Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman cover art

Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman

Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman

By: Katy Bowman
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Summary

 Movement isn’t optional—our bodies need it to thrive. Many of us struggle to get regular exercise, and even when we do, it can fall short of truly nourishing the body from head to toe. How can we move more—a lot more—when parts of us are sore, stiff, or simply forgotten in our busy lives? Join biomechanist Katy Bowman, M.S., and biologist Dr. Jeannette Loram on Move Your DNA, where big-picture science meets practical action. Together, they explore biomechanics, kinesiology, physiology, cellular biology, and natural human movement—and translate it into simple, effective ways to wake up your trillion body parts. With humor, curiosity, and a focus on longevity, Katy and Jeannette help you move smarter, move more, and create a more natural habitat for yourself and your communities in today’s mostly sedentary world.Nutritious Movement 2014 - 2025 Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • Beyond Lifespan and Healthspan: The Case for Joyspan

    Beyond Lifespan and Healthspan: The Case for Joyspan
    Apr 29 2026
    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 coexist with challenge, grief, and change.Katy and Dr. Burnight explore the Joyspan Matrix—Give, Connect, Adapt, and Grow—and how these actions enable us to thrive as we age. Rather than viewing aging as inevitable decline they discuss aging as development, the positives of aging and how to step into eldership.Katy also speaks with our sponsor, Sohail Shariff of Movemate, creators of a unique dynamic wooden standing board that provides continuous, wave-like movement in the body while you are working at your desk or at home.They discuss how the board supports musculoskeletal health, while also improving focus, creativity, and calm—reducing fatigue and the mental boredom and stagnation that comes from prolonged stillness. They also explore the role of play in the design, and how a serious problem—sedentary behavior—can be addressed in a way that is engaging, enjoyable, and even joyful.Enhanced Show Notes and Full Transcript00:00 – Lifespan, Healthspan… and Joyspan01:20 – Dynamic Collective Sponsors02:30 – Dr Kerry Burnight Explains Joyspan: The Science of Thriving As You Age09:40 – The Joyspan Matrix: Grow, Connect, Adapt, Give19:30 – Giving, Purpose & Becoming an Elder (Rethinking Aging)42:00 – Meet Movemate: A Dynamic Standing Board for Work and Play46:00 – How Movemate Works: Movement, Feeling & Physical Benefits49:15 – Cognitive & Emotional Effects of the Movemate Board54:00 – Play & Solving Sedentary Behavior With Enjoyable Movement Tools1:05:20 – Listener question: resolving amenorrhea, sponsored by Ikaria Design Books, Links and Resources:Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half – Dr Kerry Burnight About Dr Kerry Burnight (gerontologist, author of Joyspan) Dr Kerry Burnight on InstagramMovemate – Dynamic Active Standing Board for Work & Play Movemate on InstagramConnect, Move & Learn:Join Our Newsletter: Movement Colored GlassesFollow Katy on SubstackTry Katy's Virtual Studio Free for 7 days!Made Possible By Our Wonderful Sponsors:.Peluva: Five-toe minimalist shoes that move like you do—take 10% off with code NUTRITIOUSMOVEMENTMovemate: Active standing boards with smoothly articulating wooden slats. Designed to keep you moving without interrupting your focus.Smart Playrooms: Beautiful playroom design and movement-rich equipment—save 10% on monkey bars and rock-wall items with code DNA10My Happy Feet: Toe-spacing socks that gently realign toes for comfortable recovery—take 20% off with code MYDNAVenn Design: Beautifully upholstered ball-shaped Air Chairs that encourage dynamic sittingIkaria Design: The Soul Seat® offers height-adjustable, multi-position sitting—get 10% off new chairs and desks with code DNA10Thoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.comYour Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • Determining if you're FRAIL (or "Pre-Frail") and What to do About it

