Where movement is a blessing

Continuous activity generates inexhaustible flow of positive energy, ensuring non-stop development and excellence

ave you ever asked yourself how many minutes you spend moving each day? And if you have, what exactly counts as movement? For a doctor, movement means sports or recreational activities. For an employee, it means moving from one floor to another. For a housewife, it means washing the dishes or doing the laundry. Definitions of movement vary with environment and perspective; but they all include physical motion of the body.

What is the benefit of discussing something that many consider quite boring? Nowadays, most people have made it a habit to change the radio station when it starts talking about movement and sports. The universe is in constant movement, as are our bodies and the cells they are composed of. Therefore, movement is an integral part of our daily lives — without it, life stops. This is exactly what has happened to our bodies: We have stopped moving them. Movement has left our lives under empty excuses: Lack of time, high temperatures, and difficulty exercising. As a result, modern conditions such as obesity, blood pressure and diabetes have been welcomed into our bodies, they have settled inside and proliferated through generations.

Extensive studies have shown that exercise and physical activity of all kinds stimulate the body to produce hormones and substances that help rebuild and restore it in a healthy manner, renewing damaged cells and reducing the risk of chronic and malignant diseases.

Moreover, fat burning associated with movement maintains balance between calories entering the body (through eating) and calories expended (through exercise). Sometimes, the body burns more calories than it takes in, which helps curb issues with weight gain and obesity. But the benefits of movement aren’t only physical: Psychologically, movement releases endorphins, helping to improve the mood and preventing symptoms of depression and stress.

In improving our focus throughout the day, it is important to consider the role of physical activity. Movement increases the productivity of the employee at work, the mother at home, and the student at school. But what is healthy movement? On top of the list, we find exercise and physical activity, such as running, swimming or recreational sports. With these, we do not need scientific proof of their value to our health. Our religion also urges people to practice activities like these.

Daily movement, such as walking and completing domestic and professional physical work, is also a type of healthy movement. Some may underestimate the impact of walking during the short breaks throughout the work day, but even these minutes of movement are good for the body, especially when they become a daily routine.

Practical example

I remember the speech delivered by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at a government summit, when he mentioned the importance of walking and sports in his daily schedule. He said he walks three kilometres a day, 10 every week and 20 every 2 weeks; along with regular horseback riding. This is a practical example of living a healthy lifestyle full of movement and recreation, which helps to protect against the chronic diseases we see so often in modern life.

Medical research illustrates the profound positive impact of physical activity and movement on an individual’s intellectual and psychological output. It is clear that everything that affects the body, both positively and negatively, affects the soul and the mind at the same time. A large-scale example of this principle is the remarkable experience of the UAE. Since the establishment of the state and even earlier, our leaders have been actively moving to provide the elements of a decent life to the people and residents of this good land. The late Shaikh Zayed and Shaikh Rashid — may Allah have mercy on them — moved from one project to another and from one village to another during their leadership days. They personally tracked movements in their work, in addition to their movements in daily sports, and they continued following this approach throughout their lives.

What was the result of this continuous effort towards physical movement? It was endless positive energy, creativity, new ideas and the removal of the word “impossible” from the vocabulary of our rulers, which led to an all-round improvement in all aspects of life in this country.