Movement Recipes
Health Recipe List
1) Move Like a Kid Again
2) Exercise the Way We Have For 4 Million Years
3) Squat Like a Sensei
4) Avoid Falls, Focus on Balance
5) Sit on the Floor, Not a Chair
6) The Other Side of the Exercise Coin… Recovery
7) Just Start Moving
8) How to Get Stronger
1) Move Like a Kid Again
Timing: You just need little moments throughout your day
Level of Difficulty: Easy-hard depending on what you choose
Serving Size: Start with small moments, grow from there
Spiciness: It can feel pretty spicy if you haven’t moved like a kid in a while!
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself and a willingness to move in different ways
REASONING AND BENEFITS
What do kids do? They walk on ledges, run through forests, sit on the ground, crawl on the ground, sleep anywhere, roll, jump, climb, swing, hang, twist, dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge. What do we as adults do? We lay in beds, sit in chairs, look at our phones, walk on flat ground in straight lines, exercise with machines in straight lines, and the very thought of doing a somersault could make us dizzy or pull a hamstring. The muscles in our bodies are meant to complement each other, and work together. When we stop using our bodies and muscles in all the ways we are capable, we fall into the old saying use-it-or-lose-it, we forget how to move, and we can injure ourselves easier. Just look at how kids squat, lunge, hold things overhead, and move in general. They are absolute masters of their bodies and joints. Just because you are an adult does not mean that you cannot move like a kid, you may just have forgotten how. You just have to start moving in these different ways to re-teach your body how to do it, and the benefits will be plentiful. You will get stronger, you will avoid injuries and nagging back pain, you will have more fun, and you will be able to play with your kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. Your brain will even benefit! A lot of our brain coordination comes from postural and positional information, and our dexterity and balance work with this. Walking on an uneven forest trail will send millions of postural signals to the brain, which is way more than walking on flat concrete will send. This constant flow of postural information will help maintain balance, which is incredibly beneficial as we age to avoid falling and hurting ourselves (Urban Monk, 101). Help future you by moving now.
INSTRUCTIONS
Start thinking about when and where you can fit different movements into your daily life. Here are some examples: walk through the park or forest instead of on the sidewalk, walk on curbs for balance, sit on the ground, sit in a chair with no back support, hold a squat position, jump over things, jump up onto things, sprint, hang on a pergola or park monkey bars, climb something, do exercises with twisting, play on the ground with your kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews.
Most of those examples can be done at any time. Keep your body guessing, break up your normal day and send some new positional and postural information to your brain.
Ease into fast movements like jumping and sprinting if you haven’t done them in a while. Doing a full sprint is a recipe for injury if you haven’t done it in a while or warmed up. Slowly start increasing your speed until you are able to run as fast as you can, just like you used to as a kid all the time.
Start exercise routines that incorporate a lot of these movements. Some examples: yoga, dancing, martial arts, boxing, forest running. Or throw exercises into your current workout routine that involve these movements such as twisting.
PRO TIP: It is so easy to get stuck in the same old routine in our busy lives. Doing the same things over and over can feel safe and comfortable. Get out of your comfort zone a little here and try out some new exercise, move your body in different ways, and have fun with it. Your older self will thank you when you are stronger, healthier, hardier, and have fewer injuries.
* Rotational movements are incredible for keeping our bodies strong, agile, and avoiding injuries. For example: dancing, yoga, martial arts, boxing.
** Moving like a kid again will activate your brain more than living how we live right now—in straight lines with limited movement. Fewer movements means fewer signals to the brain.
*** Starting to move in all the ways we are capable can even fix back pain. That fact alone should get us all trying this out. Back pain is no fun, and it is far too common. Move like a kid, get rid of back pain.
2) Exercise the Way We Have for 4 Million Years
Timing: Depends how long your walks are
Level of Difficulty: Easy to do, will be harder work than just walking!
Serving Size: Start small, get your body used to walking with weight
Spiciness: Can get a little spicy, especially on some hills!
