Welcome to day one of Insight Timer's Longevity Movement Challenge.
My name is Damian Chaparro.
And over the next seven days,
You'll be embodying something that science is confirming.
Which is this?
Your longevity tracks more closely to how often you move rather than how hard you move.
It's been shown that people who fit in just three to four one-minute bursts of real effort each day can reduce all-cause mortality by up to 40 percent.
And for heart disease,
That number is closer to 50 percent.
Insane.
We're just talking about taking the stairs briskly,
Maybe carrying some heavy groceries for longer than you'd love to,
Or doing a challenge exactly like this.
Don't need to max out or be sore for days.
Just aim for consistency,
Real effort,
Short bursts,
Woven into the day that you're already living.
This is a time to strengthen but also to care for your body,
Not ignore it.
So if you have any injuries or needs,
Make sure you take care of those as you move and modify often.
Let's get into it.
All right,
Come to stand.
And set your feet hip distance apart.
Take a deep breath in.
And a full breath out.
Let's just take a couple more just like that.
Breathing in,
Little plumb line lifting up through the crown of the head,
Shoulders dropping,
Breathing out.
And one more.
Good,
Take your right foot,
Step it way back into a nice lunge and find hip distance apart with your feet.
You can bring your hands to your hips if that feels good.
And we're just going to begin to pulse a little bit with the legs.
So pointing the foot and rising.
And then flexing and sinking in.
Inhaling as we rise up.
And exhaling as we sink.
Now keep that going,
Just feeling into your legs.
You can adjust your foot position if needed to allow a little more depth.
And we're gonna add the arms in here.
So as you come up,
Your right fist comes up towards the jaw,
And then you switch like you're running.
So inhaling as we come up.
Exhaling switch Now,
You can stay here.
This might be enough.
It is a balance pose and you're probably already starting to feel those legs.
But if you'd like,
You can extend as you come up.
And then release back.
Inhale,
Right arm reaches,
Left arm reaches back.
And then we return.
A few more.
Inhale,
Reach and twist.
Excel return.
Reach and twist.
And return.
Keep focusing on that lift.
So as you come up with the right hip swings forward,
The fingertips extend.
You should feel all your fascial lines front and back extending through that movement.
Let's just do one more.
And then exhale,
Release and step forward.
Take a moment.
Check it out.
Find hip distance apart with your feet again.
Bring your hands together in front of your heart and press all five fingers into the opposite hand.
We're just going to take the hands a little bit forwards and I want you to press firmly enough that you start to feel a sort of ring of activation from your forearms to biceps across your chest.
Drop your shoulders down away from your ears.
Lift up through the back of the skull.
And feel a sort of awakeness in the back,
Right between your shoulder blades,
So that your shoulder blades are pressing your heart open.
We're going to keep all that activation in the arms and we're going to move a little bit so sinking the hips down sink and then sink and then lift up.
Now keep that going,
So weight into the heels,
Sink in.
Thank you.
M.
Here we go.
Pulse.
Now,
If the shoulders are healthy and happy,
You lift the arms as we come up.
Inhaling as you rise.
Exhaling as you pulse.
Inhale,
Rise.
Exhale,
Pulse.
Pulse.
So finding full range of motion,
Keeping that tension pressing into the fingertips.
Inhale,
Rise.
Let's do two more.
Pulse like you're sitting into the chair,
The sit bones go back.
Weight into the heels,
Gaze forward,
Last one.
Could come back.
Shake out the arms.
Take a breath.
Left foot goes.
Nice deep lunge.
Hands to hips.
Inhaling lift.
And exhaling,
Sink.
We're pointing through the toe as we rise and we're letting that heel drop back as we sink.
Adding in,
So inhale,
Rise.
Exhale,
Lower,
And then we can add the arms.
So inhale,
Left fist comes up.
Exhale,
Switch.
Inhale,
Rise.
Exhale,
Lower.
Now,
Adding on to this movement,
If you're feeling steady,
We start to extend as we come up.
Reach.
Big breath in,
Extend up,
Extend back.
Sick.
Few more just like that.
Have a bit of a play.
You really want to feel that you're extending from your heel to your finger to and that there's a little bit of a twist through the spine.
Left hip comes forward,
Full extension.
Let's take two more.
Maybe coming a little lower down into your lungs.
Maybe reaching that little bit further through the fingertips.
Last one.
Okay.
Forward.
Take a moment.
I just want you to start to shake a little bit.
You can flick out your fingers,
You can flick out your wrist.
You can shrug your shoulders.
And you're just lifting and dropping the heels a little bit.
Noticing if there's any tension through the body just go ahead and Feel a little bit like a boxer.
Getting ready to walk into the ring you know just a little spring in your body.
Ah.
Deep breath in,
Coming to stillness,
Full breath out.
And once more,
Full breath in.
Full breath out.
Okay team,
That's it.
I hope you can feel that tingle in your skin,
Maybe a little bit more aliveness in your neurons.
It doesn't take much,
And every cell in your body will be thanking you.
You'll additionally be rewarded with better mood and more cognitive capacity for your day.
Congratulations.
If you're feeling inspired for more,
Today,
Look for another opportunity where you could integrate a short burst of effort.
Is there an elevator that could be replaced with the stairs?
Could you invite a colleague to join you for a walking meeting?
Could you play with your kids in a way that's physically challenging?
Look for ways to stack movement into where you already are.
Tomorrow,
We'll discover why muscle isn't just for strength.
It's one of the most important organs for healthy aging.
All you'll need is a mat and your body.
We'll see you tomorrow.
