These practices are incredibly helpful to ground yourself and regulate your nervous system during stressful times. They will also help release stress and boost your immunity.

Now can be a great opportunity with all the gyms and studios closed to develop your home practice.

This can be your time to cultivate your inner strength, bolster your immunity and step into your best self.

Please remember, you don't have to do this alone. I'm opening up my schedule to serve as many people as possible during this time.

Whether you want to work with me or not, you'll walk away with clarity on what you need to become the strongest version of yourself, in crisis or in everyday life.

Click here to book a free call with me now.

We're in this together,

Jonathan

If you're struggling with chronic back pain, tight hips and stretching hasn't worked, there's a reason for that. Most likely you're not activating the right core musculature, particularly the TVA to properly stabilize your spine.

In this video we talk about the importance of activation before building muscle and why it's often the most overlooked aspect of training.

When Jamie and I started working on the squat he had spent years struggling with this foundational movement. Convinced that his hips were just too tight, or structural limitations in his body would forever prevent him from improving, he felt frustrated and confused.

By working on the right activations, much to his surprise, in just a few sessions Jamie transformed his squat.

If you're spending years working hard to improve your mobility and it's yielding little results, it's not you that's broken. It's the model you're using.

If you're wanting to dramatically improve your core strength and get more flexible at the same time, make sure you're working on activation, not just going through the motions.

Knowing where to activate, and in what sequence means the difference between working hard with little to show for it vs. working smart and riding week after week of momentum and improvement.

Want to learn more about activation and how to transform your limitations? Book a free breakthrough call with me today

If you've ever gone to reach overhead and felt like "it shouldn't be this hard," or have dealt with nagging neck pain, you know how frustrating it can be.

If you have rounded shoulders, chronic neck tension or a tight upper back, these three shoulder exercises are going to be a game-changer for you.

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Here are my recommended doses and instruction:

• Spend at least five minutes a day hanging
  • This should be accumulated! Not all at once. 30s here, 15s there throughout the day.
• Practice the movements independently before trying to make circles.
  • Squeezing the shoulder blades together (retraction)
  • Pressing the shoulder blades apart (protraction)
  • Lifting the shoulders up to the ears (elevation)
  • Dropping the shoulders into your back pockets (depression)
• Once you've mastered that, make big circles with your shoulder blades in these three positions
  • Hands and knees position - 3 smooth, slow repetitions in each direction
  • Hanging assisted with feet on the ground - 3 smooth, slow reps each direction
  • Paralettes or chairs - again, 3 smooth, controlled reps each direction

Do this for at least 30 days and see how your shoulders feel.

Too easy? Here's how to make them even harder:

• Scapular circles from a push-up position
• Scap circles from a dead hang (feet off the ground)
• Scap circles on paralettes with feet off the ground, knees tucked to chest

Share the love, yeah?

Use one of the buttons on this page to share this with someone that needs to give their shoulders/neck/upper back some much needed TLC.

[Reading time: 13 minutes]

Waking up for me used to suck.

Every morning was like a symphony of pops and cracks accompanied by a chorus of aches and pains. Why did I feel so old? I was only in my mid-twenties.

Instead of sharing my story of how I've fixed my body from sitting, misuse and imbalances (you can read about that here), I want to dive deep and go hard into strategies you can use right now to start feeling better today.

What follows is a step-by-step, concrete path you can follow to get your body back to feeling unstoppable, no matter where you are.

We'll address rebuilding your body from a holistic point of view, uncovering what's holding you back, and how to fix it permanently.

Sound good? First, we need to start with your story.

Step 1: Become the hero of your story (and ditch being a victim)

Your story about your body probably sucks. I know mine did.

For years I thought it was just a slow, inevitable downhill. I thought it was "too late" for me to do parkour, climbing, BJJ or be athletic at a high level. This was at 23 years old. I know, insane.

But that was the shitty story I unknowingly, subliminally picked up. Somehow along the way, I had been indoctrinated into this belief system that I never even agreed to.

Ask yourself, what do you believe about your body? Truthfully, what do you believe?

Now, what do you really want to believe?

Maybe right now your story is one of a victim, a sad tale where someone that once had a lot of potential now is too old, too weak, too whatever, to do something great.

That story sucks, so let's fix it.

What would it be like if you wrote a new story today, one where you were a hero, rather than a victim?

• What's the epic quest you're on right now?
• What dragons do you need to slay?
• What special resources and aids do you have that will help you on your journey?
• How would your best self approach the transformation you most want to make?

Remember, the quality of your results are the direct result of the quality of your beliefs.