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself, a weighted backpack, and the shoes on your feet
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Our ancestors started walking on two feet 4.4 million years ago. Ever since then we have been carrying a whole bunch of heavy stuff long distances. You put those two pieces together and you have a phenomenal exercise: rucking. Over time, our bodies have adapted and became incredibly proficient at this exercise. Putting some weight in a backpack and going for a walk will be tapping into how our bodies have evolved to move and get stronger over the millions of years since we started walking on two feet. We used to hunt animals over long distances, carry hundreds of pounds of animal back to our camps, carry big rocks to build, and carry all our possessions when moving camps. Our bodies are built for this. This kind of exercise will build both strength and endurance, which are both incredibly important for our long term health. Sometimes it can be hard to fit both of these styles of exercise into our busy weeks, so rucking may just be the answer. Many of us are already going for walks, so now all you have to do is throw some weight in your backpack and you will be exercising like our bodies have adapted to over the last 4 million years. There are not many exercises that can say that. Rucking is cardio for the person that hates running, and strength work for the person who hates lifting. (Easter, 238) One more bonus is that the higher a person’s cardio fitness—according to stacks of medical literature—the further that person is from nearly all of the popular ways humans now die. (Easter, 244) So let’s join our ancestors and get strong, fit, and healthy the way they did.
INSTRUCTIONS
Make a weighted backpack between 10 and 50 pounds. You can buy a specific backpack for rucking, or you can throw some weights in a backpack you already have. These can be weights from exercise equipment, or a bunch of bricks.
Next time you go for a walk, throw on the heavy backpack. Sinch the straps down to try and make it sit high on your back, and make it as comfortable as you can. Keep your back straight, and your chest open so you can breathe properly.
Now, just walk. Try to notice your heart rate go up a little higher than usual, feel your legs getting a little more tired, and feel your lungs working a little harder.
You don’t have to wait and go out for a specific ruck walk. Do you walk already, do you walk your dog, do you walk your kids to school, do you walk to a store? If you do, throw on that heavy backpack and get in your strength and endurance training.
Once you are comfortable with the backpack, you can make it a little harder by doing the ruck shuffle. This is a mix between a fast walk and a jog.
PRO TIP: Find a friend or a group to ruck with and this exercise will be ticking lots of boxes to maintain health. You will be exercising, getting sunlight and fresh air, and you will be getting some much needed social interaction. The exercise trifecta, heck yes.
* Look at some of your company if you choose to ruck: The Greek and Roman legions trained this way by loading up a backpack and heading into the woods, and so do the American special forces.
** Rucking is a great alternative to jogging. Running causes force on the knees 8 times your body weight, walking is 2.7 times, and rucking is just a little more than walking. (Easter, 248)
*** There are many recommendations out there to do 150-180 minutes of endurance exercise every week to make sure you are getting the amazing health benefits. Rucking can help you reach those numbers.
Sources and learn more about the benefits of rucking, and doing hard things:
Easter, M. (2021). The comfort crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Rodale Books.
3) Squat Like a Sensei
Timing: 1-15 minutes. Whatever you can make happen!
Level of Difficulty: Easy – Medium depending on how long you hold
Serving Size: Start with a short amount of time to create a consistent habit to fit it in most days
Spice Level: Medium spice, enjoy the heat
INGREDIENTS
Just you hanging out in a squat
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Fitness is always a balance between strength, stamina, and flexibility, among other things. In today’s age of less natural movement and more sitting, we are at risk of tightness and losing strength in our lower extremities. And if you are someone who works out, then tightness of the lower extremities can lead to other problems, such as tightness in our psoas and hip abductor muscles. Over time, these things can start slowly wearing out the joints of our lower extremities. A big part of staying active and healthy into older age comes down to joint health. Start investing in yourself by protecting the health of your ankles, knees, hips and pelvis with the deep squat. “The squat is one of the rare positions that allows you to practice several normal ranges: hip flexion and external rotation, knee flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion.” (Starrett, p. 193) Sitting in a deep squat allows for simultaneous stretching and strengthening of the lower extremities and pelvis muscles in a very natural way that will help you reverse the effects of unbalanced muscles.
