Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

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Katy’s Virtual Studio 

In recent years there has been significant backlash against the idea that posture is related to good health. Join biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram for a philosophical, historical and biological journey into the controversies around posture. 

Katy and Jeannette discuss whether posture is really a thing; is ‘good’ posture important or does your body work just fine regardless of how you hold it? Have we simply inherited postural ideals that are remnants of cultural, social and political baggage? 

Katy and Jeannette tease this out by discussing definitions of posture, the history of postural ideals and the difficulty in relating pain to posture. They turn to extreme examples of posture and Katy’s work in alignment to offer a more nuanced perspective on posture and physical experience in terms of load to tissues over time. 

Books & Articles Mentioned
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn 

The Rise and Fall of American Posture by David Yosifon & Peter N. Stearns
My Perfect Movement Plan by Katy Bowman

Made Possible by Our Dynamic Collective of Wonderful Sponsors 

Movemate; dynamic active standing boards that invite movement and play into your workday, without disrupting your workflow; Smart Playrooms, design and products to keep your kids engaged and active at home; Correct Toes, soft silicone toe spacers that can be worn barefoot or in shoes; Wildling, minimal footwear for toddlers, kids and adults made from natural materials; Venn Design: beautiful floor cushions and ball seats that keep you moving at home or at the office; and Peluva Five-toe minimalist sports shoes ideal for higher impact activities. 

Thoughts/questions email us at [email protected]
Your Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits 

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram, discusses a recent study on sitting time, standing time and circulatory risk. They cut through the media hype and explain what the study shows and why any prolonged static position might have health consequences. 

Katy and Jeannette contrast our cultural norm of being in the same position for many hours a day with the diverse resting positions of the Hadza, a hunter-gatherer group with low cardiovascular risk but also a large amount of rest time. Katy explains how repetitive positioning generates higher pressure in specific locations in our circulatory system setting us up for injury, whereas varied positioning and light movement keeps the cardiovascular system supple and the pressure distributed throughout our system.  

Jeannette and Katy touch on other issues to do with repetitive positioning including mobility and discomfort and offer practical suggestions for supporting your mobility and cardiovascular health while stationary. Finally don’t miss Katy answering a listener's question on hyperkyphosis via bananas and semi-permanent hair dye! 

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

On this episode Katy and Jeannette continue the Move Your DNA annual tradition of reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the next. Through a series of questions Katy and Jeannette reflect on 2024, discuss movement goals for 2025, and invite you to play along. They explore moving through injury, menopause and how to keep progressing with age. They share their plans for 2025 and Katy provides novel strategies to help us all MOVE towards the goals we have for ourselves and our families. 

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

Biomechanist Katy Bowman talks to biologist Jeannette Loram about the importance of head and neck movement. This year, Katy’s annual exercise advent offers 24 moves for the head and neck and Katy explains her personal and professional reasons for choosing this theme.  

Jeannette and Katy discuss the head and neck as a hub for our sensory, nervous, immune, digestive and vestibular systems, all of which require movement to support their functions. They discuss common issues of the head and neck region, as well as how repetitive head positioning and neck immobility can relate to broader experiences in the body, such as Katy’s discovery of a decrease in her height that she is working to reverse. 

They discuss the basic movements of the head and neck and also cover the structures of the region including a neck anatomy lesson provided by their favourite 1970s musical ‘Grease’ and a third-grade attempt to mimic the album cover! 

They share their own head and neck care practices and suggest strategies for listeners to add more daily movement for this part of the body; from changing their sleep set-up to pairing specific neck movements with a daily cue.

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

Biomechanist Katy Bowman talks to biologist Jeannette Loram about dog movement. This discussion stemmed from witnessing a balance ball therapy session for dogs. Just like modern humans, modern dogs now require physical therapy. In this episode, Katy and Jeannette discuss how to use Katy’s ‘movement nutrition’ framework and apply it to your furry friends. 

Katy and Jeannette discuss the evolution of dogs and the difference in movement experience between free-ranging ancestral dogs compared with today’s urban canines. They discuss how human-chosen pacing is not necessarily the most comfortable for dogs since their most efficient gait pattern is a trot, not a walk. They discuss the importance of meaningful movement for a dog, emphasizing the importance of smell and play as ‘command-free’ movement. They also talk about the importance of mentoring movement for dogs, especially safety skills such as swimming.  

Finally, they talk about their own dogs and their favourite —and often quirky—activities from climbing trees to log dragging and how dogs and humans can enhance each other’s movement diets.

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

Biomechanist Katy Bowman talks to biologist Jeannette Loram about a recent New York Times article “ Why Sitting All Day May Shorten Your Life”. Katy was a source for this article and she talks with Jeannette about the journalistic process, and why the short-form might be letting us down.