Step 2: Uncover the motivation that never disappears

Part of the reason we don't make a transformation is that we haven't tapped into a motivation deep enough that will continually propel us forward, even when things are hard.

Without a deep motivation, feeling better, moving better, all that stuff is a nice-to-have thing. We place it in a bucket in the garage that we'll get to later. And we all know what happens to those buckets, they get shoved into the same dusty corner again when we move.

Instead, what if becoming unstoppable in your body was a necessity just as important as oxygen to you?

You sure as hell would be making different choices then you are now.

Here's a bold question for you: why is it your moral obligation for you to be in your best shape possible?

• Who is counting on you to be at your best?
• If you needed to perform in an emergency, like carrying your partner out of a burning building, could you?
• If you had to jump over a fence to evade a zombie, would you succeed, or get eaten? 🙂

In all seriousness, the more necessity you associate with being at your best, the more likely you are to follow through.

The problem now is life doesn't require us to be fit. We have to be the ones to motivate ourselves to make different choices.

We have to motivate ourselves to train, to recover, to do the work to restore our bodies and be at our best. If you rely on your own fleeting desires, you're automatically setting yourself up for failure. If you tap into a source of motivation that embodies necessity I promise you will never struggle with motivation again.

Step 3: Stop lying to yourself

Here's an obvious tip that most people don't follow: stop making your training beyond your reach.

Stop kidding yourself that handstands are fine when you have shitty shoulder mobility.

Stop lying to yourself that you can run when your knee/ankle/hip is constantly yelling at you.

Stop trying to do that move you saw on Instagram, without doing the 5+ years of work it took to get there.

You know if I'm talking to you.

You have to crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run.

I see too many of you out there fucking yourselves up because you want to be somewhere you're not.

Now, I'm not telling to not dream big, to have big goals, to reach for your full potential. You should do all that. But you need to build a foundation first.

If you're not sure where to start, a daily mobility practice is the beginning for 90% of you. Create a simple morning routine of squatting, hanging, quadruped reaches, downward dog, moving your hips, spine, and all your joints.

If you don't know what to do, watch this video:

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Step 4: Build a simple routine of foundational movements

There are certain movements that are more impactful and that generate greater results than other. These are typically exercises that involve:

• Controlling your body through space
• Mastering tension and coordination
• Both the need to lengthen and compress

While you could easily argue that there are dozens of foundational movements, when I work with a new client there are always a few movements I prioritize, because they give the most "bang for your buck."

Here are a handful of them:

Do these every day for a month and see what happens in your body.

I guarantee you will feel more strength, flexibility and coordination than you ever have before.

Step 5: Become the type of person that always shows up

I used to make the mistake of making my workouts ridiculously complicated. I would watch one Youtube video after another, getting excited about this movement, this training approach, and that program recommended by that fitness expert I had a man-crush on.

You know what that left me with? Being incredibly inconsistent.

It wasn't until I made it my mission to master the basics that I started seeing real progress in my ability to show up on a regular basis.

Here's how to make it easier to show up:

• Write down exactly when and where you're going to train right now
• Decide what you'll do in advance. Whether this is written by a coach or a program you got online somewhere, make sure you don't show up to a training session without a plan.
• Set an alarm that reminds you of why it's a necessity for you to show up at least 20 min before your time to train.
• Set out your clothes and shoes the night before, and rehearse in your brain the steps you'll take getting yourself to the gym and performing your training session.
• When you're having a bad day, just do the first set. Decide to do more if you're feeling good, or call it a day.
• Believe that you're the type of person that shows up. Ingrain this belief into your brain with action and affirmation.
• Get leverage on yourself. If no one knows about your commitment, you can easily back out. Make your commitment to showing up public and ask that you be called out if you don't check in.
• Most importantly, create a weekly or monthly reminder to track your wins and progress. If you don't feel like you're going anywhere, you won't be encouraged to keep moving forward.

If you do these things, you will become the type of person that shows up no matter what.

Step 5: Awareness > Progress

It's a funny, counterintuitive thing  —the more you focus on the goal, the longer it takes for you to get there.

The more you focus on the process, the easier (and more enjoyable) the journey is. And you reach your destination faster without as much struggle.

However, it's not super useful for you to try to focus on the process because it doesn't really give your mind something to do.

This is why I recommend that instead you focus on deepening your level of awareness.

Before every practice session, have a routine for checking in with your body that ensures that your practice will be deeper than just going through the motions.

