Katy Bowman - Movement Matters: Essays on Movement Science, Movement Ecology, and the Nature of Movement

With Movement Matters, Katy Bowman has produced a thoughtfuland radicaltreatise that is a must-read for those interested in their personal healthand the health of the body politic and planet. A stellar read.

Rose Hayden-Smith, author of Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War I

Ive spent almost twenty years talking to people about food and specifically why good food matters. Ive made my case using biology and ecology, talking about our hunter-gatherer past. What I missed is all the movement that went into not just our food but also our lives. This is why movement masttersand fortunately for you, Katy Bowman has tackled this topic in a way that has never been done before.

Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution

In a civilization that strives to reduce movement to its barest minimum, and a culture that celebrates the leisure of the chair over the immersive experiences that truly nourish our bodies and souls, there is the voice of Katy Bowman. Her scientific approach, coupled with her deep understanding of the ancestral roots of our physiological needs, bridges the longstanding gap between the world of healthy movement and the advice of the medical and exercise science communities. Finally, we learn why movement matters, and that the answer lies not in the monotony of pointless exercise for its own sake, but rather in the exhilaration of movement as an expression of our very humanity.

Daniel Vitalis, host of the ReWild Yourself podcast

Understanding our role as human animals within the web of our ecosystem is critical in order to fully grasp what it means to exist. Movement Matters fully embraces all that I think we are failing to recognizethat our true selves are within the natural world, not above it.

Diana Rodgers, RD, author of The Homegrown Paleo Cookbook

Katy Bowman is one of the worlds leading experts on the ecology of human movement. She offers a timely and fascinating collection of essays that are designed to inspire a movement-based lifestyleessential for our long-term survival as adaptive humans. A must-read for anyone who cares about their health.

Angela Hanscom, author of Balanced and Barefoot

What a breath of fresh air! Katy Bowman, like her books, oozes originality and intelligence. In Movement Matters, she makes readers see how movement isnt something you doits something you are.The world, the fitness industry, and those of you at home aspiring for wellbeing will really benefit from Katys life-enhancing information.

Ellen Barrett, author of The 28 Days Lighter Diet

This is a compelling manifesto for an organic, natural movement lifestyle. Katy Bowman reminds us of essential principles about physiology, biology, life, movement, and even our connection to the world. Her insights are empowering and enlightening, and will help readers eliminate the unnecessary separation between their mindset and their physical behavior.

Erwan Le Corre, founder of MovNat

This gorgeous book opens the door to a new way of thinking and being. Katy teaches us how each movement, no matter how small it may seem, matters. You cant help but want to become more active in every aspect of your life.

Kristin Meekhof, author of A Widows Guide to Healing

One of the unfortunate side effects of living in complex, modern societies is the distance we create from the natural world, leading us to forget how to live better with less and by keeping active. In her quest to resurrect this lost knowledge, Katy Bowman provides us with a survival roadmap to reclaim personal quality of life and a sustainable future for all. A must-read for anyone interested in living a happy, productive life on a habitable planet.

Jason Lewis, author of The Expedition

Everyone should read this book.

Paleo Magazine

In Movement Matters, Katy Bowman has taken a large and complex topic and made it more than just fathomablethe essays are an enjoyable exploration of movement and other features of human health viewed from a unique perspective. Rather than simply inspiring more exercise for personal health, she has formulated a beautiful argument that explains how recovering the large variety of movements Americans have outsourced to machines and workers in distant lands helps ecosystems (and the people who live within them).Movement Matters is certainly worth the read.

Arthur Haines, author of the Ancestral Plants volumes

Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief

Diastasis Recti

Whole Body Barefoot

Dont Just Sit There

Move Your DNA

Alignment Matters

Copyright 2016, Katy Bowman

Foreword 2016, Ben Pobjoy

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Printed in the United States of America.

First Printing, 2016

ISBN-13: 978-1-943370-03-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016940676

Propriometrics Press: propriometricspress.com

Cover and Interior Design: Zsofi Koller, zsofikoller.com

Illustrations: Jillian Nicol

Author photos by J. Jurgensen Photography. All other photos by
Michael Curran unless otherwise noted.

The information in this book should not be used for diagnosis or treatment, or as a substitute for professional medical care. Please consult with your healthcare provider prior to attempting any treatment on yourself or another individual.

Publishers Cataloging-In-Publication Data

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Bowman, Katy. | Nicol, Jillian, illustrator.

Title: Movement Matters: Essays on Movement Science, Movement Ecology, and the Nature of Movement / Katy Bowman ; illustrations: Jillian Nicol.

Description: [Sequim, Washington] : Propriometrics Press, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 978-1-943370-03-0 | ISBN 978-1-943370-04-7 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Human locomotion. | Sedentary behavior. | Human ecology.

Classification: LCC RM725 .B693 2016 (print) | LCC RM725 (ebook) | DDC 615.82dc23

For the man who, when I talk of muscles and sarcomeres, draws parallels to relationships among the universe, stars, planets, and people, and who, through example, taught me to take a walk every day. And for Roxana, who gets it.

Its a pity we dont whistle at one another, like birds. Words are misleading.

HALLDOR LAXNESS