My Perfect Movement Plan

Do you need to move more or move better?

Movement feeds your body. How's your movement diet?

Whether you know it or not, everyone has their own unique movement diet—the balance of types and amounts of movement that make up your days and nights.

Think about a healthy food diet. Eating broccoli for every meal would be great for getting certain minerals and vitamins, but it can't comprise a complete diet; there are other nutrients your body needs that broccoli doesn't contain. It's the same with movement: getting 30 minutes of cardio each day doesn't guarantee that you won't have a problem bending over to touch your toes or getting up and down from the floor with ease. A regular yoga practice may keep your spine feeling great, but not be enough to keep your bones strong or help develop the grip strength needed for everyday activities.

If 'movement calories' are the volume of movement and "movement nutrients" are the different shapes your body flows through to create that movement, which of these sounds the closest to your current situation?

1. High-calorie, low-nutrient movement: You move a lot every day—maybe your work or lifestyle involves lots of physical labour. You might be on your feet all day, rarely if ever sitting down for hours at a time! However, the way you move is repetitious and uses the same body parts or patterns over and over again, leaving some parts strong and other parts lacking.
2. Low-calorie, low-nutrient movement: Most of your time is spent sitting—at home, work, and most places in between. Even if you do get up to exercise for a dedicated hour each day, the rest of the time around that session is back in the chair or couch. Because you don't move your whole body much, many of your parts are also not regularly involved in movement.
3. Plentiful, nutrient-dense movement, i.e. a well-balanced movement diet! You move your body regularly throughout the day, in a way that nourishes all the different body parts and tissue types, and also develops (or maintains) the movement skills necessary to live your life in a way you find meaningful.

With this practical workbook, biomechanist and bestselling author Katy Bowman provides a tool that anyone can use to track how you are moving, how you aren't moving, and—perhaps most importantly—how to fit the movements you will discover you need into your everyday life. Enhance conventional movement groups—cardio, strength, and flexibility—with practical, skill-based 'macronutrients': walking and balance, getting to and from the floor with ease, carrying well, and supporting yourself with your arms. Find ways to incorporate the 'micronutrients' that are often left out of exercise routines but are essential for overall well-being. Are you moving your eyes enough? Or your wrists, or the bones and muscles in your feet? Are your jaw muscles, fingers and toes, hips, spine, and shoulders getting the full range of movement nutrients they need to function their best?

Also covered:

• Finding your deepest movement 'why'—beyond just 'getting healthy'
• Tracking and being mindful of your body shape throughout the day
• Real-life strategies for increasing the 'movement density' of everyday activities
• How to rest more while still getting the movement you need
• Adjusting a movement diet to the different ages and stages of your life