Podcast Summary
Skiing Adventure in Hokkaido with Tim Ferriss and Kelly Starrett: Despite extreme temperatures and physical strain, exploring new experiences and pushing through discomfort can lead to unforgettable adventures and personal growth.
Tim Ferriss and Kelly Starrett are in Japan for a skiing adventure in the northern island of Hokkaido. They experienced extremely cold temperatures while skinning up the mountain with special touring boots and bindings. The powder on the mountain is unlike anything they have ever seen, and they are enjoying hot springs and cold baths for recovery. Despite aches and pains, they are able to push through and enjoy the adventure. This is Kelly's first trip to Japan, and it ties into the broader conversation that they will be having.
How Japan's Environment Shapes Healthy Bodies: By modifying behavior and adopting active habits from different cultures, we can improve our body balance and mobility to achieve better health and fitness.
In Japan, the environment shapes people's bodies in subtle and unsubtle ways. For example, people take their shoes off at the door and walk around on slippery floors in socks. In hotels and restaurants, people sit on the floor on mats and use squat toilets. These habits create better body balance and mobility that people in the US may struggle with due to their less active lifestyles. The body is simple - use it or lose it. We need to modify our behavior and environment to incorporate these older, more common shapes to improve our overall health and fitness.
Mastering Ground Mobility for Better Health and Independence: Being able to get up and down from the ground without using hands is a crucial indicator of mobility. Practicing this movement helps in increasing mobility choices, minimizing fall risk, and promoting overall health and independence.
Being able to get up and down from the ground without using your hands is a vital sign of mobility according to Kelly Starrett, founder of The Ready State. While it doesn't necessarily mean you're an elite athlete or can't function in society, difficulty with this movement can indicate reduced movement choices and increased risk of falls. By working to restore hip mobility and ease of movement, individuals can feel better, be more independent, and reduce their likelihood of ending up in a nursing home. Focusing on durability, such as being able to perform this movement, can contribute to various performance goals and overall healthspan.
Kelly Starrett on Base Camp Behaviors for High Performance: Prioritizing restoration of range of motion, biomotor output, sleep, nutrition, and decongesting the body through walking can significantly impact overall wellbeing and performance. Tracking and improving sleep and aiming for daily steps can also have a big impact. Set goals and implement these behaviors for optimal health.
Kelly Starrett discusses the importance of base camp behaviors in achieving high performance in sports and in life. Two key behaviors are restoring range of motion and increasing biomotor output (i.e. wattage or poundage). In order to support these behaviors, it is important to also prioritize sleep, proper nutrition, and decongesting the body through walking. These base camp behaviors may not be glamorous or complex, but they can make a significant impact on one's overall wellbeing and performance. Tracking and improving sleep can have a big impact on performance and pain management, and aiming for 6,000-8,000 steps per day can be beneficial for overall health. It is important to set goals for both short-term and long-term health and work towards implementing these base camp behaviors in daily life.
The Power of Walking: Increase Steps for Better Sleep and Health: Adding more steps to your daily routine can improve your physical health, sleep quality, and longevity. Walking also stimulates the lymphatic system, helping to remove waste products and keep your body healthy. Make movement and walking a priority for a healthier lifestyle.
Improving your step count is an easy and effective way to improve your overall health by increasing exercise and stimulating the body's natural sleep pressure. The Western lifestyle often discourages walking and movement, but a minimum of 8,000 steps per day can make a significant difference in your physical health, skin, and sleep quality. Furthermore, walking stimulates the body's lymphatic system, which acts as the body's sewage system, helping to remove waste products and keep the body healthy. By prioritizing movement and walking as part of your daily routine, you can improve your sleep, overall health, and longevity.
The Importance of Regular Movement for Exercise Recovery: Moving your body regularly helps remove waste products and prevent tissue congestion, improving overall mobility and reducing the risk of health issues like DVT. Incorporating movement in daily life leads to healthier tissues that can handle more load.
Moving your body regularly is key to effective recovery after exercise. This can take the form of walking, perching or fidgeting, rather than relying on compression boots or lymphatic massage. By continuing to move, you can help to remove waste products in your system and prevent tissue congestion. Congestion can lead to serious health issues like deep vein thrombosis, which is why doctors recommend ankle pumps and compression boots in hospitals. Additionally, adding balance exercises to your routine can improve your overall mobility and reduce the risk of falls or other injuries. Incorporating movement in your daily life can help you adapt and have healthier tissues that can take more load more often.
The Importance of Balance Training for Overall Health and Performance: Practicing simple exercises like standing on one foot or using a portable slack line can improve foot strength and balance, leading to better movements and preventing falls or injuries. Skiing can also help diagnose asymmetries and foot pressure, while video review can aid in identifying and fixing imbalances.
Balance training is a vital sign of overall health and performance. Being conscious of asymmetries in your body and working on balance can lead to improved movements and prevent falls or injuries. Simple exercises like standing on one foot or using a portable slack line can be incorporated into daily routines to challenge and improve foot strength and balance. Skiing can also be a diagnostic tool for asymmetries and foot pressure. Becoming aware of these imbalances can lead to improved movements in daily life and other activities. Video review can be a useful tool for identifying and correcting imbalances.