Katy and Jeannette talk about the benefits of sitting as well as the risks associated with uninterrupted hours in a chair. They discuss sitting as a two-part issue; first the inactivity and second the fixed body geometry. Katy and Jeannette discuss recent research showing that long hours of sitting are associated with a more rapid rate of cellular aging and how many experiences we put down to aging: muscle and bone loss, low energy levels and low back pain are really influenced by how much we sit.

Katy and Jeannette critique the recommendation to offset hours in a chair by increasing exercise time, noting that this is not really how biology works. Katy suggests that this approach is a bit like flossing your teeth diligently while not brushing them.

SPONSORS: THE DYNAMIC COLLECTIVE 

This episode of The Move Your DNA podcast is brought to you by The Dynamic Collective, a group of six companies that create products and services helping you to move more.  The Dynamic Collective is:
- Peluva: reimagining minimalist footwear

- Movemate: Dynamic active standing board

- Smart Playrooms: design and products for active living indoors 

- Correct Toes: anatomic silicone toe spacers

- WIldling: minimal footwear made with natural and sustainable materials 

- Venn Design:  Functional furniture for a balanced life - sit still less and move more

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

Biomechanist Katy Bowman talks to biologist Jeannette Loram about her recent multi-day hike across England. Katy, with her sister Mary, walked from east coast to west coast along the length of Hadrian’s Wall. 

Katy and Jeannette talk about Katy’s physical preparation for the walk; the (four pairs!) of shoes Katy selected and when she used them; the changing terrain and gait patterns she adopted and how she felt over the course of the trip. Finally Katy shares her physical and philosophical insights after many days of walking.   

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram talk about coughing. 

Katy and Jeannette discuss coughing as a life-saving movement; both in the immediate, to prevent choking, and also in the longer term for adequate clearance of the lungs and the health of our airways. They discuss the anatomy and mechanics of a cough, explaining how the mobility, strength and coordination of our core muscles affects the strength of our cough. 

They discuss postural presentations such as hyperkyphosis and anterior pelvic tilt that can lead to a weaker cough. They also talk about the liabilities of a cough, including abdominal strain, urinary incontinence, rib damage and back pain.

They discuss how coughing, like giving birth, is not a movement that we want to practice: ‘use it or lose it’ does not apply in this case! Instead we want to make sure that tension or weakness in our torso is not limiting our ability to cough when we need to. Katy offers a suite of mobility and strength exercises to prepare your coughing apparatus as we head into flu and cold season. 

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram discuss gait and question whether there is a ‘right’ way to walk. 

They explain the mechanics of walking gait, outlining the phases and shapes that each leg and foot should move through during the gait cycle. They propose that an ‘abnormal’ gait would be one that is missing one of these phases or shapes. They also suggest a framework for assessing walking based on efficiency, symmetry and balance. They talk about gait deficits such as shuffling and waddling and what is missing in those gait patterns while acknowledging that we are all individuals and not all gait variation is abnormal or needs to be corrected. 

Katy suggests we can only get to the heart of this question by considering human movement ecology; particularly the volume we walk, the shoes we walk in and, for most modern humans, the lack of a requirement to walk long distances efficiently. They discuss this in relation to human hunter-gatherers as well as other animals.  

Finally, they answer a couple of listener questions on the rather unusual gait seen in racewalking.  

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

In this episode, biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram talk about menopause and movement. They discuss menopause as a natural developmental phase that humans share with only a few other highly social marine mammals. They explain the evolution of menopause in relation to the role of grandmothers within human—and whale—societies and also explore the movement diet of postmenopausal women within hunter-gatherer tribes.

Katy and Jeannette discuss health concerns that arise around menopause: bone osteoporosis, muscle loss and cardiovascular issues and how movement is key to maintaining those tissues. They speak to the loud media noise around ‘heavy lifting’ and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as the ways to stay strong. They explain that we absolutely require muscle strengthening and bone loading activity as well as some intense heart and lung movement. However, the way we get those movements could be, but does not have to be, in a gym. They share ideas on how to get the movement our bodies need, in ways that we enjoy and work for us as individuals.

Finally, don't miss the end! Katy remembers to talk more about the benefits of  menopause, particularly in relation to remodeling of the brain.

Katy's new book 'I Know I Should Exercise, But... ' Presale 

Biomechanist Katy Bowman talks with biologist Jeannette Loram about lung movement.

Katy and Jeannette debate whether the lung surfaces are actually outside the body, similar to the tubes of the gut, and discuss how lung movement is not only important for breathing but also for immunity. They discuss the anatomy of our lungs and the mechanics of lung movement and explain how our lungs, just like our hips, have a range of motion that they need to be moved through on a regular basis.

They discuss humans as endurance-adapted animals and explain how our ribcage anatomy is adapted for greater lung movement compared with non-endurance animals. They also discuss postural issues such as hyperkyphosis and forward shoulders that can limit our ability to take good breaths.

Finally, they touch on some unique breathing scenarios such as high-altitude and aquatic environments.