Why Movement Is Superior To Exercise & How To Unlock Total Body Fitness - With Katy Bowman

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Oct 8, 2025

Katy Bowman, a biomechanist and bestselling author known for her work on movement, discusses the vital distinction between movement and exercise. She emphasizes the detrimental effects of a sedentary lifestyle and how modern conveniences rob us of natural movement opportunities. Katy shares insights on the significance of foot health, the eye-brain connection, and playful movement for balance. With practical tips for integrating more movement into daily life, she encourages listeners to view movement as essential to health, akin to nutrition.

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INSIGHT

Movement Is Bigger Than Exercise

Exercise is a nested subset of movement; movement is any change in body shape or location.
Expanding movement beyond exercise enriches health, social life, and daily function.

INSIGHT

Convenience Eliminates Natural Movement

Outsourcing daily tasks removes rich movement inputs and social time.
Convenience often reduces movement without replacing it with nourishing life activities.

ANECDOTE

Childhood On An Apple Farm

Katy Bowman describes growing up on an apple farm and hauling apples for cider with her grandfather.
She uses that childhood experience to illustrate complex, real-world movement.

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In today’s culture, it’s easy to be sedentary. Most people have access to food, entertainment, and work without having to move much at all. And of course, a sedentary lifestyle has been shown to be linked to a whole host of chronic diseases. The question is: how do we become more active in a culture that encourages a sedentary lifestyle? Today’s guest, Katy Bowman is a biomechanist, bestselling author, and expert in all things movement, mobility, and functionality. She’s back on The Model Health Show for another engaging conversation on how (and why) to add more essential movement into your daily routine. In this conversation, we’re going to cover how our sedentary, convenience-based culture removes opportunities for movement, the difference between movement and exercise, and specific ways to improve your functionality—from your eyes to your feet. Katy has an insightful way of teaching these movement principles, and I know you’re going to take away something that changes the way you think and move. Enjoy!

In this episode you’ll discover:

An important distinction between movement and exercise. (12:52)
Why reducing movement to its parts is like dissecting an apple. (15:44)
The problem with outsourcing our movement for convenience. (17:58)
Why labor can be an important category of movement. (19:28)
The importance of the eye-brain connection and how to strengthen it. (25:31)
How working on your spinal curvature can improve your outcomes as you age. (28:47)
The role your feet play in whole body movement. (34:50)
A simple stretch you can use to improve the functionality of your feet. (53:19)
Why simply sitting on the floor can increase your mobility. (56:36)
What we can learn from the way that kids move. (59:58)
How to improve your physical workload in middle age. (1:01:45)
Why we need to broaden our definition of exercise. (1:04:23)

Items mentioned in this episode include:

Fromourplace.com/model - Get 10% off toxin-free, ceramic coated cookware with code MODEL!
Peluva.com/model - Get 15% off barefoot shoes with my code MODEL!
Whole Body Barefoot by Katy Bowman - Learn how to improve the function of your feet!
Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman - Read about the power of movement!
Connect with Katy Bowman Website / Podcast / Instagram

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This episode of The Model Health Show is brought to you by Our Place and Peluva. Get 10% off toxin-free, ceramic coated cookware by using my code MODEL at fromourplace.com/model. Peluva’s barefoot minimalist shoes support postural alignment, proprioception, and overall functionality. Get 15% off your order by using code MODEL at peluva.com/model.