A Month on Movement
So basically, I could write two words and this post would be done:
Katy Bowman.
But I’ll go on because I KNOW you want me to tell you more.
Two years ago, I fell in love with the mind and work of Ms. Bowman because, no joke, she is a mad genius. I’ve been quoting her work and recommending it to everyone I know because everyone I know has a body and everyone I know wants to move it. I found that even the healthiest movers I know still suffered from niggling pains or discomfort or were looking for a sustainable approach so that they could continue to move well into their older years. Katy’s approach drew me in from the get-go. To refer to movement as a kind of nutrition made my heart sing. Exploring movement as nutrition means understanding that just as the body requires varying amounts and types of nutrients from food, it requires the same nutritional input from physical movement. Katy looks at movement as the whole and “exercise” as only part of that whole. Her solution-focused approach seeks to explore how we build our lifestyles and environment to either promote movement or outsource it and she eloquently explores the results of both of those paradigms, without being too judge-y, judge-y.
A simple example of this is food acquisition. How do we get our food? Generally, I go to the store or Farmer’s Market and purchase my food. Some people have a garden and grow and harvest their own food and others are legit farmers who grow and harvest all their own food, plant and animal. Think for a moment about all the various movements involved in these different methods of food acquisition and if you’re in my camp (non-gardener/farmer,) consider how we may be outsourcing our movement to others as opposed to doing that work ourselves. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these scenarios, but what Katy suggests is that our body needs movement, so if we are outsourcing it, that’s cool, but our bodies still require movement, so where do we get that missing input from?
Enter Exercise. In a culture that consistently outsources our movement to other people and/or machines, the body’s need for physical movement still exists and we all know by now what science is saying about sedentarism - “sitting is the new smoking,” we’re told. Never mind our societal delusion that says that we need to be thin, lean and a certain waist/bust/hip/thigh size to be considered beautiful. I’m talking about the innate evolutionary requirement that our DNA actually engage in moderate to vigourous movement on a regular basis. Our lymphatic system is set up much like our cardiovascular system in that it sends fluid (in its case, lymphatic fluid,) to pump throughout our system, spreading our immune defenders, draining toxins and a whole host of other jobs along the way. The difference is the cardiovascular system has a heart that pumps the blood, our lymph system needs US to make it pump by moving our muscles!!! Trampolines and their little offspring, rebounders, faster paced walking and running are common activities that help move our lymphatic fluid. Moving is literally a required nutrient for our bodies and ignoring that fact could be one of the main factors in the chronic illness that is becoming so prevalent. Never in human history have we collectively moved so little.
So I’ll say this - and this is another reason that I love Katy Bowman, she operates by examining the problem and spending more time presenting a solution – look at your home, your work, your lifestyle. Where can you create more movement space for yourself? If you have kids and you want them to move more, where can you be a role model for movement? Very rarely do I sit still on the bench at the playground with my kids. I have so little “free time” in my schedule, I can’t reasonably match my ancestors level of physical activity right now. But I can easily incorporate little pieces, one at a time, into my day. Yes, I look like a bit of a freak to the uninitiated at the school playground, but fuck ‘em. I want to be running around with my great grandkids someday, so I’d rather move it now than lose it later.
Here's my sometimes strange, but always helpful activities for the month:
Walk over drive whenever I can. Errands to run? Can I do it in my community on foot, rather than drive? Bonus points for bringing the kids and we get to chat and catch up on our day and I have help carrying the groceries. Also double bonus because carrying the stuff is like a little weight lifting session. (Katy calls this “stacking your life.” I want to hang out with my kids and need to exercise and get food so how can I do it all?)
If you’re a gardener – same thing – do you want to involve your kids? Do you just want them to be outside and making their own adventure? How can you facilitate that by just being an example?
When the kids are playing at the park, what can I do with that equipment that can help me increase my movement? Climb? Hang on the monkey bars and work towards a pull up? Chase the kids around playing tag?
Ever heard of bi-lateral crawling? I’ve been doing that anytime I move around my house with nothing in my hands. Ya, I’m a total weirdo, but no one’s here to see me, except my family and they already accept my weirdness so why not get a mini workout while I travel to the bathroom?
Dance parties! These may be a super under-utilized family movement opportunity. We each pick a couple songs and sweat till we bleed. Well, till we sweat. Honestly, bleeding is a bit much. (#c+cmusicfactory)
Check out the resources page on this site for more Physical Nutrition resources. Shout out to all the movers out there inspiring me! You move me in more ways than one. This month I continued with my online yoga with Brea Johnson of Heart and Bones Yoga (@heartandbonesyoga on Instagram) and I love to watch what Stefano Tripney (@captainstefano on Instragram) is up to. I can’t yet do anything he can do, except walk, but I love imagining the possibilities. Also Abby Corriveau (@femininebadass on Instagram) is pretty, well, badass. Here in Calgary, my girl Jenelle Kitto (@vidasana_living on Instagram) has some smooth moves in the yoga department as well! And of course, check out Katy Bowman at nutritiousmovement.com (@nutritiousmovement on Instagram) and her podcast, Move Your DNA and any one of her books.
Most of these folks have amazing free resources through their sites and YouTube that can get you started on incorporating more movement into your life. I also did a whole lotta walking outside – solo and with kids. Basically just move, don’t stress yourself out with how much or what kind, just schedule in movement each day and see where it takes you!