Katy Bowman’s Insights On Shoes, Exercise, & Her Latest Book
“The biggest misconception is that movement means exercise, when really exercise is just one type of movement. Exercise is to movement as vitamin supplements are to food. We exercise because our life has become void of the movements (and mechanical nutrients) that used to make up daily life.”
-Katy Bowman
Katy Bowman, a renowned biomechanist, a self-described “Nerd with specialty in Movement Nerd,” and the author of numerous influential books, including her latest release, Rethink Your Position. As a leading figure in the Movement movement, Katy is transforming the way we perceive and engage with the necessity of movement in our lives. Her work extends across the globe, where she imparts her wisdom on movement ecology and the perils of sedentarism to academic and scientific audiences. Katy's revolutionary approach to movement and her mantra of "move more, move more body parts, move more for what you need" has earned her recognition as one of Maria Shriver's "Architects of Change" and an esteemed figure in the "Walking Movement" by America Walks.
Katy's influence spans various sectors, from collaborating with giants like Patagonia, Nike, and Google to engaging with a diverse array of non-profits and communities. Her movement education company, Nutritious Movement, operates from the picturesque landscapes of Washington State, where she resides with her family. With her groundbreaking book, Move Your DNA, Katy challenged conventional notions by emphasizing the distinction between movement and exercise, sparking a paradigm shift in how we approach physical activity.
In this interview, we delve into Katy's insights on a wide range of topics, from natural squats and restorative exercises to the impact of footwear choices on our overall well-being. Get ready to be inspired by Katy Bowman's holistic perspective on movement and its profound implications for our lives.
5 Questions With Katy Bowman
1. Your work emphasizes the importance of movement in our daily lives. I like the ways you and your family modify your environment to practice what you preach. Can you talk about some of these approaches?
We’ve created a dynamic home so that our living space is as movement-rich as possible. Here are some things we’ve done:
We’ve gotten rid of most conventional chairs and have a living room that offers flexible seating options we can customize with pillows, cushions and an exercise ball.
We pick low tables that allow for cross-legged or short-stool sitting when we eat, just to break up the use of so much conventional chair time throughout the day.
Move dishes to low cabinets, increasing the number of squats we do every day.
Add a hanging station—which was more elaborate when the kids were little and now is just a few rock climbing holds on one beam and a chin-up bar in the doorway. It’s been an inexpensive way to add grip, arm, and shoulder strength time to everyday, no travel required.
When my kids were little these were all easy ways to cultivate their natural love of moving all day and now that I have pre-teens, these little habits we’ve created balance out longer bouts of at work or middle school-desks that impact our bodies much less.
Here are links to some of my blog posts with more tips: Keep Moving in Place and Why I Went Furniture-Free.
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2. In your book, Whole Body Barefoot, you emphasize the importance of barefoot movement and how it can improve our overall health. Can you explain the benefits of barefoot movement and how people can start incorporating it into their daily lives?
You’ve got 26 bones and 33 joints in each foot. All of these movable parts imply tremendous ability to move and use a wide variety of shapes, and, all of these movable parts depend on movement to keep these parts healthy. Spending more time moving around barefoot is a good way to get the many parts in your foot moving as is just switching to minimal footwear—shoes that are flat, fully attached (don’t just slide on), with flexible soles. This way the shape of the ground can make it through to the foot, making the foot change shape regularly.
Instead of looking to just go barefoot, you can think about ways to move your foot parts more often:
Create a “no shoes in the house” rule. Besides the occasional Lego, a house is barefoot friendly, so this is a simple way to increase your unshod steps.
Do exercises just for your feet. Spread your toes away from each other. Try lifting only your big toes, and then try lifting each toe in order. Stretch your calves and the tops of the feet.
Introduce texture. To fully move your foot, you have to step on lumps and bumps. Start with something soft, like a tennis ball, making sure to step on it with all areas of your foot. After a while, create a texture box of pebbles, stones, pinecones, and leaves. When you walk, look for options for natural terrain to get you off of flat and level human-made surfaces.
Take it outside. Spend time walking your backyard or local park area, always checking for debris (and notice how you become more aware and engaged with your surroundings).
Take your shoes off for a portion of a walk (preferably on natural terrain), moving mindfully and taking both uphill and downhill routes for maximum movement. Over time, take your shoes off earlier in your walk until they’re not needed at all.
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3. In your opinion, what are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about movement and exercise, and how can we overcome these misconceptions?
The biggest misconception is that movement means exercise, when really exercise is just one type of movement. Exercise is to movement as vitamin supplements are to food. We exercise because our life has become void of the movements (and mechanical nutrients) that used to make up daily life. Our grandparents moved way more than our parents and much more than we do. If you go back just a couple more generations you’ll find much more physically robust people who would never think to add more movement to the day for health.
Most people don’t have the free time needed to get the physical activity they need through exercise, so the key is to stop outsourcing so much of our daily movement to cars, machines, and other people.
I’m not sure how everyone can overcome a misconception but my part has been identifying the fact that these concepts have been tangled in our minds and then writing a lot of books about it 🙂
4. Your work also emphasizes the importance of movement for children's development. How can parents encourage their children to move more and incorporate natural movement into their daily routines?
My book Grow Wild: The Whole-Family, Nature-Rich Guide to Moving More is all about getting kids the movement their body needs as they grow. It’s full of tips and inspiration on how to “stack your life” for richer experiences that don’t take more time, but meet multiple needs at the same time. For example, “snacktivities” is a concept that combines food with movement like making your own whipping cream or packing up a portable dinner and taking it for a walk through the neighborhood. More than just making food fun, these types of food moves contain essential knowledge for our kids, about nature and the nature of where food comes from.
Read 30 Ways to Move More with Kids for some practical things to try right away.
5. Tell me about the inspiration behind your new book, Rethink Your Position, and what practical information readers can expect to learn from it.
As a biomechanist my truest interest in movement really started with assessing the smaller things, like the alignment of your body parts, how all your body parts stack relative to each other, and why this matters. Your body is quite malleable and you have all these hinges and levers that are adjustable. In this book, I’m trying to get people to understand that you have much more control over how you move and how your body feels when it moves than you might think. Rethink Your Position is your guide to everyday anatomy and alignment, organized from head to toe. You’ll learn how to:
Avoid “tech neck” by adjusting your head while looking at your phone
Set up your computer space to open tight shoulders
Switch up the way you walk for happier feet and knees
Care for your hips and psoas muscles by sitting differently
Adjust your pelvic tilt for a stronger pelvic floor and glutes
Wake up feeling refreshed by changing your sleep shape, and more
To learn more about Katy, follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
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