Improving Ankle Range of Motion and Its Impact on Movement Solutions: Focusing on ankle range of motion, working on balance through vestibular training, and spending more time in end range positions can improve movement solutions and reduce the risk of falls as we age.
Improving ankle range of motion can enhance your reaction time when your base of support is lost. People who rely too heavily on their vision, rather than the vestibular system, are more prone to falls as they age. Spending time in the end range of a position rather than just stretching passively can improve flexibility and strength. Sitting on the floor more often can be a simple way to work on increasing comfort in uncomfortable positions. The brain uses input systems to perceive the world as safe or unsafe and improving these inputs can lead to better movement solutions and options.
Improving Balance: The Components and Minimum Effective Dose: Improve balance by challenging it regularly in day-to-day life. Simple tasks like standing on one leg while putting on socks or bouncing on a mini trampoline can be effective. Consistency is key to avoiding poor balance.
Improving balance involves multiple components, including the neural, vestibular, and musculo-coordination factors. The minimum effective dose for improving balance is unclear, but one way to start is by challenging your balance regularly in your day-to-day life. For example, standing on one leg while putting on your socks, bouncing on a mini trampoline, or incorporating balance play into everyday tasks like cooking in the kitchen can improve balance. The important thing is to expose yourself to these balance challenges consistently, as a lack of exposure can result in poor balance even in individuals who regularly exercise.
Prioritizing Shoulder Mobility for Better Physical Health: Maintaining full range of motion in the shoulders through simple exercises like hanging from a pull-up bar can prevent neck, shoulder, and back injuries while improving overall physical health.
The ability to put your arms over your head is a vital sign for physical health. Many people struggle with this simple movement, which can lead to issues in the neck, shoulder, and back. Yoga classes often incorporate this movement through poses like downward dog, but it's important to focus on maintaining full range of motion in the shoulders on a regular basis. Hanging from a pull-up bar is a simple and effective way to improve shoulder function, and can even be done at home with a broomstick. By prioritizing shoulder mobility, we can improve overall physical health and prevent injury.
The Importance of Restoring Your Body's Range of Motion: Start with slow movements and isometrics to improve overhead mobility and alleviate shoulder pain. Prioritizing and consistently working on thoracic mobility can enhance your ability to participate in activities and prevent orthopedic issues.
Kelly Starrett emphasizes the importance of restoring your body's native range of motion, especially in terms of overhead mobility, as it can lead to improved movement and potentially alleviate shoulder pain. To achieve this, he recommends using slower movements or isometrics to create tension without moving the joint or tissues. Starting with simple movements such as grabbing onto a sink and slowly taking deep breaths can help build strength and mobility in the mid-back and end ranges. By prioritizing and consistently working on improving your thoracic mobility, you may improve your ability to participate in activities such as swimming and prevent orthopedic issues.
Importance of Exposing Yourself to Positions You Want to Improve Upon.: To improve complex skills, practice the specific position you want to improve in. Include breathing exercises to mobilize and enhance movement, such as the "Tower of London" exercise, to improve thoracic spine and reduce lower back pain.
Kelly Starrett, a physical therapist, emphasizes the importance of exposing yourself to positions that you want to improve upon in order to teach complex skills. For instance, if you want to improve skate skiing, go and try skate skiing first to learn and enhance your skills. Starrett recommends using breathing as a practice because it can help mobilize specific aspects of the movement system and get your thoracic spine to move more effectively. He suggests trying the "Tower of London" exercise where you bend down over your legs, hug them and pop your thoracic to help get the global flexion of your back. Including different types of breathing exercises like frontal and back breathing can also help reduce lower back pain.
The Importance of Breathing Mechanics for Movement, Pain Relief, and Improved Performance: By focusing on proper breathing mechanics, including diaphragmatic breathing, athletes can improve movement, gain pain relief, recover more quickly, and reduce stress levels, making it a powerful tool for anyone at any fitness level.
Breathing mechanics are crucial for movement, pain relief, and better performance. Kelly Starrett, a mobility specialist, emphasizes diaphragmatic breathing as the core foundation for improving movement choice, pain relief, and better performance. By taking bigger and better breaths, athletes can power more effectively during workouts, strengthen their core, recover quicker, and improve body output. Additionally, the breath can be used as a self-soothing tool to decrease stress levels. Kelly encourages people to focus on the mechanics and not the CO2 tolerance or breath control while finding comfortable positions to breathe in. Ultimately, emphasizing breathing mechanics is a powerful tool for anyone, regardless of dietary habits or fitness levels.
The Importance of Protein and Fruits/Veggies in a Healthy Diet: Consuming enough protein and fruits/vegetables is vital for tissue recovery, health, and maintaining a lean body. Try to eat 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight and aim for 800 grams of fruits/veggies per day to get essential nutrients and fiber. Expand your diet instead of restricting it and prioritize healthy options.
Protein intake is important for tissue recovery, tissue health, and maintaining lean body mass, but many people do not consume enough. A reasonable amount is between 0.7-1 gram per pound body weight. Fruits and vegetables are also important and should be encouraged since they provide micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The recommended amount is 800 grams per day, which is achievable by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh, frozen, or cooked. By expanding diets instead of restricting them, it is easier to maintain a healthy diet and reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods.