INSTRUCTIONS
Sit down as deeply as you can in a squat position, keeping your heels on the floor. Use a doorknob to help if needed. Or practice by squatting down into a chair, standing up, and repeating.
Use your elbows to keep your knees apart.
Sit in this position for as long as feels comfortable.
Begin using your upper extremities for other things, keeping your knees wide by using the muscles in your legs.
Try to implement squats in different ways in your day. Eat a snack in the deep squat, read the paper, read to your kids, get your family members to join you and have a conversation.
Extend how long you sit in the deep squat position.
PRO TIP: Make this a routine by learning to enjoy the position and incorporating it into your daily life.
* Be aware that when you start this practice, getting up out of the squat can make you a little dizzy, so use help as needed, and when beginning keep it short. Make sure to maintain proper steady breathing to avoid dizziness.
** Getting used to this position will also enhance your squats at the gym by allowing you to lift weights through the full range of motion, squatting more deeply, with more stability to get more out of your workout.
*** Work your way up to master level status by practicing squatting with one leg at a time. Start by squatting on one leg down on to a chair before repeating again.
Sources and learn more about the benefits of squatting:
Starrett, K., & Starrett, J. (2023). Built to move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully. National Geographic Books.
4) Avoid Falls, Focus on Balance
Timing: No extra time needed
Level of Difficulty: Easy to fit in, hard to balance if you are out of practice
Serving Size: Small bits throughout your day
Spiciness: Can be spicy if you haven’t worked on it in a while!
INGREDIENTS
Yourself and some balance training
REASONING AND BENEFITS
What is one thing everybody hears when they get older? They hear about the dangers of falling and hurting themselves. What if there was a way to stop these falls from happening in the first place? We are here to tell you there is. If you are younger than 60, do not stop reading, balance is important for you too, so everybody can come along for the journey. Every year older adults in the U.S have around 36 million falls. This is the leading cause of injury and injury related death in older adults. Falls were also the third leading cause of injuries for people 18 to 35. (Starrett, p. 208) Like many things, balance is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition, so a lot of these falls, and falls around the globe, could have been avoided if these people worked on improving their balance. Studies have shown that people who do balance and functional exercises are 24% less likely to fall, and people who exercise for 3 hours per week on top of that reduce their chances by 42%. Also, when they do fall, they have a smaller chance of getting injured. (Starrett, p. 219) The great thing about improving balance is that you don’t have to carve out even more valuable time in your day to focus on it, you can practice and improve your balance while you are just carrying on with your normal day. Washing dishes? Stand on one foot. Putting on your shoes? Stand up and do it. Waiting for your water to boil? Rock a little tree pose. Walking to work? Walk on something skinny. The possibilities are endless. Try to do this barefoot or without shoes as often as you can to increase the messages from your feet to your brain. Break up your normal routine and start working on your balance throughout your day to protect yourself from injuries down the line.
INSTRUCTIONS
Ask yourself if you fit any balance practice into your life, and be honest. Remember to do balance work without shoes on as often as you can.
If you do fit some balance practice in, ask yourself if you are happy with your level of balance, or if you have room for improvement. If you do, rock out some more balance.
If you do not practice any balance, then heck ya, let’s get after it. Start incorporating balance practice throughout your day. Some examples for you: stand on one leg, put your shoes and socks on standing up, do tree pose, stand on one leg with your eyes closed, do pistol squats, walk on something skinny, play sports, jump.
Pair this balance work with building your strength to really protect yourself from injuries from falls. Do some squats, lunges, wall sits, anything at all to start protecting your joints and improving your balance.
PRO TIP: Jumping is a great way to optimize your balance game, so how about you incorporate some jump rope at the start of your workouts. Jump with both feet, and one foot at a time to elevate your balance skills.
* Try standing on one leg with your eyes closed and see how long you can last. Be honest with yourself, if you think you can make improvements here, work it into your everyday routine!
** There is a large area in your brain dedicated to receiving information from your feet, so take off your shoes, practice balancing barefoot, and walk around to keep those signals firing.
