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Why Do We Lose Movement Over Time?
And How to Reclaim It, Naturally

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At Neurohealth Wellness on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, we believe movement is the foundation of a healthy, resilient body. But somewhere along the way, many of us lose the freedom to move with ease — to squat, crawl, run barefoot, and simply play.

So what happened?

Born to Move — Until We’re Taught Not To

Watch a toddler and you’ll see something remarkable: deep squats, crawling transitions, barefoot running, climbing on anything in sight. Their hips are open, their feet strong, their spines supple. Movement is intuitive. Natural. Necessary.

Then chairs, desks, car seats, and stiff shoes start to dominate.

Children go from exploring the world with their bodies to sitting in rigid postures, often before their nervous systems have fully developed the patterns needed for lifelong mobility. We mean well — keeping them safe, tidy, and “under control” — but the side effects of modern living start early.

The result?

Stiff hips
Collapsed arches
Weak foot muscles
Poor balance
A reduced sense of how to move

It doesn’t have to be this way.
At Neurohealth, we see it every day: the body can relearn what it once knew. But prevention is better than repair — and the earlier we protect movement, the better.

5 Ways to Preserve Natural Movement in Children

✅ Let Them Play Freely
Roughhousing, rolling, climbing, balancing — this is how kids build neurological control, joint mobility, and coordination. It’s not just chaos. It’s essential development.

Yes, safety matters — but overuse of “slow down,” “sit still,” and “put your shoes on” can dampen their natural drive to move. We want resilient bodies, not just quiet ones.

👣 Encourage Barefoot Exploration
Feet are sensory-rich, with over 200,000 nerve endings. Going barefoot (especially on natural terrain) helps activate muscles, strengthen arches, and build proprioception — the brain’s sense of where the body is in space.

Let them feel the ground — indoors and outside.

🌿 Bring Back Ground Play
Crawling, squatting, rolling, and sitting on the floor create strong, mobile hips and spine. Encourage downtime on the floor instead of always defaulting to couches and chairs.

🪑 Balance Sitting with Natural Positions
Sitting isn’t the enemy — sitting all the time is. Mix it up: squatting while reading, crawling through obstacle courses, standing at a low bench, or lying on bellies to colour. This diversity keeps joints mobile and muscles awake.

👟 Rethink Footwear
Most kids' shoes are built like mini boots — thick soles, rigid structure, and shapes that don’t match real feet.

Try the “shoe bed test”: place their foot on top of the shoe. Do the toes and foot actually fit inside? If the toe box narrows or the sole is stiffer than the child’s natural movement, it’s likely doing harm. Look for flexible, flat, wide-toe-box shoes that protect while still allowing movement.

Rebuilding Lost Movement in Adulthood

If you're reading this and thinking, "That explains my tight hips, collapsed arches, and back pain", you're not alone. The good news? It’s never too late to reclaim movement — and you don’t need to become a gymnast to do it.

At Neurohealth Wellness, we help adults rediscover foundational movement patterns through chiropractic care, nervous system retraining, mobility work, and practical, real-world strategies.

Try these as a daily ritual:
🧘‍♂️ Start your day with 5 minutes of gentle mobility – Cat-Cow, spinal twists, foot rolling. It’s a nervous system reset.
🏃‍♀️ Walk more, sit less – Use your feet the way nature intended.
🦶 Choose foot-friendly shoes – Just like kids, adult feet need space, sensory input, and freedom to move.
🏋️ Play like a kid – Climb, crawl, squat, jump. No gym required.

Movement Is Your Birthright

Our bodies were designed to move — not just in the gym, but in everyday life: squatting to garden, crawling with your kids, walking barefoot on the beach.

At Neurohealth Wellness, we believe that restoring movement is about more than joints and muscles — it's about freedom, resilience, and reconnecting with how your body was designed to thrive.

Let’s raise a generation that doesn’t have to “fix” their bodies later in life. And let’s lead by example, showing that movement isn’t lost — it’s just waiting to be reclaimed.

Need help moving better?
Our chiropractors and movement-minded practitioners can help assess your posture, mobility, and nervous system function to get you back to moving well — and living fully.

📍Neurohealth Wellness — Allambie Heights, Northern Beaches
📞 (02) 9905 9099
🌐 www.neurohealthwellness.com.au
🔗 Book online here

Why We Lose Movement (and How to Get It Back)

Born to Move — Until We’re Taught Not To

5 Ways to Preserve Natural Movement in Children

Rebuilding Lost Movement in Adulthood

Movement Is Your Birthright

Further Reading:

References

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