Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr Jeannette Loram explore the fascinating world of vibration: the benefits and costs of impact to the body and the importance of sensing vibration in humans and other animals. Katy and Jeannette discuss how foot impacts during walking may actually form part of the brain’s circulatory system. They also unpack the science of vibration plates and whether they are useful for muscle strength, bone health, and balance. The conversation then turns to running, exp...
May 27, 2026•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 206
Biomechanist Katy Bowman speaks with physical therapist Dr Anietie (Tia) Ukpe-Wallace about pelvic health, movement, and self-care. They discuss Tia’s recent book, Tending To Your Womb , a guide to caring for the uterus and pelvic tissues through awareness, movement, and practical self-care strategies. In this episode, Katy and Tia focus on movement-based approaches for uterine retroversion, a pelvic misalignment that can contribute to sacral pain, sciatic symptoms, and constipation. They also e...
May 13, 2026•56 min•Ep. 205
Biomechanist Katy Bowman speaks with gerontologist and author Dr. Kerry Burnight about her concept of joyspan—a missing piece in how we think about aging well. We often hear about lifespan (how long we live) and healthspan (how long we stay physically well), but what about the quality of those years? Dr. Burnight introduces joyspan as our capacity to experience a meaningful, fulfilling life as we age. In this framework, joy is not simple happiness, but a deeper sense of wellbeing that can coexis...
Apr 29, 2026•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 204
Frailty isn’t just something that happens “later”; it’s a gradual loss of resilience that can begin much earlier than most people think. Katy Bowman and Dr. Jeannette Loram unpack what frailty and pre-frailty mean biologically. They explore the five key hallmarks used to identify frailty, including walking speed and grip strength, and how a large proportion of people in their 30s and 40s already fall on the spectrum of pre-frailty. The conversation also explores the muscle–gut connection, explai...
Apr 17, 2026•55 min•Ep. 203
Inspired by a moving letter from a parent of an adult son with autism, biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr. Jeannette Loram explore the relationship between movement, health, and quality of life for people with disabilities. They are joined by Kristina Montgomery, a special education teacher at a school for children and young adults affected by autism, and a behavior analyst working with Essential for Living, a curriculum designed for those with learning difficulties. Through her work, Kri...
Apr 02, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 202
We dive into the often-overlooked topic of amenorrhea: the absence of menstruation. Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr. Jeannette Loram unpack the science with a focus on Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (FHA) linked to energy deficiency in athletes. They explore how intense training and and sport pressures around leanness or weight can disrupt regular hormonal signals, affecting long-term bone density, cardiovascular health, and performance. They also discuss the original concept of th...
Mar 25, 2026•53 min•Ep. 201
Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr. Jeannette Loram explain how just nine minutes of vigorous activity can make a measurable difference for your cardiovascular health. They break down what counts as vigorous exercise, how to gauge it “old skool” without complicated gadgets, and how much is needed based on the movement patterns of the heart-healthy Hadza. Plus, they share nine practical ways to fit short bursts of higher-intensity movement into your day , from running stairs and kitchen da...
Mar 11, 2026•58 min•Ep. 200
Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr. Jeannette Loram explore the prevalence and underlying causes of knee issues, from popping and noisy knees to everyday pain and osteoarthritis. The knee is not just a simple hinge, and Katy explains its anatomy using a helpful “cube” model that includes bones, ligaments, cartilage, and the meniscus. Together, they clarify the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and examine how movement patterns influence the forces and loads placed...
Feb 11, 2026•51 min•Ep. 199
Set yourself up for success: how to create a sustainable movement plan. We walk through their own real-life movement plans to explore the three things every movement plan needs: a clear focus, a small set of daily “ride-or-die” exercises linked to that focus, and movement integrated across the many domains of life—not just exercise. This episode offers a practical, honest look at how to build a sustainable movement plan that actually works, highlighting flexible planning and simple environmental...
