TOTAL LIFETIME FITNESS

The Thinking Body

November 17th, 2008 Posted by David Lemberg

The Thinking Body by Mabel Elsworth Todd practically single-handedly launched the entire field of kinesiology, as well as contributed mightily to the fields of rehabilitative medicine and exercise science.

The Thinking Body

All this way back in the 1930s.

I’ve owned my copy of The Thinking Body for a very long time. I’ve read it cover-to-cover several times and it’s literally falling apart, but I treasure my old edition, which has helped me come back from many tough injuries.

This book is a true gold mine. Some of the chapter titles include

• The Working Skeleton
• Dynamic Mechanisms
• Balanced Forces in Walking
• Breathing
• The Proprioceptive System

Pretty much everything you always wanted to know about how your body works and how to use it efficiently and effectively.

Mabel Todd was talking about “dynamic warm-ups” almost 80 years ago. Dynamic warm-ups, of course, are now the hottest topic in fitness training. Core exercises are tremendously important and have now reached the mainstream fitness world. Where were the principles of core training first discussed? The Thinking Body.

I’ve been teaching people about proprioception for my entire 25-year career. Where did I learn about proprioception first? The Thinking Body.

At Total Lifetime Fitness we talk a lot about visualization. I learned that first in The Thinking Body.

The book is one of those miracle books. Almost all rehabilitation techniques, exercise science, and fitness training can be traced back to The Thinking Body.

Of course, most dance teachers, professional dancers, and Pilates instructors own their own personal copies of Mabel Elsworth Todd’s brilliant masterwork.

Our bodies are precious gifts. And the human body is a very complex piece of machinery. If we take it for granted, rust will accumulate. If we abuse it, parts will breakdown. And then we have to waste all kinds of time and resources trying to get well, trying to restore our bodies to good working order.

Better, of course, not to have to play catch-up, but regardless, there’s no time like right now to start restoring the relationship between our minds and our bodies. There is no real separation, after all. We get in a lot of trouble when we believe the various parts of ourselves are not connected.

Consider this. Just because you can walk doesn’t mean you know how to walk. Just because you can run doesn’t mean you know how to run. The November 13th, 2008 New York Times featured Learning How to Walk in the Thursday Styles section. The article described a new craze in New York City – learning-how-to-walk classes. Students learn how to “walk with their feet parallel, their weight evenly distributed, and their body aligned”.

Well, duh! One part of me wants to shout, “we should already know how to do these basic take-care-of-your-body-and-use-it-correctly things!” Another part says, “it’s good that people are taking action and learning how their bodies work”.

OK. Adult classes in how-to-use-your-body are probably very good things. But I’m concerned about our children. Mandatory physical education for all kids needs to include daily training in musculoskeletal dynamics and proprioception. Untrained, our bodies can only be a burden.

As most adults find out.

So, let’s do physical training ongoingly. The Thinking Body, with more than 90 detailed anatomical illustrations, is the owner’s manual you never had. The deep knowledge offered in this book will enrich all your fitness activities, and really, all your life experiences.

Technorati Tags: core exercises, kinesiology, proprioception, Strength Training