This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
This book, The Fit Sit Revolution, is based upon the pioneering Feldenkrais Method® of movement education. The author, Stewart Hamblin, is a practitioner of this method and is also a UK based movement specialist. It takes you through the 5 key movements of your spine that enable you to move well. It shows you how to improve these movements. Weight transfer is such an important skill to develop. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among adults age 65 and older. The age-adjusted fall death rate is increasing and is currently 64 deaths per 100,000 older adults.
THIS BOOK CAN BENEFIT EVERYONE NOT JUST THE ELDERLY
However do not think the Fit Sit Revolution is just for the elderly. Anyone who spends hours glued to a desk or a chair will find it relevant. Stewart wrote this book during the summer of 2020. We were in the first lockdown and so everyone was doing a lot more sitting and a lot less exercise.
The book’s introduction opens with the sentence: “A strong and flexible spine can make all the difference between a full and independent life into our silver years or decades of increasing misery.”
The spinal column (vertebral column or backbone) provides both structural and nervous system support for your entire body.
There are just 5 essential lessons for the Fit Sit Revolution. These lessons train your brain to embrace a better way of moving around. You need a chair with no arms. Once you have learned the 5 essential movements Stewart puts it all together into one short, daily routine.
Stewart has done a lot of Yoga and Pilates and enjoys them both. However as he says in his book, “it’s all very well teaching a person how to look good in a yoga pose but if they don’t understand how to get up and down off the floor in a way that is non-harmful to their joints then what have they really learnt?”
MY PERSONAL REVIEW OF THE FIT SIT REVOLUTION:
This book gives you the basic tools you need to start your journey to transform the way that you move. Ageing need not be the miserable experience it is often portrayed as being. As I also do both Yoga and Pilates I thought this book would be wasted on me. Surely I am doing lots of stretching and bending? However, as I read the book, I started to learn Stewart’s lessons and gain from his knowledge. Everyone wants to give their body the best opportunity to stay supple and working well. Any way that we can avoid surgery and/or painkillers as we age has definitely got to be encouraged.
I am really benefiting from the knowledge and I am hoping that my brain is embracing the movements too so together we can enjoy my silver years pain-free! I am really enjoying this routine for my spine as it compliments all my other exercise and on the days that I don’t have time to do an exercise class the routines I have learned from this book are perfect for keeping my spine supple.
To purchase The Fit Sit Revolution from Amazon click HERE
If you are interested in improving your lifestyle then read Grace’s latest post ~ The Very Lazy Woman’s Guide to Keeping Fit and Healthy During Lockdown