expression and connection that can actively imbue our lives with meaning and profound experiences.
The motivations and methods described above generally ignore this fact, opting instead to create an environment that, shuns playing, stifles creative problem solving, poo poos self expression, and asserts that no pain equals no gain.
While this is enough to get people to shell out money for a membership, it seems to be insufficient in keeping people engaged and motivated for very long.
In today’s episode of the Evolve Move Play Podcast, our good friend Todd Hargrove is back to talk about his new book “Playing with Movement: How to Explore the Many Dimensions of Physical Health and Performance”.
It turns out that if we really want to get the most out of our movement and become the best versions of ourselves, we would do well to step away from our habit of viewing the body as a machine, perceiving play as pointless, and seeing movement solely as a form of work.
*Related Article: How to Convert Fitness Clients into Natural Movers*
When we begin playing more, we tap into inherent motivations and are far more likely to engage in the activities that nurture us. So buckle up and join us on this conversation.
Along the way we’ll also talk with Todd about intention and attention, dynamic systems, and what differentiates work from play.
So take a look and let us know what you think!
Listen to the EMP Podcast on the go with iTunes! Don’t forget to subscribe, comment and give us a 5-star rating!
If you are new to the podcast and haven’t seen our first episode with Todd yet, you can watch it here.
Todd Hargrove Episode 1: The EMP Podcast
Todd is a long time friend of EMP, to learn more about him and his work, head on over to his website.
www.bettermovement.org
Or read his books!
A Guide to Better Movement
Playing With Movement
If you’d like to support Evolve Move Play, feel free to take a look at what events we will be hosting in the coming months. You can also become a patron, just follow the link below!
Thanks everyone, and happy moving!
-The EMP Team
