Ep 179: Is The Concept of Exercise Helpful or Harmful?

Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman

Nutritious Movement

Flexibility, Active, Aging, Mobility, Muscles, Health & Fitness, Mobile, Exercise, Community, Movement, Alternative Health, Fitness, Joints, Menopause

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2025

⏱️ 87 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Inspired by a listener's letter, biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram talk about exercise and sport and how these relate to natural movement. They discuss how Katy’s message has sometimes been reduced to exercise is ‘bad’ and natural movement is ‘better’.

Katy explains that this has never been her position; rather her aim has been to challenge the assumption that the only way to move our bodies is through exercise. Her work has been to expand our framework of human movement and provide a broader understanding of the shapes and volumes of movement required for human health.

Katy and Jeannette also address issues raised in the listener's letter about gym culture and sports, noting that many of the negatives are perceived rather than actual or are to do with commercialization. They discuss the ubiquity of team sports across human cultures and the many positives that sport can provide, including natural movements—like throwing and catching—that are hard to get elsewhere in life.

Also in this episode Katy interviews Anna Yona, co-founder of the barefoot shoe company Wildling. Anna shares the origin story of Wildling and their expansion from children’s shoes into the adult market. Katy and Anna talk about favourite customer stories, teenage shoe choices and Wildling’s most recent venture—a rain boot—filling a much needed niche in the minimal shoe market.

Enhanced Show Notes & Full Transcript

Chapters:

00:04:20 - The Dynamic Collective

00:05:30 - Exercise Versus Natural Movement

00:09:00 - Definitions

00:24:00 - Gym Culture

00:31:00 - Exercise is bad?

00:36:25 - Sport Culture

00:46:00 - Reader Question brought to you by Correct Toes

00:55:40 - Conversation with Anna Yona of Wildling

Books Mentioned:

My Perfect Movement Plan by Katy Bowman
I Know I Should Exercise, But... by Diana Hill & Katy Bowman
Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon
Hunter-Gatherer Childhoods Edited by Barry Hewlett & Michael Lamb

Connect, Move & Learn

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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
Venn Design, beautiful floor cushions and ball seats that keep you moving at home or at the office
Peluva, Five-toe minimalist sports shoes ideal for higher impact activities
Wildling, minimal footwear for toddlers, kids and adults made from natural materials
Correct Toes, soft silicone toe spacers that can be worn barefoot or in shoes
Smart Playrooms, design and products to keep you and your kids engaged and active at home;

Thoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.com
Your Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, podcast listener. I already know that you like to listen to learn about movement in your body and in your life, but have you ever thought about moving with me to learn about movement?
0:11.9	Well, you can. I have a virtual studio, an online portal that has over 200 recorded classes with me, and a brand new user interface that allows you to search by
0:22.8	body part or topic, length of class, equipment you have or want to use, and more. In addition to
0:29.7	unlimited access to classes, studio members also get to attend a live Q&A with me every month via Zoom.
0:36.8	At $19 a month, virtual studio is the most cost-effective
0:39.5	way to work on your whole body, part by part, with guided precision exercise right from the
0:45.1	comfort of your own home. And everyone can try it out free for seven days. We have just loaded my
0:51.5	newest special five-class, pelvic floor week.
0:55.7	For those asking for movements that help with pelvic weakness or tension, menstrual cramps, core or pelvic floor coordination and function, deep hip work and gait, these five hours are for you.
1:08.5	I can't wait for you to try them.
1:10.4	You can find this special series under
1:12.0	focused class sets on the virtual studio landing page. You can use your free week to take pelvic
1:17.6	floor week. You are under no obligation to sign up and it's easy to cancel. I promise we don't bury
1:23.3	the cancel button. I even send you an email reminder letting you know that your free week is almost up.
1:28.4	We like to stay on the up and up around here. So you can hit pause and go find your free trial
1:33.0	at nutritious movement.com under free resources on the homepage. Okay, VSM. You've been notified.
1:40.7	On with the show.
1:50.2	This is the Move Your DNA podcast, a show where movement science meets your everyday life.
1:54.9	I'm Katie Bowman, biomechanist, author, and I exercise all the time.
2:01.2	And I'm Jeanette Lorham, biologist, movement teacher, and I am also an exerciser.
2:04.9	Everybody is welcome here. Let's get started.
2:12.0	Welcome to this podcast episode. Today, Jeanette and I are going to be talking about the concept of exercise.
	...

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