Unlocking the Benefits of Dynamic Movement to Transform Your Exercise Routine

There is so much information to sift through these days when you are curious about the health and movement of your body - there is so much that is “good for you” that it’s sometimes hard to know where to start!  And, in terms of fitness and movement, the most important thing that many of us are missing is more variety in our movements - more dynamic movement.  I will tell you what this means…..

There is something called connective tissue that encompasses the ENTIRE body - it links us together from head to toe, creates our structure and shape, protects us, and provides transport for things like lymph, blood, and nerves.  It makes up and encases our muscles, our tendons, our joints, our organs, our bones, and our ligaments.  The health and integrity of connective tissue is really important to our health and our movement.  It needs to be springy, supple, strong, and balanced.  Think of yourself as a system of fluid tubes - we are dynamic creatures and when we bend, twist, jump, and lift, our body has to be able to confidently accommodate the shape change, otherwise we get into problems.

So what happens?  When we fall into movement patterns (we all have patterns), when we exercise in the same way all the time, and when we avoid certain movements because of pain or being sedentary, our body starts to lose some of the integrity in parts of this whole connective tissue system!  It can become tight, lazy, stiff, or weak. This can lead to symptoms. 

How do you improve your connective tissue? More dynamic movement! Dynamic movement in ALL planes of motion and with tons of variety causes connective tissue to adapt and change, thereby creating long-lasting health and longevity of movement. 

Dynamic movement is so important because….

— it makes our connective tissue more elastic, which helps our mobility and flexibility. 

— it creates our ability to be “springy” - to accept shock and then transfer it back into force away from the ground.  

— it improves our reflexes and balance and make us more agile

— it helps our bodies manage pressure, which translates into less pain, better organ position, and less peeing our pants. (translation: really good for our pelvic floor and deep core system!)

Here are some examples of ways to create more Dynamic Movement. There are thousands of ways you can move and it all counts - these are just some of the "buckets".

— moving in more directions (planes of movement)

— moving quickly, moving slowly, and changing it up

— yielding (catching yourself as you drop toward the ground)

— plyometrics - controlled shock absorption transferred into energy to leave the ground

— agility work

— twisting and turning

— moving with your breath - quick or slow

— more complex motions and combination motions

— adding weights in different ways - not always the classic lifts

— starts/stops

Check out this instagram reel from the brilliant Katie St Clair - I learn from her and am a member of her academy, and she is a great follow on IG for fun ideas to add variety to your workouts! 

The take-away?  Surprise your body to create change and move in all the ways -  be flexible, be strong, be agile, be nimble, and be powerful.  

I created Elemental Core based on these principles.  It is a group program that is intended to supplement (not replace) whatever exercise or sport you are already doing, or love to do.  We meet weekly (on zoom for everyone’s convenience) and we continually cycle through different dynamic movements from a core and pelvic floor lens, making sure we get in all the different planes of motion while stimulating the deep stability system.  We cycle through dynamic mobility (water), strength and power (fire), grounding and balance (earth), and agility and “play” (air).  Check it out and join us! It's accessible and easy - coffee, kids, dogs, pajamas, barefoot - come as you are! 

Link for more information and to sign up: Elemental Core

Link to “samples” (you will just see me doing the workout for privacy of participants): Fire Sample, Earth Sample, Air Sample