Part 3- The Micro Movement Method by John Sinclair

More than 80% of the North American population report that they do not have a fitness membership to a health club, gym or recreation facility. They are not the people that participate in structured exercise programs. The 80% of people that do not prioritize structured exercise into their day are the focus of Part 2. 

 

More than a decade ago, my business partner Dan Tatton and I made a stunning discovery. We found that the people who are coming to our health club to hire personal trainers and buy memberships were committing to the idea of using structured exercise in a “fitness” sense. When you would look around the health club it was pretty clear that the vast majority of the people at the health club were engaged in the process of working out. 

 

Dan had a problem he needed solved. He came to me and asked a simple question. How can I get my grandma engaged in exercise so that she doesn’t hurt herself while gardening this spring? She will not be someone that engages in structured fitness at the gym. 

 

My response was simple. Let’s prepare her as though Gardening is her sport. What tasks are needed in gardening? What movements make up those tasks? Could we create exercises out of these movements that align to her purpose? Could we do it in a way that is autonomous and the more she does it develop mastery in these new tasks? Absolutely we can. We do this for other sports. Let’s do it for gardening! Dan asked how many movements? I said seven. And that’s the origin story of Seven Movements. 

 

Seven Movements became the first company that introduced micro-dosing movement in our unique way to the world. We looked at the typical exercise programs built in the fitness industry. Body building programs, spin classes, group exercise classes, Pilates, personal training sessions, yoga classes. They all had something in common. TIME. At large all of these sessions were between 30, 45 or 60 min long.  We evaluated the total training load of exercise prescribed in a typical fitness program to understand the dosage of physical stress the body and brain would be exposed to.  It was clear that this dosage is way too much for people that do not exercise regularly. For the people that do not engage in fitness, this was like overdosing. It was an overdose on neuromechanical and metabolic stress- an overdose on fitness. The dosage is clearly too high for this population’s ability and tolerance for exercise. 

 

Micro-dosing movement or what we call the Micro Movement Method at Seven Movements combines the art of applying the right dose of movement based on the tolerance of the individual at that moment. What we curate is specific movements and programs that match your desire, tolerance for stress, and movement competency to prescribe you a daily dose of 1-7 minute doses of movement performed at intervals throughout the day. So instead of doing a larger dose of exercise all at once, we break it up into smaller doses, just like you would with your prescribed medications. 

 

At Seven Movements we determine the recommended movement prescription for you with our Daily Readiness Score. Some days you will be equipped to tolerate more stress and as such the theme of the movements will take the form of strength and cardio. On the days where you do not feel very energetic we prescribe more recovery or mobility movements.  We call that Working IN, rather than WORKING OUT (strength and cardio). 

 

Overall the impact on your health and wellness will improve by giving the body the stress that it can tolerate.  You will start to build a behavior around movement. The more often and consistently that you do these smaller doses, day to day, and week to week, the longer your movement streak is extended. When you can make your streak surpass 99 days you will have developed a very healthy habit and your capacity for physical stress will improve.

 

Seven Movements has always been driven to help the 80% feel confident in experiencing the world of movement in a safe and effective way. We think of this as dipping your toe in the water of fitness and wellness. In order to do that you have to make people feel safe. This population will be encouraged to know that the movement they are engaging in matches their aspirations and connects with their purpose. Once we can help people find this and give them the autonomous choice to determine the movements that match their abilities they will be engaged in becoming masterful at them. Using  the Micro Movement Method as a vehicle for change is a sustainable approach to health and wellness.

 

In part five of this movement series, we will share more on how you can incorporate the microdose method into your world. But, here John has a treat for you with this quick and effective, 7 minute cardio blast workout! Consider adding this workout throughout the day to break up long periods of being sedentary! Stay tuned for part four where John and I tie in the importance of nutrition and how you can build a healthy, strong, resilient and system with good nutrition and a consistent movement strategy. 

Read more from our movement series

Read Part 1 – Embracing Holistic Fitness

Read Part 2 – Using Exercise To Bolster Health Instead Of Fitness

Read Part 3 – The Micro Movement Method

Read Part 4 – Nutrition And Strength For Aging Strong

Read Part 5 – The Micro-Dose Movement Method: Putting the Pieces Together

 

For more information on Seven Movements. 

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