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.
When exercise got a score
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Hi Reader, Over the past few weeks we’ve been exploring how technology has shaped exercise over time. We started about 150 years ago with some of the earliest tools that changed how people moved — bicycles, spring resistance machines, and some fascinating home exercise inventions. Then we moved into the era when music made movement personal. Walkmans, Discmen, iPods, and eventually the playlists many of us carry on our phones today. Last week I shared a story from my synchronized swimming days, when a new piece of training technology changed how we practiced and stayed connected to the rhythm of the routine. Each of those moments reflected a shift in how technology interacted with movement. But in the past 15–20 years, something different has happened. Technology stopped just surrounding our movement. It started measuring it. ✔ Step counters. Suddenly movement wasn’t just something we experienced. It was something we could track. Devices like Fitbit and the Apple Watch made it possible to see how many steps we take in a day, how our heart rate responds to exercise, and even how well we sleep at night. For many people, this information has been incredibly motivating. It can bring awareness to patterns we might not otherwise notice. But here’s something I see often from a movement perspective. More information doesn’t always mean more clarity. Sometimes people end up with lots of data but aren’t quite sure what to do with it. Your watch might tell you your heart rate. But neither one can fully answer a very personal question: Your body has always been giving you information. Technology has simply given us new ways to notice it. And that’s where this story of exercise technology gets even more interesting. For most of human history, technology helped us move. Now it’s starting to help us understand how we move. More on that next week. 🙌 Before we get there, I’m curious about one more thing. 🤨 Have you ever used a fitness tracker or wearable device? A Fitbit? Did you find the data helpful, motivating, confusing… or a bit of all three? If a thought comes to mind, hit reply and let me know. I always enjoy hearing your perspectives. 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, This past week, a client sent me an email that absolutely made my day. She had just returned from the lake where a truckload of firewood needed unloading — 150 logs in total. But instead of simply powering through, she caught herself applying the movement strategies we’ve been practicing and discussing together. ✔ She hinged through her hips. ✔ Used her squat. ✔ Lifted and turned with intention. ✔ Paused every 10 logs to breathe and recheck her alignment before continuing again....
Hi Reader, The past three weeks have been a lot of fun. I was invited to teach at the Edmonton Lifelong Learners Association spring session at the University of Alberta, and some of you reading this today may have been in class with me there. If that’s you — I’m so glad you’re here now as part of this email community. 💗 I hope to continue sharing resources that support your physical activity, movement, exercise, and therapeutic yoga practices in ways that feel practical and sustainable for...
Hello! This week’s new Real Moves for Real Life video is about something we often don’t practice enough: Getting up off the ground. It sounds simple — until it suddenly doesn’t feel simple anymore. And with gardening season upon us, this movement pattern becomes even more important. Whether you’re planting flowers, pulling weeds, playing with grandchildren, or simply sitting on the grass for a few moments, confidence getting down and back up again matters. Here’s what I see all the time from...