In a world that often views the body as a machine, it’s time to challenge this outdated perspective. Your body is not a machine. It's a dynamic, living ecosystem — powered by nature and built to thrive. Using this knowledge can help you to make the right lifestyle choices for YOU. Ready to rediscover what it means to move, live, and flourish as a biological being? Let’s dive in.

“Biomechanics” is the science of how the body's structures move. But 'mechanics' doesn’t even begin to describe the profound reality of how the human body works. We are far more than a collection of mechanical parts.

Biomechanics uses the metaphor of the car mechanic, where your car is your body. But a car is made of lots of pre-assembled parts fitted together, whereas a body is interlinked both internally and with its environment. Take a a headrest out and the car still runs, take a toe and the whole balance of the body is thrown off.

We are BIO. Our systems and structures all function together as one whole body.

Humans are biological beings. We grow from an egg and sperm that fuse and multiply to create a complex living system over nine months. We aren’t assembled in parts, and our organs and systems — unlike machines — are in constant interaction, adapting and responding to each other in ways no engine ever could. A car can’t regenerate, grow blogger or smaller or tell itself whether moving feels good or not. 

In reality, physiologists now describe the body as an intricate ecosystem — a dynamic symphony of interactions between:

• Trillions of human cells
• Trillions of microbial cells
• 78 organs
• 206 bones and 360 joints
• Over 50 hormones
• 600 muscles
• 20,000+ proteins
• 20–25,000 genes

These components interact not only with each other but also with the external environment, forming a complex, adaptive system that no machine could replicate. This dynamic interconnectivity is the foundation of physiology, as described by Walter Cannon in his 1936 work, The Wisdom of the Body, which introduced the principle of homeostasis.

The “body as a machine” metaphor oversimplifies this reality, reducing a living, breathing system to a collection of interchangeable parts. While society has advanced, our cultural understanding of the body still lags, often rooted in 18th-century beliefs. 

In the 18th Century we also believed:

• The stomach was like a furnace.
• Opium, onions, leeches and arsenic were common 'cures' in every doctor's bag. 
• The body was controlled by four 'Humours' inspired by the Ancient Greeks. These floated around your body and needed to be in balance.
• illnesses were carried by 'miasmas'; poisons that floated through the air.

These concepts seem laughable now but the 'body as machine' idea still persists. To move forward in both body and mind, we need to abandon the mechanical metaphor and embrace a more accurate view: humans as biological ecosystems powered by nature, not machines.

Cars and other machines have clear beginnings and ends, with distinct parts. Your body, however, is a complex biological system where all parts grew together — interconnected. While cells and tissues have separate roles, they often blend.

Consider a nail on your finger: it has distinct parts that stop at the cuticle, yet it seamlessly connects with surrounding tissues

Humans share around 50% of physiological processes with all living beings. From the way cells generate energy to how they exchange gases and move fluids, our biology is deeply tied to the natural world.

You began life as a morula — a tiny cluster of cells in a watery habitat (from the Latin – 'mulberry'). As your cells divided and folded like organic origami, your DNA gave the instructions to build a human being.

These blueprints, packed into every cell, are influenced not just by genetics but also by your mother’s diet and environment during pregnancy. This interaction between biology and environment continues throughout life, shaping your health, strength, and adaptability.

Through processes like epigenetics and cell regulation, your cells develop based on biological needs, ensuring proper growth and function.

Your body is full of these interconnected relationships, held together by fascia — a network of fibrous tissue that makes up around 30% of your muscle, blending into tendons and bones without clear beginnings or ends.

Now that you’ve seen the evidence connecting health, fitness, and nature, here are some ways you can view yourself as powered by nature:

1. What Humans Get from Nature: Ecosystem Services
   Oxygen, food, water, and the raw materials for shelter and medicine all come from nature. These “ecosystem services” are the foundation of survival and health.
2. Green Exercise and Nature Therapies
   Research shows that being active in nature enhances physical fitness, reduces stress, and improves mental well-being. Nature isn’t just a backdrop — it’s a powerful health ally.
3. Psychological Benefits of Nature Connection
   Being outdoors can enhance motivation, energy, and mental clarity, often more than exercising indoors. Nature boosts both physical and psychological resilience.
4. BIOmechanics: Physical Literacy Matters
   You are not just your mind. Your body is a biomechanical, biological system that needs attention beyond the gym. Movement is essential to overall health.
5. Your Body Is Part of Nature: Justice for Biology!
   Your body is, by definition, part of the natural world. Reconnecting with it — whether training indoors or outdoors — helps you reconnect with the biological reality of being human.

Ready to embrace your biological potential? Step outside, move with intention, and explore how nature can power your health and fitness journey. Your body isn’t just built to survive — it’s designed to thrive, adapt, and flourish, powered by the natural world.

So why do we still train our fitness like a mechanical machines? Learn to MOVE MORE NATURALLY with our online workshop, MAVERICK ONE.

Nature for Sports, Fitness & Wellbeing | Join The Mavericks Way

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