What is a RESET?

Categories: Blog, blog Sep 20, 2020

In Original Strength, we use the word "RESET" a lot. I often imagine that people know what we mean when we say it. It may not surprise you, but it turns out that my imagination does not bend the reality of others. Not many people actually know what we mean.

So, what is a RESET? 

A RESET is simply a movement that improves or adds to, the information going to your brain. When the nervous system receives information that it is looking for, information that it wants, it feels safe, and in turn, it allows the body to move better and feel better. 

You were born with RESETs preprogrammed in your nervous system. Even before you were born, you were given a movement template that was designed to build and strengthen your entire body from the inside out. This movement template is often called the developmental sequence. It is a series of movements, or a program of movements milestones, that are intended to build the nervous system and strengthen the body in layers.

Ultimately, this program, or sequence of movements, is to become your foundation for all the movements you will ever make and learn. Therefore, this original movement program is always to be engaged in some fashion. It’s the foundation, meant to be woven into everything you will ever do. Again, It’s purpose is to strengthen your body and keep it strong throughout your entire lifetime. 

But, in a modern world the body’s movement foundation can erode over time. The body’s nervous system is an “on-demand” nervous system. It keeps the neural connections efficient and powerful if they are being used. It prunes them away or “sweeps them under the rug” if they are not being used. If our day to day lives do not necessitate that we move often, our nervous system decides there is no longer a need to keep neural circuits that are not in demand, so it sheds them. So, not engaging in our movement design actually undermines our ability to move. The consequence of this is that we begin to break down, not because of age but because of disuse. We get slower, stiffer, we ache, we get injured, we get sad, depressed, fearful, angry, stressed, whatever. All of these things happen when we lose our foundation for movement. 

Our design, however, is a design of strength and nourishment. We have a developmental sequence (a strength-building sequence) preprogrammed into our nervous system. We do not have a “break-the-body-down” program preprogrammed into our nervous system. So, at any time, at any age, if we tap back into that original program, if we engage in our original movement template, we are effectively “Pressing RESET” on our nervous system. 

Whenever we move using our original, foundational movements we nourish the brain with information that it loves and craves. We are essentially teaching or reminding, the nervous system where everything in the body is and what everything in the body is for, our muscles, our joints, our fascia, our organs, our senses, everything... 

When the nervous system gets this refreshing information, it feels safe to allow the body to move and feel wonderfully. The brakes come off, pain goes away, emotions improve, thoughts settle, strength comes back, mobility is restored. All of these things happen when we “press reset,” or move inside of our original movement template. 

If you follow the design, your body is made to always “Press RESET.” It’s made to always be strong, to always feel good. Yes, you may get sick, but your body is designed to heal from that. Yes, you may get injured, but your body is designed to heal from that. Yes, you may feel tired, stiff, immobile, and weak, but your body is actually designed to prevent all of that, and so, it is designed to reverse all of that, too. 

Breathe with your diaphragm, move your eyes and head often, roll on the floor, rock back and forth, crawl, march, skip or walk often throughout the day, every single day. That’s Pressing RESET. Those are the foundational movements in your original movement template. They are meant to be foundational, needed, and used for a lifetime of health, strength, and joy.

 

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