Here's what my five-minute warmup looks like:

• First two minutes: Standing, scanning down my body with my awareness, from head to toe. My goal is to objectively, without judgment feel my body with as much detail as possible.
• Second minute: Softening my breath, getting taller and feeling the weight of my body. My intention is to drop into the space and remember that I am where I am.
• Last two minutes: I take the next minute to remember why it's a necessity for me to show up at my best and focus on my intention for how I want to show up. What do I want to embody today?

I'll then spend a few minutes warming up the major joints I'll be focusing on for my training session that day and get to work. I'm dropped in, fully in my body and in a place where I can really be with my movement. In this way, I'm ensuring that I'm getting the most out of my practice, and not just going through the motions.

Step 6: Introduce novelty and chaos to fight boredom

[clickToTweet tweet="The gym and modern workout routines are a kind of fitness utopia. Everything is predictable, manicured, restrained." quote="The gym and modern workout routines are a kind of fitness utopia. Everything is predictable, manicured, restrained."]

The floors have the right amount of padding and grip. The weights and machines have handles perfectly manufactured for your grip. The routines may be challenging, but they're often mind-numbingly safe.

After a while in this environment, your brain can go on autopilot. No reason to stay engaged. The brain sees no use for staying alert, checks out and starts going through the motions.

This, of course, is a massive vulnerability that most people don't talk about. Boredom is one of the biggest reasons my clients tell me that they fall off with their training. It's not challenging them because there is no novelty and no unpredictability.

What's the antidote?

• Every six weeks, change up your training routine. Focus on new progressions, new exercises, new ways to keep things novel and engaging.
• Bring more play and exploration into your sessions. A good way to do this is 15 minutes of play in your warmup or at the end of your session. If you struggle to give yourself permission to play because it's not "useful" remember that play is evolution's best solution to the most difficult educational problems. It's serious business.
• Change your environment. Practice in a park you've never been to. Put obstacles in your way that make your training harder or more interesting.

Remember, your body evolved as a response to a constantly changing environment. Adaptation was a necessity for survival.

[clickToTweet tweet="The more you introduce novelty and chaos into your training, the more you align with your evolutionary DNA." quote="The more you introduce novelty and chaos into your training, the more you align with your evolutionary DNA."]

The more you stay stuck in your comfortable patterns, the more go against your nature.

Step 7: Amp up the meaning and practicality

Not too long ago, fitness was just another word for living. There were no workouts unless you were a gladiator or soldier because life itself was a workout.

Modern fitness is a compensation for what we're not doing as a result of our comfortable lifestyle.

I'm convinced that the reason most people struggle with fitness is not that they don't want to move, but because they find traditional workouts meaningless.

Your brain evolved to solve movement challenges, not to go through the motions over and over in the name of some vague notion of "fitness."

One answer to this is to be incredibly clear on why your training (whether it be for your health, your family, or to simply look good naked).

This is one step to making training more meaningful, but we can do better.

The next level is to make your training meaningful because it is inherently goal-oriented.

As ridiculous as it sounds, you're attempting to recreate in your brain that you are doing something that involves an actual purpose. 🙂 You're not climbing to simply climb, but to reach and get that thing at the top (like food).

Here are a few ways you can implement this strategy in your training:

• When stretching, reach for a target, instead of just stretching to stretch. Use an object as a visual cue to reach further.
• When lifting weights, don't just pick things up and put them down. Pick them up and move them somewhere. Try to turn your training into a game.
• When doing pushups, pull-ups, or crawling, focus on actually traveling somewhere, or at the very least, imagine in your mind a scenario where you would need to do this in real life (crawling out of a burning building, pulling yourself over a ledge, etc.).

The more you make movement training like real life, the easier it is for your brain to understand why you are doing it.

So, make your training goal-oriented and your gains will follow. 🙂

Now, that was a lot... So, here's a simple way to make sure you implement everything you just learned

The most important thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.

That is, to develop a consistent, daily, quality routine focusing on the foundations of restorative, confidence building movement.

I know how easy it is to consume information without doing anything with it. (Ahem, I wouldn't know anything about binging on Youtube videos or tutorials and not doing anything with them. Nope. Definitely not.)

So, I've made a cheat sheet you can print out and put somewhere in your physical environment.

If you read my post about the visual trigger technique, you know it's important to make your environment work for you.

Click the button below and you'll get access to my pain-free movement routine.

Give me the routine, sir

As much as we know sitting for long periods isn't doing us any favors, it can be hard to get away from it.

For many of us, working on a computer, laptop or mobile device is a necessity, not an option.

So, apart from standing (which is good, but also just another static position), how do we have better mobility at work?

I'd like to introduce you to The 5x5 Habit, a very simple way to reduce tension and fatigue.

