When I go for a walk, I often see people dressed up in workout clothes and running. However, there are aspects of their workouts that seem to me to make their bodies worse as much as they make them healthier.
A surprising number of people run while looking at the ground, or with an unbalanced left/right foot or arm stroke.
I believe that people need to change their definitions of labor, exercise, and rest in order to not leave their happiness to fate.
* Definition of work: any activity that keeps the thoracic space constricted or can cause it to constrict in the long term.
* Exercise: activities that maintain an expanded chest space or contribute to a long-term expansion of the chest space.
* Definition of rest: activities that maintain or contribute to a state of relaxed muscular and emotional tension.
Runners who run with their eyes on the ground, or who run with an unbalanced left/right foot or arm stroke, are clearly getting a workout, but the workout is not contributing fully and positively to their body and mind. Running in this posture qualifies as an activity that is both exercise and labor, based on my redefinition of exercise and labor. It's certainly better than not exercising at all, but the long-term negative effects are likely to be significant.
In order to be fully restorative, you need to pay attention to your running form so that it doesn't include any active aspect that could reduce your chest space or constrict it in the long run.
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