*** Jumping isn’t just good for balance, it can also improve bone density! In premenopausal women, 16 weeks of high impact jump training—jumping 10-20 times, twice daily, with 30 seconds of rest between each jump—improves hip bone density. (Starrett, p. 221)
Sources:
Learn more about the importance of balance and exercise in general:
Starrett, K., & Starrett, J. (2023). Built to move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully. National Geographic Books.
5) Sit on the Floor, Not a Chair
Timing: Start with 5 minutes, grow from there
Level of Difficulty: Depends on how used to chairs you body is
Serving Size: Try to remember to do this at least once a day
Spiciness: Can get pretty spicy when your muscles have to relearn how to sit
INGREDIENTS
Yourself, and any ground you want
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Our modern world is built around sitting down in chairs. We sit in chairs to eat, at work, while we wait for things, while we drive, and while we relax at night. Our bodies were originally designed to sit in ground based positions, not in chairs. So if you can start fitting in some floor time, and get away from the many chairs that surround you in your life, then your body can start to work as it is supposed to. Using your hip joints as they are meant to be used will keep them healthy, increase your flexibility, increase your strength, and will decrease your nagging injuries. (Starrett, p. 30) You can hang out in a squat position, sit cross legged, kneel, sit with your legs out, whatever you want to get you out of your chair every now and then. Sitting in chairs can lead to knee and back pain due to the lack of stability between your leg and pelvis. “You can rewild your hips, but it takes conscious effort. Hip extension should be a primary focus in your program to have a major impact on cleaning up common issues and complaints with better pelvic alignment and less pain in the low back and knees… Getting your hips into extension is just good basic body maintenance and a way to offset the aging process.” (Starrett, p. 91/93) Remember when you were a kid and you could sit on the floor cross legged no problem? Let’s try and get back to that in order to save your back, your knees, and save your future self from debilitating injuries.
INSTRUCTIONS
Try this “Sit and Rise Test” from the book “Built to Move,” by Kelly and Juliet Starrett: Cross your feet, sit down into a cross legged sit, and get back up with your feet still crossed without touching anything. This will determine if you have a good range of motion in your hips, good balance, and coordination.
That test will create a good baseline for you to remember. Now focus on sitting on the floor during times that you would normally be sitting on a chair. Try this out while you are working, reading, watching TV, hanging with your kids, whenever it makes sense for you.
Start with little spurts, 5-10 minutes is all it takes to start making this a habit. While you are sitting on the floor, does your low back get sore, do your legs get stiff? If so, this is a great indicator to keep at it and feel how your body adapts as you do it more and more!
PRO TIP: Working on your hamstring and hip strength and flexibility will go a long way in helping you avoid injuries, and helping your future self from never saying “I wish I could still move like I could when I was younger.” Try out a roller for your hamstring, hamstring lock out, hip opener mobilizations, and elevated pigeon. (Starrett, p. 46)
* If you are going to sit in a chair on a regular basis, make that a chair with no back because you will turn on more musculature, build stability, and avoid the weakness that can lead to back pain. (Starrett, p. 30)
** We love doing this one while we read or watch TV at night. See how long you can go before your leg falls asleep! Then try and beat that time each time you get down there and sit.
*** The right angle seated position is only embraced by a third to half of the world. People in China for instance have 80-90% less occurrence of arthritic hip pain than Westerners. Using the hip joints as nature intended keeps them healthy and pain free. They squat, kneel, and sit cross legged. (Starrett, p. 36)
Sources:
Learn more about how to move properly:
Starrett, K., & Starrett, J. (2023). Built to move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully. National Geographic Books.
6) The Other Side of the Exercise Coin… Recovery
Timing: Think on it, you decide
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Serving Size: Small
Spiciness: Mild
INGREDIENTS
You
REASONING AND BENEFITS
The recovery phase of exercise is almost as crucial as the workout itself, as it allows the body to repair, grow stronger, and adapt, reducing the risk of injury, burnout and excessive fatigue. Effective recovery not only improves physical performance but also supports mental health by balancing stress and improving sleep quality which contributes to overall well-being and longevity. Proper recovery can elevate energy levels, focus, and resilience. Proper recovery, including activities like stretching, hydration, nutrition, sleep, even mental relaxation, helps prevent burnout and keeps motivation high. In the long term, prioritizing recovery supports sustainable exercise habits, enhances body function, and promotes a balanced, healthier lifestyle, allowing us to fully benefit from physical activity on the days we are working out and on the days we are not.
