How Your Rump Is Like a Camel's Hump
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
Adaptation is defined as a change or changes by which an organism becomes better suited to it’s environment. Camels possess a number of nifty traits, such as their famous humps, which enable them to make it in the desert without water for seven months. The human body has more fat cells than a polar bear - an adaptation that allows us to survive and even flourish in a variety of environments where food might be scarce or abundant. For millions of years humans survived cyclical periods of feast and famine without the benefit of refrigeration or canning for long term food storage.
Our brains depend on an uninterrupted supply of oxygen and fuel. We have no mechanism for storing oxygen, if we stop breathing we die within minutes. On the other hand we are able to convert intermittent feedings into fuel that can either be used right away or stored for short or long term access. Because we require fuel even when food is unavailable, and the most efficient way to ensure a constant fuel supply is to pack on the pounds; we were brilliantly designed to USE weight - not to LOSE weight.
The Peter Principle - 2010
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
What is genius? It is the power to be a boy again at will.
— J. M. Barrie (author of Peter Pan)
Could it be that Peter Pan had it right? Peter, adamantly refused to grow up - a sentiment that is also shared by some of history's most creative and gifted intellectuals. Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein and of course Peter’s greatest champion, Walt Disney, whole-heartedly believed in the power of childlike wonder and curiosity. Tony Buzan, in his book “The Genius Formula” considers that the real secret of genius is to be a super baby - continually exploring, asking questions and generally cultivating an attitude of excitement and interest. Curiosity is one of our greatest assets yet we often let it fall into neglect and decay.
Baby Bottles - The Original Portion Distortion
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
A human infant is a pretty helpless creature. They aren’t really capable of much but they do have one characteristic that many of us long for. They know how to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are satisfied. When a baby is breastfed on demand they will nurse more frequently and vigorously when they are going through “growth spurts” yet they seem to be able to just lazily take an occasional sip when they are nursing “for comfort”. Many scientific studies confirm that humans, even newborns have a distinct inborn preference for foods that are sweet and creamy and those tend to be the ones we will gorge upon. A “breastfed on demand” baby may as well have a free pass to Baskin-Robbins - so how do they regulate their food intake when the supply is plentiful, palatable and already prepared?
The Problem With the Problem
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
There is an escalating sense of urgency concerning the “childhood obesity epidemic.” Although it is true that children are packing on unhealthy pounds at an astonishing rate, this is a symptom, not the problem. The real problem is that we have held on to eating behaviors that would have served us well when food was scarce or required a great deal of energy to obtain, which was true for most of the history of humanity. These days, however, our energy requirements are nowhere near where they were in the past. We have been so successful at inventing and distributing labor saving devices—cars, washing machines, indoor plumbing, prepared foods, and remote-controlled equipment to entertain us—that we barely have to take a step or lift a finger to do much of anything.
For children today, the problem is compounded in a very serious way. They are not only less active, they are often virtually sedentary. Recent advances in brain science have revealed that movement is essential to new learning. To be a child has always meant to play—to engage in vigorous activity, usually outdoors, and almost always with other children. Our present environment is unnatural and pathological for children. It is also insidious because it sows the seeds of potential lifelong afflictions, such as diabetes and heart disease, that may take many years to surface. Currently, there is no cure for these diseases. We can only manage them at significant cost to the individual and society.
It is unknown what effect the lack of play and normal activity will have on children’s capacity for learning and development. Time and technology have something in common: they never travel in reverse. It is a futile strategy to try and “undo” what has been done or “go back” to the way things used to be. We live in a high-speed world with no signs of slowing down. Any racecar or speedboat driver will tell you that in order to be successful they must keep their eyes on where they are going and not on the obstacles in their path. It they focus on the obstacles, they will crash. We, too, must direct our attention to where we are going, to the future we want for our children.
Diet? Don't Do It
It All Broils Down to Bacon
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
How did we (and our children) get so fat, so fast. It seems like it has happened overnight. Complicated theories and studies abound dissecting the possible causes of our "rapid expansion" but I believe it can be boiled, eh… broiled, down to a single word. BACON. Bacon is everywhere these days. In fact I think we should petition Webster's dictionary to replace the word ubiquitous with bacon. It is much easier to pronounce and spell and it means exactly the same thing - present, appearing, or found everywhere.
Careful What You Wish For
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
We are experiencing record growth ... at least in our waistlines. According to a 2008 report by the Center For Disease Control (CDC), more than two-thirds of the adults in the US were overweight, and more than half were obese. Apparently, the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree as the same report claims 30 percent of American children are overweight, and 15 percent are considered to be obese. How did we get here? I think that our wishes have come true. Unfortunately, like the opening line of one of my favorite stories, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs, “Be careful what you wish for; you may receive it.”
Don’t eat those french fries; there are fat kids in Africa
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
In the decade preceding World War II, there was a severe worldwide economic collapse we now call the Great Depression. It began in the United States with the stock market crash but quickly became global. Hunger, homelessness, and hopelessness were rampant; and they produced lingering effects even after the economic situation improved. Parents lived in fear of starvation for themselves and their children. It became commonplace to admonish one’s children to “clean your plate” because “there are starving children in Africa.” Famine continues to be a problem in Africa, which makes the “epidemic” of childhood obesity on the continent particularly ironic. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTC) found that in some countries in Africa obesity is much more common than starvation-related malnutrition. In Morocco and Zambia up to 20 percent of four year olds are overweight or obese. Neville Rigby, public affairs director at IOTC, reports that around the continent about 0.7 percent of the children demonstrate features of clinical malnutrition, but four times that many are overweight or obese. In Egypt, more than 25 percent of four-year-old children are too fat.
If I Only Had a Brain - Play Power
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
I’ll bet if you asked 100 people what a brain is for, at least 99 of them would quickly respond, “to think with.” But the reality is a brain isn’t there for us to think; it is there for us to move. Plants, trees, bacteria, and fungi are not capable of independent motion; therefore, they have no need of a brain. You have probably heard that fish is brain food, but the nourishment our brains really crave is movement.
Clumsiness is a Clue
Written by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt, The Movement Doctor
What causes clumsiness? Is it inattention to what’s going on or the result of a physically uncoordinated body? You may think your perpetually clumsy child just needs to be more careful or learn how to dance or play a sport. The reality is that many clumsy children don’t have awkward bodies at all. Their problem is in their vision or perception. Think of it this way: if children’s eyes don’t work well as team, they may bump into things because, while they can see they object, they don’t know where they are in relation to the object. If they have difficulties catching or kicking a ball, they may see the ball but not know where it is in relation to their hands or feet. The good news is that the underlying visual problems can often be easily identified and treated.