1. Set a timer to go off every five minutes (eventually, you'll start doing this organically, without a timer).
2. When the timer goes off, simply change your seating position. Could be a squat, kneel, straddle, cross-legged, butterfly - the possibilities are endless.
3. After 5 different positions (25min) you take a 5 minute break to stretch, move, hydrate, shake things out and recharge.

All you need is a yoga block or a few cushions, and a low table. You can use a coffee table, a step-stool or even a box.

There you have it. The 5x5 Method. Try it out and I guarantee you will have more energy, get more done and feel much better at the end of the day.

Can I do this working on a chair in an office?

Yes, absolutely. Try experimenting with different seated positions in a chair. Knees crossed, cross-legged, number four, straddle, and a modified kneel are just a few possibility.

Share this with a friend who needs this. Their low back and hips will thank you. 👍🏼

Want a free lesson to undo the damage of sitting and improve your mobility?

Si gn up for my free 10 minute lesson on how to reclaim your physical freedom. You'll trade stiffness and nagging pains for a body that feels capable of anything.

Get the lesson and move better immediately.

Stiff, tight hips are no fun. They can limit you in all sorts of activities, from running to climbing, to martial arts, or just plain moving around doing daily activities.

My hips took a beating from years of sitting at a 9 to 5 desk job, and they're still recovering. But with daily practice and self-care they've come a long way and I'm inching closer to the splits every day.

So wherever you're at, be patient with the process and know that with a little love and attention, they will get better over time.

Use this beginner-friendly hip mobility routine to start feeling better in your body immediately:

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Here's a breakdown of the movements:

• Leg Raises. Keep the leg straight and make sure the tailbone/butt doesn't lift off the ground as your foot lifts. Perform 10 repetitions on each leg.
• Hip Circles. With one leg bent and the other straight, perform a circle with your leg, aiming to draw a big, smooth circle with your foot on the ceiling. Make sure the opposite hip stays planted on the ground and doesn't lift. Perform 5 repetitions and then switch directions.
• Butterfly Stretch. Bring the soles of the feet together and place as close to your butt as is comfortable for you. Allow the knees to slowly relax down to the ground. Remember to breathe! Hold for about 30-60 seconds.
• Lower Spine Twist. Keeping one leg straight, bring the knee across your body until it reaches toward the floor. The same side arm can be bent at 90° or straight, depending on where you want to target the stretch. On every exhale, relax deeper into the stretch. Hold for 60 seconds on each side.
• Frog Stretch. Hold the knees in your hands and pull your legs close to your chest without lifting your lower back off the ground. Rock side to side gently and find where you need the stretch the most. Explore with rocking on your back up into a squat. Hold for 60 seconds.
• Quadruped Hip Circles. Begin in a hands and knees position, with your shoulders stacked directly over your wrists, and your hips over your knees. Bring one knee toward your chest, then out to the side, and finally back behind you, aiming to draw a smooth, big circle with your knee. Go slowly and smooth out any parts that are rough or sticky. Perform three repetitions in each direction on both sides.
• Walking the Dog. From hands and knees press your butt up high into the "down dog" position. With one leg bent, straighten the other leg and press the heel down. Move your hips to the side to find a good stretch through your glutes and side of the leg. Repeat this on both sides for 5-10 repetitions.
• Assisted Squat. From down dog, walk your hands back and your butt down into a deep squat. Hold for 30 seconds or however long you are able.
• Deep Frogger. Planting the hands down on the ground, bring the knees down and bent at about a 90° angle. Play with rocking the hips forward and back, side to side. Only bring the legs as wide as is comfortable for you. Breathe into the stretch and hold for 60 seconds.
• 90/90 Sit. Sit tall by pressing your hand behind you and get your knees into a 90° position. Drop one knee down and let the other follow until you're in a 90/90 position. If you need to bend the knees more, go for it. Listen to your body and honor where you are. To deepen the stretch reach your belly button over your front shin. Breathe and hold for 60 seconds and repeat on the other side.
• Pancake (or Straddle). Splaying the legs wide as is comfortable for you, press your hands behind you to sit taller in the position. If your lower back is still rounded, use a bolster to elevate your butt (a yoga block or cushion works great). Reach forward with your belly button to deepen the stretch. Explore moving side-to-side and find where you need the stretch most. Hold for 60 seconds.

Remember, chronic stiffness and nagging pains are not normal

The more you move every day and take care of your body, the better you will feel. You don't have to accept a slow decline or believe that "this is just the way it is" now.

Try this simple routine for a week and see how your body feels.

