How to Raise a Child Who Loves to Move

Biomechanist and bestselling author Katy Bowman has written another book called Grow Wild: The Whole-Child, Whole-Family, Nature-Rich Guide to Moving More and this time it is all about getting kids and their families moving more, together, outside.

Katy has been on the Get-Fit Guy podcast before talking about how walking is the superfood of movement and also giving us advice about how to choose a coach. I also quote her on a regular basis, pretty much whenever I sound the alarm on how human movement is currently at an all-time low. In her new book, she highlights how our children are currently facing both a movement and nature deficiency. They are both spending more time indoors and moving less than any other generation throughout human history.

As we and our kids turn more frequently to the modern comforts and conveniences of tech-based solutions, many tasks that once required head-to-toe use of our muscles and bones can be done with a poke and a swipe. Without even really noticing it, we have gotten rid of the movement-rich environment our physical, mental, and environmental health depend on. But we have not gotten rid of our biology’s need for it.

We have gotten rid of the movement-rich environment our physical, mental, and environmental health depend on.

The good news is, as Katy will highlight for us in moment, while the problem seems impossible, the solution is actually quite simple – and fun! 

For those of you who are not familiar with Katy, she is an internationally recognized biomechanist, author, and science communicator with both the skill and passion for reintroducing movement into people’s everyday lives. Katy has also earned an international reputation for educating the general population on alignment and load-science, and as a result has helped thousands to reduce pain, increase bone density, and improve metabolic health. What I most enjoy about Katy and her life’s work is her radical, counter-culture health directives – that happen to be based on hard science.

Below is a transcript of the Q&A I had with Katy. I encourage you to listen to the audio version of this exchange but if you really prefer to read, here you go!

Movement is Counter-Culture

I started by asking Katy why she calls movement “counter-culture” especially as it relates to a child’s life?

Katy:

Something is counter-culture when it’s a practice...

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