The Power of Eating Fruits and Vegetables for Your Health: Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables - about 6-8 different types - every day can help you maintain a healthy body, provide fiber and micronutrients, and increase your longevity. Even non-organic options are better than none. Try gamifying your intake for long-term success.
To improve your health, aim to consume around 800 grams of fruits and vegetables per day. Eating a variety of types is key, with six to eight different kinds being optimal. Many people in the U.S. eat only three to four different kinds of fruits and vegetables each year, and increasing intake of these foods is important for sustaining lean muscle mass, getting fiber and micronutrients, and boosting overall longevity. While organic produce may be preferable for some of the "Dirty Dozen" crops with high pesticide exposure, even conventional fruits and vegetables are better than none at all. Gamifying your consumption of fruits and veggies can make the process more enjoyable and sustainable.
Kelly Starrett's Tips for Tissue Health and Longevity: Regular tissue loading and movement in archetypal shapes can prevent soft tissue injuries and promote longevity. Don't neglect basic exercises and fundamental position shapes as building blocks for more complex movements.
Kelly Starrett is obsessed with tissue health and preventing soft tissue injuries as he ages. To maintain tissue health, he focuses on loading his tissues regularly and decongesting them. When assessing fitness, Starrett emphasizes movements that load the body and promote range of motion in key positions, which he calls archetypal shapes. He advises against doing nothing, even if it's just a few pull-ups in the garage, to maintain a durable body. Ultimately, starting with basic exercises will allow for building a foundation that can scale with more complex movements and activities. Fundamental position shapes are key to understanding any movement structure and promoting physicality.
Practical Fitness: The Importance of Loading and Challenging Position and Shape: Building strength and durability through practical fitness means challenging your body with resistance and progressive loading. Different activities require different types of training, but don't forget about challenging position and shape to improve control and handle metabolic demands.
Being strong and durable is important, but it's not necessary to become obsessed with constantly increasing your strength and fitness. Instead, focus on practical fitness - can you do what you need to do? Different sports and activities require different types of training, but one fundamental truth is the importance of loading. This means challenging your body with resistance and progressive loading, which can be done through various exercises like strict gymnastics, barbell training, kettlebells, and strict pushups. Additionally, don't forget about challenging position and shape, as the brain is wired for movement not just musculature. Ultimately, the goal is to have control through all movements and be able to handle metabolic demands.
Building Competency in Movement through Varied Modalities: To improve skilled movements under various demands, it is important to train in different styles and shapes. Progressive overload in exercises like squats and engaging in a variety of modalities is necessary for overall fitness.
Being stronger is not enough to solve movement problems. To be competent with skilled movements under cardiorespiratory and metabolic demand while carrying real loads, one needs to train in a variety of modalities. Training in different shapes and styles allows one to build transferable skills, leading to flexibility and range of motion in the body. Progressive overload in exercises such as squats can bring about a positive change in life. While high-intensity cardio training such as cycling is time-efficient, it alone is not enough to challenge the body to move differently in the environment. To attain overall fitness, one must engage in a variety of movement training modalities.
Learn how the couch stretch can improve your body's capacity and movement.: Incorporating hip extension exercises like the couch stretch into your daily routine can help relieve pain and improve overall fitness, especially as we age.
The couch stretch is a vital and easy exercise that can help improve the capacity and movement of your body. It involves placing one knee in the corner of a wall and extending the other leg into a lunge position while using the wall for support. This exercise can be difficult for many people because they have stiff quads or their brain is protecting them. However, working on hip extension is crucial as it affects movement quality and capacity, especially as we age. By incorporating hip extension exercises like the couch stretch into your daily routine, you can relieve pain and improve overall fitness.
Overcoming Barriers to Fitness Adherence with Built to Move: The book focuses on finding opportunities to integrate fitness behaviors into everyday life and encourages being durable and useful rather than simply exercising for appearance. Fitness is for everyone, regardless of background.
Built to Move is a book that aims to help people overcome barriers to adherence in fitness programs. The authors recognize that simply telling people what to do isn't enough, and instead, they focus on helping readers find the moments in their lives where they can fit in key behaviors. The book is aimed at those who feel left behind by the fitness industry, and it encourages people to focus on being durable and useful in everyday life, rather than simply exercising to look great on Instagram. The authors believe that fitness should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their background, and they hope to help readers identify blind spots that may be holding them back from achieving their goals.
The Importance of Movement Diversity for Health and Well-being: Our bodies need different types of movement for optimal health. By assessing ourselves and incorporating consistency, we can improve our quality of life with patience and support from others.
The key takeaway from this conversation between Tim Ferriss and Kelly Starrett is that our bodies are built to move, and that movement diversity is essential for our health and well-being. By giving people the right tools and means of self-assessment, individuals can identify growth opportunities and create consistency in their movement practice. It takes time, patience, and consistent effort to make changes, but we are not alone in this process. Bringing someone along on this adventure can enhance our chances of success, and ultimately, lead to a better quality of life.