I am so excited to share this interview with Katy Bowman today! As a prolific author, biomechanist, and founder of the Nutritious Movement movement, Katy is a real thought-leader who is passionate about teaching people about the power of natural movement and the importance of integrating movement into our lifestyle.

Katy has authored books like Move Your DNAand Movement Matters, and now has a new book out called Grow Wild, about the challenge parents these days have when it comes to raising children in today’s modern world in a natural manner. Even when you take the pandemic out of the equation, it’s undeniable that the reality of our (pre-Covid) modern world was one that was extremely supportive of a digitally dominant and also highly sedentary lifestyle. “This is the most sedentary group of humans in history,” Katy comments. But even though the world we live in makes it super easy to be lazy, there are still many practical methods we can all utilize to ensure that we are getting enough movement. 

In this episode, Katie shares these simple, but highly effective actionable steps you can take to organize your life, daily routine, and home environment in a manner that helps you integrate movement in a more natural way. You’ll learn fascinating information about the physiology of the human body that will completely shift your perspective on movement and parenting (and also the strong connection between the two) especially when she highlights how “our ideas of safety and not moving go hand in hand.”  Katy also breaks down why we require a wide variety of movements to be able to maximize bone density, and explains the unique importance of movement for children so certain diseases do not show up later on (did you know that  osteoporosis is actually a juvenile disease that manifests in later years?). She also reveals that you can actually dress your children in a way that either “helps or hinders their movement” and that one unfortunate side effect of parents hindering their children’s movement in an “effort to keep them safe” is that they are now less able to assess risk and have a good understanding of how to assess their self. 

Katy also explains the value of setting aside time to do longform investigations into the subjects that interest you most, and the reason why she describes longform reading and/or investment as an important skill to cultivate. You will also learn about the danger of this “pandemic of myopia” we are currently in, and why “the environment is the problem” (Katy organized her book by environment for a reason). You’ll also learn why Katy says that there are “many nutrients to be found in movement” as well as how to set up your home environment and lifestyle habits for success in a practical way. “This isn’t about moving into a cave and wearing a loincloth,” Katy says, but about making “really small changes.”

TIMESTAMPS:

Rather than moving, we are living in a crazy sedentary lifestyle. [01:45]

Katy moved from urban life to a much more traditional lifestyle. [05:30]

Her children are being exposed to nature in a big way. [11:06]

Kids need nutritious food, community, and lots of movement. The health of a child is really setting up that adult for what they can experience later on. [14:46]

Everything that we use is hyper-stimulating, like a sugar addiction. [19:33]

The developing body needs the most movement, and it's more than total movement. [22:29]

If parents don’t have the opportunity to bring to their family this ideal rural life, what can they do to expose their kids to nature in a healthy growing way? [26:20]

Think outside the chair. There is a relationship between culture and posture and movement overall. [33:23]

There are many “don’t move” messages in our culture. The side effect of not letting our children move to keep them “safe” has also made them unable to assess risk. [36:30]

Kids have a different makeup in that some just have to move and others more easily can be still. [39:26]

Because of the pandemic, people have had to find other ways of moving. [49:15]

Kids need to learn to walk. From the beginning they have been on wheels: strollers, trikes, bikes, and in carpools. [51:08]

Transitioning is difficult. [55:18]

The launch party for her book is going to be “book walk.” [59:52]

LINKS:

Brad Kearns.com

Brad’s Shopping Page

Grow Wild

Nutritious Movement

Katy Bowman

Join Brad for more fun on:

Instagram: @bradkearns1

Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh

Twitter: @bradleykearns

YouTube: @BradKearns

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