Let us know if the Movement Lifestyle group.

If you know someone that needs more buttery smooth hips, make sure to share this with them. 🙂

Want a free lesson to help you build a body capable of anything?

My course on mastering the foundations of movement is opening up soon.

Head over here to join the waitlist and get a free lesson.

Stretching and getting up to take breaks is great, but we all know it's a temporary fix. If you want to get at the root and cure your sitting stiffness, watch this video and follow the steps I recommend:

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If you want to make a big transformation in your body like the students in my video, I can help. Schedule a free 1-on-1 chat with me in the next week.

When I look around I see too many people trying to force themselves through workouts they don't care about to win the approval of people that don't really matter.

Screw that.

What I suggest is an approach that places who you are at the center.

When you build fitness from the inside out, you no longer have to force or guilt yourself to stay in shape.

This short video explains what I mean.

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How do you build your fitness from the inside-out?

Well first, you're going to need to stop a few things. Namely...

• Stop comparing yourself to others. Seriously, it's not worth it. You're running your own race. We all are.
• Stop basing your self worth on a number. It's not about how many times you worked out, how far you ran, or how much weight you lifted. Your worth can never be quantified by living up to some fitness ideal. Don't let anyone sell you otherwise.
• Stop forcing yourself through routines that don't feel meaningful to you. You have permission to define what fitness means to you, based on your lifestyle and what you want to do with your body.

Once you've done that, it's time to figure out what you need to thrive.

Know and honor your DNA > Standardized fitness routines

So, who are you? Well, the way I see it there are two levels of who you are:

1. First, you're a homo sapien. In other words, you're a mammal that requires a certain environment and needs to be met to thrive (clean air, sunshine, whole foods, nourishing movement, etc.)
2. Second, you're a unique individual. You are also a person that has certain strengths, weaknesses, patterns, limitations and a set of beliefs about your body based on the story you have and life experiences you've accumulated.

The shame in our world is that we are all trying to pretend we're not animals, we think we're "higher beings" or something that are beyond basic needs. But the truth is we need good food, movement, sun, air, water and loving support just like all other apes. Take any of those things away, and you can be sure that our health and fitness will suffer.

Getting back to a thriving body means we need to honor our "apeness" by taking control of our own environments, and building better habits.

• Does your work and career support the health of your body, or does it make you stiff and tired?
• Is there open floor to roll around on or is it all filled with furniture used to stare into screens?
• Is your fridge packed with fresh, organic veggies and meat, or processed junk?
• How about something to hang from to open your shoulders like an ape might need?

It might sound bizarre, but consider what kind of zoo you'd build if you wanted humans to thrive in their health and fitness. Model your own environment around that to the best of your abilities.

Your environment shapes who you are most, if you don't take control of it, you're fighting a losing battle.

How can you honor what you most deeply need?

The second piece is to look at what you uniquely need. Maybe that's to be more disciplined, to have more social support, to take on a new identity about what you're really capable of.

If you can become aware of what you (not anyone else) most deeply need to thrive, then it's a matter of honoring what you need, rather than forcing, shaming and guilting yourself to go to the gym.

Of course, that requires that you slow down, check in with yourself, and listen to the signals your body is sending you. Perhaps you need to stretch more, to go outside more, to let go of trying to live up to some ridiculous expectations.

Whatever it is, know that it is a continual practice. Your best self is revealed in every day that you show up and honor who you are, where you are, and what you need.

Becoming the fittest, most badass version of yourself can really be as simple as that.

P.S. Need some help getting more flexible and moving more consistently? Book a free strategy session with me and I'll help you create a roadmap to a body you love to wake up and live in.

Until this point, I haven't shared the whole story about how I've healed my body from years of neglect.

For too long I've been trying to make a logical argument about why mainstream fitness is broken and how we got to this strange, disconnected place.

And I've recently realized what a giant mistake that's been.

Because the reality is that understanding why things are the way they are doesn't change much (if anything).

So it's time I share with you exactly how I've transformed my body

I'm including all the messy parts because I think those are often much more valuable than the well-groomed, before-and-after picture stories with perfect lighting.

And believe me, my journey to rebuilding my body from a hunched-over, fragile desk worker to the adaptable, resilient strength I enjoy now is far from a nice and neat overnight success story.

My hope is that it will inspire you to create and build a new story with your body.

If it does, please share with myself and the rest of the tribe. I'll give you some details on that at the end.

Before I jump into things, I want to be clear: I didn't always have the outlook on fitness and movement that I do now.