INSTRUCTIONS
Start planning the recovery phase of your exercise and pay attention to how exercise affects the other aspects of your life.
Maintain adequate hydration and nutrition on days where you are exercising, ensuring appropriate electrolyte replacement and protein intake.
Get the appropriate amount of rest and quality sleep (7-9 hours), and don’t exercise too close to bedtime.
Be aware of the difference in recovery needed for low intensity exercise vs. high intensity exercise, and plan accordingly. Try not to overdo it on busy days/weeks.
Incorporate low impact activities like, walking, light exercise or yoga on your rest days.
When in doubt, start easy and build up slowly.
PRO TIP: Pay attention to the recovery aspect to exercise. Start taking a more active role in recovery and plan your workouts better to suit your whole life.
* Get some healthy snacks ready, and don’t overdo the junk food because you’ve had a good, hard workout.
** Listen to your body, sometimes you’ll be better off with low intensity exercise, and sometimes the best thing is getting some rest.
*** Go hard on the days where you can afford to do so, and build yourself up slowly.
7) Just Start Moving
Timing: As much time as you can spare
Level of Difficulty: Easy - Hard depending on how much you move now
Serving Size: Do something every day.
Spiciness: Can be spicy while exercising, but man, the after effects feel darn good
INGREDIENTS
Yourself and some movement baby
REASONING AND BENEFITS
“The first doctor to prescribe exercise for health was around 600 BC, his name was Susruta, in northern india. He noticed that his underactive patients seemed to be more disease prone. But diseases fly from the presence of a person habituated to a regular physical exercise regime.” (Easter, p. 222) This discovery has been seen time and time again by doctors and researchers around the world. There is a direct correlation between how much you move, and how healthy you are. The more you move, the healthier you are, the less you move, your health will decline. Moving will have unrivaled positive benefits seen in all areas of your health from lower rates of cardiovascular disease, to lowered depression, and even lower chances of cancer. There are not many things that we can do that will have as many benefits. Improving your cardio fitness will distance yourself from all popular ways to die. Improving your strength will do the same with the added benefits of maintaining muscle to avoid all the issues that come with lack of muscle as you age. Stretching and moving in different ways will protect you from injuries and allow you to move better longer. Standing instead of sitting, walking instead of driving, rucking instead of walking, running and jumping instead of walking, sitting on the floor instead of a chair, holding a squat instead of sitting on the floor. The possibilities are endless, your options are many, all you have to do is alter the way you think to start incorporating movement into your life. Just start moving, and move every day. “Life is busy, so we say always do something, or never do nothing.” (Starrett, p. 280)
INSTRUCTIONS
Start small by implementing some rules for yourself. Examples: use a standing desk instead of sitting all day at work, sit on the floor or hold a squat for the first 10 minutes of watching TV at night, walk somewhere that you would normally drive, get up and move every 30-60 minutes while you are at work, throw a weighted backpack on for your next walk, do some push ups before you drink coffee, do sit ups before a shower, skip for 2 minutes in the morning in the sunlight. We could go on and on, pick things that you will actually do
Cardio: It is recommended to get around 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity or a combination of the two every week. (Starrett, p. 280)
Strength Training: Perform muscle strengthening workouts at least twice a week. If you can do 10-20 sets for each muscle group every week, you will be building muscle. So you can do two full body workouts per week and make improvements. (Huberman Lab with Andy Galpin, Ep. Feb 8, 2023)
Again, we know life gets busy, so create an environment around you that supports movement. Doing something every day, even just a few minutes of air squats, will teach your mind and body to prioritize movement to improve your life now, and in the future.
PRO TIP: Self care and exercise are often the first things to go by the wayside when life gets busy. When this happens, don’t throw in the towel. Do something every day. Keep your momentum going. When things slow down, that momentum you created will make it way easier to get back in the saddle of exercising more.
