EARTH GYM
earth gym
Since pre-colonial times, indigenous people used outdoor training methods to strengthen their bodies for traditional games or warfare
utilizing the earth gym is an indigenized approach to functional fitness
“The gymnasium is not the best place for young people to develop their muscles. The formative age should use no machinery in their development. They should season their muscles in the sun, in the fresh air, in the spring water coming down from the mountain, with a jump into the clean brooks and lakes of the mountains. That is where you get your nerve tonic.”
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all about earth gym
The idea of the Earth Gym is simple: Any and all outdoor physical activity is utilization of the Earth Gym.
At one time, the Earth was the only Gym. There were no other options, nor any concept of an indoor space specifically utilized for exercise. In todays world, it is more common for people to exercise indoors than out of doors. There exists a notion that one needs a gym in order to work out. This is not the case.
While fitness centers and gymnasiums are great for certain occasions, it is important to recognize the greatness of the outdoors and to utilize the outdoors as often as possible.
Scientists are now discovering what Indigenous people have understood for thousands of years. There are many benefits of outdoor exercise, including but not limited to stress reduction; spiritual connectedness; mental clarity; increased happiness; and so on.
In addition to improving mental wellness, the outdoors offers natural challenges to a workout routine that simply would not be present in a gym setting. Rather than viewing these challenges as an inconvenience, view them as an exciting and unique element to your workout. For example, the objects that we would utilize as "equipment" outdoors, like rocks and logs offer discomforts and create challenges since they do not have handles and racks and are not in convenient locations or labeled with specific weights. Utilizing this approach will increase your overall durability, toughen your hands, strengthen your grip and core stability, and will encourage creativity and mental toughness.
Earth Gym exercising is an activity that can be enjoyed in solitude to reground oneself spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. It can also be a social activity with friends, family, and community health programs.
An Earth Gym is also a great way to learn about traditional indigenous ecology of the earth, its plants and animals. We encourage all people to restore and/or preserve our earth in order to maintain harmony and ancestral teachings.