In the beginning, I just wanted to impress people and look good naked

My journey didn't start with wanting to be resilient and injury free. In the beginning, I just wanted to look good with my shirt off, and be able to perform cool tricks with my body.

But for a long time, I ignored my body completely. The thought of exercise and going to the gym just felt boring to me. Watching Netflix, going to the bar after work, and playing video games was much more appealing because of the instant gratification it offered.

It wasn't until years of neglect working at a desk for 8-9 hours, not eating well and generally wrecking body that something changed for me.

I got inspired by Bruce Lee, and I was instantly drawn to learning the martial art he had synthesized from a decade of study, Jeet Kune Do.

So I sought out a teacher. And once I found one, I was hooked on training.

Nhan introduced me to things like barefoot running and practicing martial arts outside, not just in a sweaty gym. He also introduced me to what would later become my nemesis: training with gymnastic rings.

All of a sudden fitness was fun to me again, and it was all I wanted to do.

But all my enthusiasm mostly lead to overtraining and injury

Look, I was excited, okay? I had high aspirations for myself and set my standard of achievement against the likes of Bruce Lee and Olympic gymnasts.

Looking back, my naivete was kind of charming.

I was raised to believe you could "be whatever you want," so that's what I aimed for.

I wanted to be able to kick someone in the head and do an iron cross. The problem was that I had no idea what I was doing and had very little body awareness. So mostly, I just ended up injuring myself.

That didn't stop me, though. I dedicated myself to corrective exercise, working on my posture, and spending hours a day doing mobility exercises.

But the sad truth was that despite spending hours daily in the gym, I hurt all the time.

Something as simple as reaching to pick something off the floor could create a spasm in my neck or back. A basic movement like a pull-up could send my shoulder into pain that would take weeks to undo.

I woke up feeling like an old man in a 24-year-old body and couldn't figure out why, or how to fix it.

Wherever I looked, I found something wrong

It seemed like no matter what I did, there was always something going on with my body. I would stretch my neck and find some relief, then my shoulder would start bothering me. I'd do some yoga, then find my ankle or hip yelling out in pain.

I wanted to be able to run, climb, do cool parkour movements and have fun moving my body, but it felt like no matter what I did to try to fix myself, nothing seemed to give me lasting results.

There were a lot of days where I felt hopeless, and honestly, like giving up.

And while I'm ashamed to admit it, some days I found some guilty pleasure hearing about others injuring themselves or dealing with chronic pain. It helped me feel like I wasn't the only one that was broken.

Those were the worst days, the days where I felt depressed and like giving up.

But luckily, I'm a pretty damn stubborn person, so I kept searching.

I spent thousands of dollars on treatments, coaches, and body-mind therapies

It wasn't just Youtube videos, online courses, and coaches that I worked with to try to fix my body.

I worked with countless massage therapists, chiropractors, physical therapists, and even mystical energy healers.

There were the times I tried aligning my chakras, doing daily qigong barefoot at sunrise, and of course, working endlessly on my posture. The nutritional side didn't go unexplored either. I guzzled bone broth, ate paleo, downed turmeric, inhaled probiotics and sipped mysterious mixtures of Chinese herbs.

Some of it gave me relief, but the pain and dysfunction always found a way to creep back in.

I know now that one of the biggest mistakes I made was healing then jumping straight back into challenging movements gymnastics and martial arts training too quickly.

But because I didn't really know my body, I wasn't aware of the damage and counter-productiveness of what I was doing.

And most of the experts didn't seem to think that healing from chronic, long-term injuries was possible.

"This is just something you'll have to deal with"

The most maddening thing was when I would ask body workers how to permanently heal from the pains I was facing, and most just smiled, nodded and said:

"Your shoulder is probably just like that, sorry."

And you know what, for a while I believed them. I thought maybe that healing from injury and the imbalances I've ingrained in my body through years of desk work were just too much to undo.

Maybe I was just "like this," and needed to accept a sub-optimal, broken body.

Maybe having the body I truly wanted wasn't possible, and it would be easier if I just accepted that this is just "the way things are."

But that was a conclusion too depressing for me to accept for very long.

One thing I've learned about myself is that I refuse to settle. There was a voice within me that kept saying "Healing, total healing is possible."

And then I was led to a strange, unexpected breakthrough...

How the floor became my teacher

When I read the headlines that sent shockwaves through the internet, "Sitting is the New Smoking," it sparked something for me.

A big reaction to those headlines was the explosion of standing desks. If sitting is killing you, then we should obviously be standing instead, right?

The problem with that, I realized, is that we just end up replacing one static posture for another.

