Motion is Lotion: Why Movement Keeps Your Joints and Muscles Happy
Have you ever heard the phrase, "motion is lotion"? It’s a simple yet powerful way to explain why movement is essential for keeping your body feeling fluid, mobile, and pain-free. Let’s break it down and explore why staying active is one of the best things you can do for your joints and soft tissues.
Synovial Fluid: Nature’s Lubricant
Your joints are surrounded by synovial fluid — a slippery, viscous substance that reduces friction between cartilage surfaces. When you move, your body produces and circulates this fluid, nourishing the cartilage and ensuring smooth, pain-free motion. Without regular movement, this fluid can become stagnant, leading to stiffness and discomfort.
Think of your joints like a door hinge. Without regular use, the hinge can rust and stick. But with gentle, consistent motion, the hinge stays well-oiled and functions effortlessly.
Soft Tissue: The Glide and Slide System
Beneath your skin, your muscles and fascia (connective tissue) need to slide and glide over each other for your body to move efficiently. Fascia, in particular, is a web-like structure that encases your muscles, providing support and transmitting forces throughout your body.
When you move, you stimulate the ground substance within your fascia — a gel-like matrix that hydrates and allows tissues to glide past one another. Lack of movement can cause this substance to become sticky and dehydrated, leading to adhesions, reduced range of motion, and even pain.
Why Regular Movement Matters
Circulation Boosts Matter
Muscles need oxygen to produce energy to break down nutrients to contract (movement).
Blood carries that oxygen and nutrients, like glucose, to the muscles that are being used.
When you move often, your heart can pump fresh blood to your muscles allowing those chain reactions to occur more regularly.
Prevents Stiffness
Ever sleep so hard that you wake up in the same position you fell asleep in, and your neck or joints were sore and creaky?
Engaging in regular, varied movements keeps joints lubricated (remember synovial fluid!) and soft tissues hydrated (circulation to muscles, skin, and slidey glidey fascia).
Promotes Healing
After training there can be a buildup of carbon dioxide and inflammation.
This system contains the liver and kidneys and flush’s out waste products like carbon dioxide from muscles, bacteria, viruses, and old cells, and reduces inflammation.
The lymphatic system is very close to the surface of the skin and works best with regular movement.
Supports Longevity
Muscle has two tendons on either side that attach it to bone (see picture below).
When muscles contract (think showing off your bicep) they pull on the attached tendons which are attached to bone. To keep the tendon secure, the body makes more bone to strengthen that attachment = more dense, stronger bone.
Want to maintain flexibility, strength, and overall function as you age? Don’t stop moving! Keep your muscles challenged by lifting something heavy!
How to Keep Things Moving
You don’t need to be a high-performance athlete to reap the benefits of movement. Incorporating simple, daily activities can make a significant difference:
Build it into your daily routine
Add movement before or after work, before or after lunch, after you pick up the kids from school, ect. If you don’t schedule it in and make time for it, it can get lost in the hustle of life.
Mobility Work
Mobility drills keep tissues supple with active and passive movements. My favorites are CARS, or Pilates.
Walking or Swimming
Low-impact exercises promote joint health without excessive strain.
Massage and Bodywork
Techniques like myofascial release can help free up restricted tissues and enhance mobility.
Mindful Practices
Moving slowly through movements help bring a ton of awareness to your body. You start to pay attention to how your moving and what it feels like better than rushing through an exercise. Yoga and Thai massage blend movement with breath, encouraging both relaxation and fluidity.
Final Thoughts
Your body is designed to move, and movement truly is fantastic medicine. By keeping your joints and muscles active, you’re giving your body the tools it needs to function at its best — reducing pain, enhancing performance, and improving overall well-being.
So, whether you’re hitting the gym, taking a walk, or simply stretching at home, remember: motion is lotion. Keep moving, and your body will thank you for it!
