33. Diversity and Abundance of Nutritious Movement with Katy Bowman, Biomechanist

Why is it so tough for us modern humans to take good care of ourselves? We created all of this technology to make life easier on our muscles, bones, and joints—so why do these core components of our bodies now seem to make us suffer more than ever before? For episode 33 of the Good Life Revival Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with biomechanist and movement ecologist Katy Bowman, who likely needs no introduction among my audience but here goes anyway. Katy is a prolific writer, speaker and podcaster on the topics of natural movement and human physiology from a cross-cultural perspective; she’s a serious research scientist with the rare skill of being able to translate often esoteric scientific jargon into clear, engaging, actionable English. Through her work in the field of biomechanics, she has become well acquainted with the ways that our bodies have been warped and reshaped by this strange sedentary zoo we call civilization. She wants to help you and me feel better from day to day, and reclaim as much of our innate human animal potential as possible by educating us on the ins and outs of “nutritious movement.” Katy and I had a fascinating and insightful conversation, exploring why a healthy relationship with our bodies is about so much more than diet and exercise alone. She also offered some really useful advice for farmers and gardeners like me to help avoid a “monocrop of movement” while playing in the dirt. Katy’s book ‘Move Your DNA’ is my pick for February in our ongoing book club series – stick around to the end of the episode for a discount code to save 20% when ordering through her website. And keep an eye out in the coming days for my extended audio commentary on the book, exclusively for Patreon supporters! (Speaking of which: Patreon supporters got to hear this interview days ago, now that I’m offering early access as a new perk. Where were you? Just sayin’.)