Struggling to stay consistent with movement? Each week you’ll get relatable stories, practical strategies, and uplifting tips to help you move smarter, feel better, and bring more wellness into your daily life.
Before Fitbits and fancy bikes
|
Hi there, So let’s start here… Long before Fitbits. Technology was already shaping how we moved. About 150 years ago, one of the most revolutionary pieces of movement technology was… a bicycle. In the late 1800s, the “safety bicycle” changed everything. It wasn’t just transportation. It was independence. Especially for women. For many, it was the first time their bodies could move freely beyond walking distance. And yet — not everyone rode. My grandmother was introduced to the bicycle in her lifetime. It was new. It was modern. It was a big shift. She never learned to ride. And that’s important. Because technology doesn’t automatically change behaviour. It only creates possibility. In the early 1900s, pulley systems and spring resistance machines began appearing in gymnasiums. After World War I, Joseph Pilates refined spring-based equipment while working with injured soldiers — using resistance to restore function. Springs allowed people to load the body in a controlled way. It was structured. Intentional. Later came vibration belt machines — the kind that wrapped around your hips and “shook” you into fitness. There was a belief that technology could do the work for you. I can't tell you how many people have told me their grandparent or parent used a vibration belt machine! Here’s what I see all the time… Every generation believes their version of exercise technology is revolutionary. And in some ways, it is. But what’s important to understand here is this: Technology doesn’t replace awareness. It doesn’t replace dosage. And it doesn’t replace the relationship you have with your body. From a movement perspective, technology has always been a tool. A dial — not a switch. It can turn intensity up. But it cannot decide for you what your body needs today. So I’m curious… What was the first piece of “exercise technology” you remember? Was it a bicycle? Hit reply and tell me. I’d genuinely love to hear your story. Next week, we’ll move into the era when music changed everything. Because once exercise became portable… And that changed the game entirely. Stay well and happy moving, Supporting you in your physical activity journey.Together, we will use thoughtful and considerate movement to reprogram how you live in your body. Let's teach your brain to soften the intensity, and to grow your own ease.
Using exercise science, kinesiology, and yoga therapy, we can find a place that will not only allow you to move better and move more, but also increase the quality of your life.
www.lisaworkman.com |
Medical Fitness Consulting
Struggling to stay consistent with movement? Each week you’ll get relatable stories, practical strategies, and uplifting tips to help you move smarter, feel better, and bring more wellness into your daily life.
Hi Reader, Last week, I asked you to consider a question: How much is enough today? A member of our email community replied to say that she agreed wholeheartedly with the message—and that it was a unique way of thinking about physical activity and exercise. I think it feels different because most of us have been taught to measure movement by the maximum. How far did you walk?How much weight did you lift?How many minutes did you exercise?Did you complete the entire workout? We don’t often talk...
Good morning Reader, A few months ago, I wrote about how better movement starts with better questions. Lately, one question has come up again and again in conversations with clients. "How much should I do?" It's a great question. As a Clinical Exercise Physiologist, I can absolutely help answer it. I can recommend sets, repetitions, intensity, and progression. But I've realized that sometimes my job isn't telling someone how much to do. Sometimes my job is helping them learn how to know....
Hello Reader, Here's something that people often don't expect about my work. Sometimes I'm not helping someone prepare for today's exercise. I'm helping them prepare for something that's happening weeks—or even months—from now. It might be a vacation. A hiking trip. Playing with grandchildren. Or, in one recent case... A snorkeling adventure. At first, you might think the concern was the snorkeling itself. It wasn't. It was getting there. Many snorkeling adventures don't begin by jumping off...