Jan 29, 2026•43 min•Ep. 198
How cold affects muscles, blood flow, and cardiovascular risk—plus practical ways to keep moving safely indoors and out. Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr. Jeannette Loram explore how cold air and cold water affect muscle function, blood flow, heart rate, and blood pressure during exercise. They unpack how vasoconstriction increases cardiovascular demand, and why activities like snow shoveling and cold-water swimming carry specific risks. The episode also offers practical strategies for ...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 197
As we wrap up 2025, we’re doing a shortened version of our annual recap—part reflection, part intention. Katy and Jeannette share their biggest movement wins, smartest health decisions, and one-word themes for the year, then look ahead to what they’re prioritizing in 2026 (strength, power, simplicity, and efficiency). Then we distill the past year’s episodes into a clear set of movement rules for 2026 including: movement works locally (not just systemically) , the 5 S’s of aging (strong, steady,...
Dec 31, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 196
Katy offers an aging reframe: in middle age, you are not “over the hill”—you are actually at the bottom of a valley, and staying strong and healthy means choosing to go uphill on purpose. Katy and Jeannette unpack the difference between chronological age and biological aging, why modern life may be speeding up the aging process, and how movement and exercise positively influence the cellular “hallmarks of aging.” They explore why exercise needs to increase with age (even when life gets busier an...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 195
Katy & Jeannette dive into the question: can movement really change your DNA? Using clear analogies—like libraries, recipes, and sticky notes—they unpack what DNA is, how gene expression works, and what we really mean by epigenetics (the “on top of” changes that influence which genes get used). They explore how exercise can turn the “volume up or down” on metabolic genes , pro-inflammatory markers , and stress protein genes , and how many of these changes involve altering the arrangement and...
Dec 03, 2025•43 min•Ep. 194
Katy and Jeannette explore why proper recovery is just as important as your workouts . They explain how short-term recovery between repetitions or intervals restores homeostasis —the steady state of your cells—allowing you to continue a training session effectively. Over the longer term, recovery after vigorous activity supports tissue repair and adaptation , helping your muscles and connective tissues strengthen . Without sufficient recovery, training plateaus can occur, and your risk of illnes...
Nov 19, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 193
What does it mean to raise — or be — a “spicy one”? In this deeply honest and energizing conversation, Katy Bowman and author Mary Van Geffen unpack what it’s like to parent strong-willed, big-feeling kids (and stay sane while doing it). They discuss how movement can support self-regulation and co-regulation, helping both parent and child navigate intensity with compassion and humor. Together, they look at the role of movement before, during, and after heated moments — as well as the art of know...
Nov 12, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 192
I don’t have time to exercise.” Sound familiar? In this episode, Katy Bowman talks with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Diana Hill about one of the most common barriers to movement—and why it’s really an issue of energy management and prioritization , not time. Drawing from her books Wise Effort and I Know I Should Exercise, But... Dr. Hill shares how recognizing “choice points” throughout your day can help you move past procrastination and toward the exercise you truly want to do. Through ...
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 191
As we age, maintaining muscle power—not just strength—is key to staying independent, quick, and injury-free. In this episode, Katy and Jeannette explain the difference between strength and power, and why adding speed or intensity to the movements you're already doing—like walking, climbing stairs, or getting up from a chair—can make all the difference. From stair climbing to pickleball to plyometrics, learn practical ways to build power and maintain independence for years to come. They share pra...
Oct 08, 2025•56 min•Ep. 190
Katy Bowman and Jeannette Loram dig into the science—and the hype—around so-called “exercise pills.” They unpack what these drugs do at the molecular level, what they can—and can’t—mimic about exercise, and who might benefit—from elite athletes to people with disabilities or chronic illness. The conversation goes beyond physiology into questions of culture, psychology, and even the future of sport—where performance-enhancing technologies are blurring the lines between natural and engineered huma...
Sep 26, 2025•47 min•Ep. 189
Katy Bowman and Jeannette Loram explore skin strength, focusing on what a callus is, how calluses form on the hands and feet, and how it affects circulation. They also discuss the pros and cons of calluses, comparing them to a weight belt for your skin—reinforcing, protecting, and ultimately enabling your body to do more. They share personal stories—from rowing and kayaking to gardening—highlighting how it's often skin, not muscles, that limits activity. Katy also chats with Karri Bowen-Poole, f...
Sep 10, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 188
In this episode, Katy Bowman and Jeannette Loram dive into the fascinating relationship between blood sugar, diet, and movement. They unpack how the body regulates blood sugar, what happens when this process breaks down in Type I and Type II diabetes, and why different kinds of activity play such a big role in prevention and management. Katy and Jeannette explain how contracting muscles can pull glucose directly into working cells during exercise—a powerful but site-specific effect—and how long-...