* “Going from zero weekly exercise to just 90 minutes per week can reduce your risk of dying from all causes by 14 percent. It’s very hard to find a drug that can do that.” (Attia, p. 218)
** “Study after study has found that regular exercisers live as much as a decade longer than sedentary people.” (Attia, p. 218)
*** “Exercise has the greatest power to determine how you will live out the rest of your life… Not only does it reverse physical decline, which I suppose is somewhat obvious, but it can slow or reverse cognitive decline as well.” (Attia, p. 217)
Learn more about the magic of movement:
Attia, P., MD. (2023). Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. Harmony.
Easter, M. (2021). The comfort crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Rodale Books.
Starrett, K., & Starrett, J. (2023). Built to move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully. National Geographic Books.
8) How to Get Stronger
Timing: Minimum 2 strength training workouts per week
Level of Difficulty: This will take some hard work, but rewarding!
Serving Size: 10 - 90 minutes per session depending on the time you have
Spiciness: Spicy during the workout, energizing once you’re all done
INGREDIENTS
Yourself and your favourite strength training equipment, or just your own body weight
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Building strength is one of the best things you can do for your health, full stop. We can’t get into all the benefits here, but let’s name a few: getting stronger muscles, joints and bones, improving heart health, improving brain health, improving sleep, improving mental health, reducing injuries, increasing energy, and so many others. If you choose to follow one health recipe after reading our recipes, we ask that you try this one. Peter Attia, the author of the book “Outlive,” regards strength training as perhaps the single best thing we can do to improve our health, and goes on to state: “I think of strength as a kind of retirement saving. Just as we want to retire with enough money saved up to sustain us for the rest of our lives, we want to reach an older age with enough of a reserve of muscle (and bone density) to protect us from injury and allow us to continue to pursue the activities that we enjoy.” (Attia, p. 255) Create a program, mark your workouts down on your calendar, stick to it for 6-8 weeks, then adjust your program, and repeat. It is never too late to start.
INSTRUCTIONS
Consistency is KING. This is THE most important variable of your workout routine for muscle growth. Before picking your routine, sit down with your calendar and figure out when you are going to go to the gym.
Two whole body workouts per week is a great place to start when creating a routine to build muscle. If you have time in your life for more, go for it.
Sit down and write out a routine with exercises that interest you. Going to the gym and completing exercises that you don’t like is not a recipe for success.
If you are a beginner, there will be huge benefits working with a personal trainer to develop a program, and to make sure you are performing your lifts properly.
Stick with the routine for at least 6-8 weeks before creating a new routine. This will allow your muscles to grow as they get stronger with each particular lift.
Aim for 10-20 sets per week per muscle group. This is the sweet spot for muscle growth. 15-20 sets will have the biggest benefit, so try and work up to this. This may sound like a lot, but pick big compound movements that will target multiple muscles to unlock these benefits.
Building Strength: 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps, with 3-5 minute breaks between sets per exercise.
Muscle Growth: 3-5 sets of 8-15 reps, with 2 minute breaks in between sets per exercise.
Now that you are lifting, focus on progressive overload. Track your set and rep counts as well as the weights you lift. Try to lift a little more each workout by either adding more weight or by performing more reps.
PRO TIP: It can be tempting to change up your workouts, but make sure to really stick to your program for the 6-8 weeks before moving onto a different workout routine.
* Put a massive emphasis on your lifting form. The best way to stick to your program is by not getting injured.
** While performing an exercise, focus your mental energy on the contraction of the muscle being exercised and make sure to maintain slow and controlled motions.
*** Work out with a friend or trainer to hold you accountable. If you don’t have a workout partner, pick a friend who you update with your workouts so someone else can share in the excitement when you are sticking to your routine. Celebrate your wins.
Sources:
Learn more about the power of strength training:
Attia, P., & Gifford, B. (2023). Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. Random House.
Podcast: The Huberman Lab. (2023) Guest Series: Dr. Andy Galpin: Optimal Protocols To Build Strength and Grow Muscles (Part 2)