    Determining if you're FRAIL (or "Pre-Frail") and What to do About it
    Apr 17 2026
    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, explaining how frailty is influenced by exercise, diet, and the health of your microbiome. Katy and Jeannette also discuss the potential for rapid-onset frailty linked to the use of GLP-1 medications.Most importantly, frailty can be reversed and this episode focuses on what you can do. From simple ways to improve resilience through movement, nutrition, and rest, to understanding how your attitude toward aging might influence your resilienceEnhanced Show Notes and Full Transcript00:00 – Intro + Sponsors 01:30 – What Is Frailty (and Pre-Frailty) 03:00 – The 5 Hallmarks of Frailty 10:50 – How Pre-Frailty Can Start in Your 30s 12:40 – Muscle–Gut Connection & the Microbiome 19:40 – Exercise as “Fuel” for Your Microbiome 27:30 – Supplementation and the Psychology of Change 29:50 – GLP-1 Medication & Rapid-Onset Frailty 42:20 – Listener Question: Finding Glute Strength (Sponsored by Peluva)Resources and Books Mentioned:Joyspan by Kerry Burnight Frailty Sets In Far Earlier Than You’d Expect But You Can Reverse It, by David Cox in the New Scientist Frailty and pre-frailty in middle-aged and older adults and its association with multimorbidity and mortality: a prospective analysis of 493 737 biobank participants by Hanlon et al 2018Evidence For The Contribution Of Gut Microbiota To Age-Related Anabolic Resistance by Watson et al 2021Semaglutide Therapy and Accelerated Sarcopenia in Older Adults With Type-2 Diabetes: A 24-Month Retrospective Cohort Study by Ren et al 2025Connect, Move & Learn:Join Our Newsletter: Movement Colored GlassesFollow Katy on SubstackTry Katy's Virtual Studio Free for 7 days!Made Possible By Our Wonderful Sponsors:.My Happy Feet: Toe-spacing socks that gently realign toes for comfortable recovery—take 20% off with code MYDNAIkaria Design: The Soul Seat® offers height-adjustable, multi-position sitting—get 10% off new chairs and desks with code DNA10Venn Design: Beautifully upholstered ball-shaped Air Chairs that encourage dynamic sittingPeluva: Five-toe minimalist shoes that move like you do—take 10% off with code NUTRITIOUSMOVEMENTSmart Playrooms: Beautiful playroom design and movement-rich equipment—save 10% on monkey bars and rock-wall items with code DNA10Movemate: Active standing boards with smoothly articulating wooden slats. Designed to keep you moving without interrupting your focus.Thoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.comYour Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits
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    57 mins
  • Movement & Disability: Stacking Movement and Education for a Meaningful life

    Movement & Disability: Stacking Movement and Education for a Meaningful life
    Apr 2 2026
    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, Kristina teaches an event-based approach to learning—one that moves away from abstract, isolated skills and instead “stacks” goals within meaningful, naturally occurring events. This approach supports not only skill development, but also health, social inclusion, and caregiver sustainability.Together, they discuss the importance of choosing activities that are meaningful to the learner both in the moment and for future independence, and the shift from instructing a task to modeling it alongside the student. Kristina also shares how powerful movement stacking has been in her work, improving both the happiness and wellbeing of the people she supports.This episode is a powerful reminder that movement truly is for every body, and that by embedding it into daily life, caregiving, parenting, and teaching can become more sustainable, and joyful for everyone involved.Enhanced Show Notes and Full Transcript00:00 – A Letter from a Parent of an Autistic Son04:50 – Movement & Disability: Movement is for Every Body07:57 – Podcast Sponsors09:44 – Introduction to Kristina Montgomery14:00 – Essential for Living: Life Skills Curriculum15:58 – What Are Functional Life Skills?19:45 – Movement, Health, and Wellness in Special Education23:05 – What and Why is Movement Stacking?37:00 – Designing Environments to Promote Movement and Education44:12 – Event-Based Teaching Course53:46 – Listener Question: Balance Training with a Sore KneeResources, Books and Courses Mentioned:Kristina Montgomery Learn more about Kristina and her work in special education and behavior analysis.Event-Based Learning Course (Essential for Living) A practical course on designing special education goals using event-based learning and movement stacking. Includes 20% discount for listeners.Essential for Living: Introduction Course An overview of the Essential for Living curriculum and its core principles. Includes 20% discount for listeners.Grow Wild Book Club – Katy Bowman A free book club for therapists and parents of neurodivergent children.Connect, Move & Learn:Join Our Newsletter: Movement Colored GlassesFollow Katy on SubstackTry Katy's Virtual Studio Free for 7 days!Made Possible By Our Wonderful Sponsors:Venn Design: Beautifully upholstered ball-shaped Air Chairs that encourage dynamic sitting.My Happy Feet: Toe-spacing socks that gently realign toes for comfortable recovery—take 20% off with code MYDNA.Ikaria Design: The Soul Seat® offers height-adjustable, multi-position sitting—get 10% off new chairs and desks with code DNA10.Smart Playrooms: Beautiful playroom design and movement-rich equipment—save 10% on monkey bars and rock-wall items with code DNA10.Movemate: Active standing boards with smoothly articulating wooden slats. Designed to keep you moving without interrupting your focus.Peluva: Five-toe minimalist shoes that move like you do—take 10% off with code NUTRITIOUSMOVEMENTThoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.comYour Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits
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    1 hr and 10 mins
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