Aug 20, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 187
Neuro-optometrist Dr. Appelbaum breaks down the crucial difference between eyesight—what you can see—and vision—how your brain interprets what you see and turns it into action. Together, they explore the striking parallels between physical and visual health, highlighting how prolonged screen time and visual inactivity can stiffen our eye muscles just like sedentary habits stiffen our joints. Focusing on screens all day is like clenching your fist nonstop—leading to eye strain, headaches, and lon...
Aug 06, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 186
Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram talk about rucking —walking with weight on your back—and other modes of carrying. They touch on the evolutionary history of carrying, carrying in modern Hunter Gatherer populations, rucking in the military and the benefits of fitness rucking. Jeannette and Katy focus on the challenges associated with rucking particularly pain and discomfort. They explain how different body adjustments—like leaning forward, arching the back, or shifting the h...
Jul 23, 2025•56 min•Ep. 185
How you get dressed might be impacting the way that you move or the movement choices you are able to make. Katy Bowman and Jeannette Loram highlight how stiff or excessively baggy clothing might be ‘casting’ movement. On the flip side ‘stabilizing’ wear like well-designed bras and compressive garments can make movement more comfortable for certain activities. Katy offers advice on how to dress for multiple scenarios: the movement that you plan to do, the spontaneous movements that you might want...
Jul 09, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 184
If you have heard about eccentric exercise but are unsure of the benefits, what it is or how to do it, this episode is your primer! Eccentric muscle contractions generate more force with less energy than other types of muscle contraction and are therefore one of the best ways to get stronger. The mechanism of eccentric contraction within the muscle is a little complicated but Katy offers a simple analogy involving two hair combs! Katy and Jeannette offer some examples of how you can incorporate ...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 183
A deeper look into three recent headlines in the body-nerd world. First up, recent research has shown that our skeletal muscles remember training at the protein level - no brain required! This is exciting research and Katy and Jeannette discuss the implications for exercise over the lifespan. Second, they dig into a recent study of uphill walking; the research suggests it is cheaper to take the steeper route, but energy efficiency might not be the only consideration. Finally in response to the o...
Jun 11, 2025•52 min•Ep. 182
In this episode, we break down the best approach to taking care of your bones using a government framework: Strong, Steady and Straight . We use this framework to discuss exercise and bone loading at three life-stages: a growing skeleton , a mature skeleton and a vulnerable skeleton . Listen to this episode to design a movement plan for your bones. Also in this episode, Katy Bowman talks to Mike Dally, founder of Earth Runners , minimalist earthing sandals. Katy has walked more miles in Earth Ru...
May 28, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 181
This is the first of two episodes on bone. In this first episode biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram place bone tissue health into a wider context; what really matters is how well the entire skeleton is working—as a system—to support our bodies and our movement. Katy and Jeannette explain how the status of the bone in different parts of your skeleton is a record of the movement you have—and have not done—in the past. They outline Wolff's law , the idea that bone adapts and cha...
May 07, 2025•57 min•Ep. 180
Inspired by a listener's letter, biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Jeannette Loram talk about exercise and sport and how these relate to natural movement. They discuss how Katy’s message has sometimes been reduced to exercise is ‘bad’ and natural movement is ‘better’. Katy explains that this has never been her position; rather her aim has been to challenge the assumption that the only way to move our bodies is through exercise. Her work has been to expand our framework of human movement and...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 179
Katy Bowman and Jeannette Loram kick this episode off with a conversation about British walking idioms and nature-based language. They are then joined by Mark Sisson, author, former distance runner and founder of the minimal shoe company Peluva . Mark, Katy and Jeannette talk about human evolutionary history, walking, health and Mark’s latest book Born to Walk . They discuss how running has become the iconic fitness activity but Mark explains how most people would be better served by abundant wa...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 178
We discuss movement for the bendy body with guest Dr Libby Hinsley , a doctor of physical therapy specializing in the treatment of hypermobility syndromes and chronic pain. Libby shares her personal and professional journey with hypermobility explaining what hypermobility is and the associated symptoms. Libby, Katy and Jeannette discuss the paradox that bendy bodies have large ranges of motion yet tense muscles and how a sedentary lifestyle is even more of a liability for people with hypermobili...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 177