It's not actually sitting that's the problem. It's doing the same thing, all the time. It's living a life divorced from the way we're meant to move in nature that's the real problem.

So, I started sitting on the floor. I started squatting, kneeling and sitting in all sorts of positions while I worked.

I was looking for ways to emulate what I would have been doing as a wild human at work, at home, and in the park.

Which led to my biggest breakthrough of all...

Movement started to become the end (not just a means to an end)

Most people don't want to hear that they need to address and look at their whole life. It's uncomfortable, it requires change. You might need to look like a weirdo sitting on the floor or standing while everyone else destroys their posture hunched over at the desk.

I didn't want to hear that either. I was looking for the Two Movements That Build Healthy Shoulders! and The Five Keys to Fixing My Posture Once and For All.

I wanted to feel better so I could do the things without injuring myself, so I could look good and impress people.

But a funny thing ended up happening. I stopped obsessing over all those things because I found when I focused on the process, things got better a lot more quickly. I felt better when I was staying present and mindfully moving through life.

Things hurt less and I didn't have all this pressure on myself that I needed to perform X number of sets and reps for every single part of my body to create the ultimate, unbreakable self.

Movement became the thing itself. I fell in love with movement as a journey, as a process, not just a way to gain aesthetics, impress others, or get out of pain.

Am I saying I'm above those things now? Certainly not. But they aren't the main focus for me now.

What lights me up is learning more about my body, and what it's capable of. What excites me is feeling the pleasure of movement, of exploring a new place to move, or a new challenging skill to master.

I love being able to have freedom and control in my body and confidence that it's going to be there when I need to work in the garden, go for a hike or climb a tree.

But I also understand that it didn't start there for me, and it doesn't for everyone.

Which is why I want to help you with one of the biggest transformations I made:

How I reintegrated the missing key primal movements back into my life

These are movements you won't find in a gym routine, a CrossFit workout, or a yoga practice (not that there's anything wrong with those things).

These are the missing movements you need to learn to reclaim your naturally resilient, strong body.

At first, I did these as an isolated practice, which at first can actually be a good thing because dedicating time to relearn and get acquainted with your body is always a good thing. But over time, I found that it was easier for me to actually do them if I integrated them into my life.

These days I know longer wake up in pain. I have confidence in hiking, climbing, practicing martial arts and rolling around on the ground. Because I know myself and my body, I rarely fear I'm going to injure myself. I know my edges and I'm able to continually push them safely to expand my possibilities for play.

The best part is that movement for me is now automatic. It's not something where I have to force myself to get off the couch and go to the gym because I feel guilty.

I move because it's a habit that takes little effort to maintain. Movement has become a joy for me because it's no longer all about training. It's about exploring what my body is capable of.

What's the new story you want to create with your body?

In the next post, I'm going to show you how you can integrate these missing primal movements back into your life.

The best part is that it doesn't take any extra time.

In the meantime, I would love if you share with me a little about your story and how you feel natural movement can help you.

Click here to share with the tribe in the private online group.

And if you know someone that has given up or is struggling with their body, please take a moment to share this with them.

When I first discovered Animal Flow I was intrigued, but I'll admit, I rolled my eyes a bit at first.

No, there's no "accessing your inner tiger" or weird growling noises involved.

It is a bit weird, though. Good thing I happen to like weird.

As you might know by now, I'm a big fan of natural movement. (No big shocker there.) I also know that crawling around and moving on the ground is a big piece of primal movement most of us aren't getting enough of.

As I said, at first, I was a bit skeptical. The animal style movement thing clearly resonates with people tired of doing boring, gym-style workouts. But the way it's presented can often be a little cheesy or over the top.

I mean, scorpions, crabs and beasts put into a yoga-like flow? That can easily veer into gimmick territory.

But, since I was curious, I decided to put aside my biases and try it out. I started with the online training program they offer, which is great for doing at home, or in a park. I started by going through all of the movements one-by-one.

Some of them were familiar, like the quadruped crawl or crab crawl, which Animal Flow refers to as the "traveling beast" and "traveling crab." Some were new to me, like the scorpion reach which is a 360° movement, and the beast wave, a really great spinal movement.

Novelty is one of the big things I'm always talking about that we need more of. So this scored some points for me. Bonus points for lots of spinal movement, which we almost never do, except for hunching over at the computer, which as you know, isn't the best.

I also like that it includes a good amount of deep squatting, another foundational movement I think everyone could use more of.

The flow in Animal Flow

The novelty of the movements, and the ability to put them into flows I found to be the coolest part. While I was used to a good amount of the movements, but I hadn't thought about stringing them together into fluid movements where one links into another.

