Last week’s Hurricane Dorian and the destruction and devastation in the Bahamas, reminded me of an article I wrote and published in early 2016 about a previous natural disaster early in the 20th century. We can take a refresher from that incident in the edited and republished version below.
In May of 1902, there was a massive volcanic eruption on the French Caribbean Island of Martinique. A young French naval officer by the name of Georges Hebert led a rescue mission and was able to save many of the residents. Nearly 29,000 out of approximately 30,000 residents perished in the incident.
Georges Hebert recognized that most of the people who perished could have saved themselves had they had a basic amount of useful fitness. So he made it his purpose to create a system of exercise and fitness that would provide all men and women with functional skills necessary to “March, run, jump, swim, climb, lift, throw, and defend themselves by natural means”. He called his system of exercise Movement Naturale Methode, or Natural Movement Method. It was based on using the same movements that cultures such as Ancient Greece had developed in their quest for strength, endurance and physical excellence. No gym machines need apply.
Hebert’s methods have evolved over time. The military developed some of their “obstacle courses” based on Hebert’s system. Parkour, a French derived art of natural movement uses walls, railings, stairs, ramps, light poles, and other obstacles found in normal urban areas, as it’s own built-in gym. While originating in the night time streets of the cities of France, Parkour has become a World Wide fitness craze. Just search online for the word “Parkour” and you will discover some amazing examples of what you can do with your body using whatever environment you find yourself in. It’s a lot better than a gym (for the younger people).
The world can be your gym if you let it. If not a cityscape or a forest with trees, hills and boulders, then your own home can be your gym. All you need is a floor, a door jamb, a chair, and a couple of soup cans or an inexpensive stretch band and you can get all the exercise you need to remain a functional, vital senior adult. Oh, and add a little walking to that mix.
George Hebert’s motto was “Be fit to be useful”. He went on to write: Only the strong will prove useful in difficult circumstances of life.” (Hebert being quoted by Christopher McDougall in his incredible book, Natural Born Heros.)
Chances are you won’t be rescuing anyone from an erupting volcano anytime soon, but you will always need the skills that Georges Hebert recognized. I’ve modified those skills a little bit to apply to seniors. Your ability to push, pull, lift, carry, bend and twist, and to move balanced and comfortably from point A to point B will serve you well and keep you “useful” as you get older. But you have to continue to move your body to be able to keep doing it as you age. Eating well, breathing well, resting and sleeping well, will help too.
Thank you for indulging me in this edited re-post. I thought it to be appropriate considering the recent weather event, and as we continue through the current Hurricane Season.
And thank you for reading.