When your body is aligned, body parts well connected to each other and to the brain, amazing things can happen. Another level of strength and stability becomes possible, allowing you to withstand and recover from whatever life throws at you…even if it’s an SUV.

If all is well, movement has been a part of life since before birth...but that doesn't mean that the movement is healthy. Even the simplest movements, done incorrectly, can cause significant problems that might manifest as an immediate muscle spasm or cause years of micro injuries that create issues later in life. Incorporating the Standing Plank exercise into your daily movements is a great way to put your core to work while staying strong and stable through life. That's why building the skills to move with strength and stability has to involve a deeper understanding of the The Art of The Lean.  Making sure you're "bending" or "leaning" over properly, as simple as it sounds, is another critical part of Moving Smarter and Living Stronger. Check out this video to see more - https://youtu.be/p1SoySeRuz0

Much of this episode is a verbatim transcript reading of a video I did several years ago called “standing planks“. I did my best to adapt it to this format but it’s still very useful to check the video out here - https://youtu.be/_sFfS0lFz9M For anyone who has explored ways to strengthen the Core muscles, the plank exercise has certainly come up. Since these muscles are designed to maintain stability, a stabilizing exercise is what's needed. But floor planks are not the only way to do this and, more importantly, there are ways of thinking about the plank that allow it to be incorporated into your every day movements. Standing Planks are an invaluable practice for improving all postures and movements and can be done just about anywhere, any time.

Witnessing a mind blowing example of balance and stability, I began a deep dive into why a stability ball can play such a big role in improving health and wellness. This episode further explores how to find and intentionally activate the core, specifically the TVA, and continues to set the stage for stabilizing all the postures and movements of daily life. It is one of the key lessons I’ve carried with me to this day and continues to help keep me moving smarter and living stronger.

If we are going to strive to keep our bodies in motion as much as possible, shooting for some magical number of steps per day, we have to make sure that movement is healthy. All the movements of daily life require a certain amount of strength and stabilization and, for the most part, that stabilization comes from our core muscles. Learning why they are so important to healthy movement, as well as where and what they are, is a vital first step to make sure that you’re moving smarter and living stronger.

I suppose, by now, there aren’t too many people that haven’t heard about 10,000 steps. For a wide variety of reasons, it’s a pretty valuable goal to shoot for. But why 10,000? Where did it come from? What about 9000, 8000 or 7000? Regardless of the number, moving more each day has had a significant impact on my wellness, my health efficacy and, more broadly, how I think about moving through my life.

There is a lot talked about regarding the impact exercise has on our well-being but there are some key ideas within that concept that are worth exploring on this podcast. As I’ve continued my efforts to be the best me possible, physical movement has had a significant positive affect. Along with good sleep and nutrition, just keeping your body in motion can heal a lot of what ails us.