Check out this video of the founder, Mike Fitch doing some of the movements. I have to admit, it's pretty epic and gets you excited about mastering the movements.

What's inside the Animal Flow program

First, let's talk about what exactly it is.

Animal Flow is a structured series of animal-style movements that can be linked together to form flows (similar to yoga). It's good for building mobility, strength and developing motor control (something many programs are missing).

The way I like to think about it is similar to learning chords or riffs on a guitar. Once you learn enough of the notes (movements), so you can string them together and play fun, interesting songs (or flows with your body).

Let's look at the components that lead you into being able to flow.

The Animal Flow system is broken down into a few distinct categories:

• Wrist Mobility Drills. These are movements that help strengthen the wrists and prepare you for moving on the ground. Since most folks aren't used to crawling on the ground and putting weight on their wrists these help a lot with preparing your body for the movements ahead.
• Form Specific Stretches. These are mobility drills that help you own the positions you'll be using in the flows. They're great for stretching out tight areas, like the front of the body, and strengthening weak areas, which is typically the back of the body for most people.
• Traveling Forms. This is where the movements start getting put into motion. They consist of the traveling Ape, Beast and Crab, which make up the "ABCs" of Animal Flow. I have to admit, the ABC thing is pretty clever. It certainly make it easier to learn the basic movements when you might be overwhelmed by all that you're getting into.
• Switches and Transitions. These are the movements that help you transition from one position to another, and begin to create a flow. Without the switches, you'd just end up with a bunch of isolated movement patterns. This is where Animal Flow really shines over other bodyweight training programs.
• Flows. These are pre-made flows that combine the Ape, Beast, Crab and other movements, like the Scorpion and Side Kickthrough. A ton of pre-built flows are included in the online training program, but the goal is to eventually get creative and starting making your own flows.

Side note: For those of you not familiar with the "beast," this is pretty much a bear crawl. I'm not sure why they decided to rename it to beast, since it kind of confuses people, and it wouldn't break the "ABC" structure. The "ape" is essentially a deep, flat-footed squat. 

What makes Animal Flow really shine

The thing I found most unique about the Animal Flow system is that it encourages flow and creativity. The goal isn't to do the movements as fast as possible and simply tire yourself out. While that's not a bad thing necessarily, you want to own each of the positions before you try to speed them up.

At the teacher training workshop I attended our instructor Clif kept telling us "slow and own" before you try to speed them up.

I like this approach a lot, and it's something I teach in my own classes. I want my students to be able to do something very slowly, to totally own the position before they try adding speed or changing tempo.

This also makes the program very accessible to beginners. If you are having trouble with the moves, you can always try to do them slower and with more control to find the edge you need to work at.

My favorite part? The crawling patterns

Personally, I love the crawling/traveling movements most in Animal Flow. These are basic developmental positions that we learn as babies to develop motor control and the ability to coordinate our bodies in a fluid way.

Going back to these movements is a great way to heal your body and correct imbalances you might have developed over the years (which we all get!).

I've spent a lot of time in quadruped positions (beast and crab as they call them in AF) to help me rehab my shoulder and hip injuries, after years of trying to do crazy gymnastics moves I wasn't ready for.

Let's just be honest, if you don't have enough stability to control your body on the ground without tipping over, you probably have no business doing muscle-ups and planches. Not that I would know anything about that... 😉

Bottom line: the focus on developing motor control and full-body joint stability is what makes Animal Flow different than a lot of bodyweight programs out there.

An Animal Flow inspired routine for beginners

I created this routine to show you a bit of what you can expect with Animal Flow, and the types of movements you'll find in it.

This is a good routine to do as a movement break during work. If you're willing to look a little weird in the conference room, that is. Remember, the ones not moving are the weirdos.

Who is Animal Flow for?

I think Animal Flow is a good fit for anyone looking to have spice up their training and create more control in their movements.

It's also very scalable for all fitness levels. So whether you're just getting back into training, or have been moving for a long time, you'll find something interesting in it for you.

Once you get past the silliness of the names, the system is really quite great. You can tell by the way it's structured that a lot of time and thought went into developing the program.

 

I mean, why not aim for something more than just being able to do harder variations of pushups?

My final call: I recommend Animal Flow for anyone wanting to have more fun and creativity in their training.

Check out Animal Flow here and see if it's right for you

Full disclosure: If you click on the link above and purchase Animal Flow, I will get a cut. This helps me make more awesome videos and tutorials for you. I only promote products I've personally used and tested, so you can be sure they're top notch. Thanks for helping out!