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Good morning! I hope you have a long weekend with lots of sunshine staring you down. In a shocking turn of events, I’ve got a pretty short article for you this week! If you’ve been reading all the dissertations I’ve been writing lately, you’ve earned this. 💝 

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You’re doing breakfast wrong

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Toast? Too light. Cereal? Mostly sugar. Skipping it altogether? Not ideal.

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Find your fuel

🎨 The Art of Exercise

I studied Exercise Science at both the Bachelor’s and Master’s level. But one thing that’s not often taught—to the pros or the average Joes—is the art of exercise.

Art is largely subjective in nature. It’s hard to define. Art is about the expression of the artist as much as it is about the perception of the beholder. 

A sculptor can’t help but sculpt. A writer can’t help but write. A musician can’t help but play or sing. Likewise, a body can’t help but express itself.

Our bodies are literally made to move. Without movement, there is no life. From the tiniest scale at the atoms and cells, to the greatest expressions of athleticism you’ve ever seen, our bodies are alive with movement. Stagnance equals death. 

Science and art can (and should) coexist in exercise. The best athletes show us peak expressions of physicality only through a combination of both. Their training is rigorous and scientific, yet their play is an art form.

What a shame it would be to grow old without ever letting your body express itself, artistically, through movement. We are capable of so much, but rarely express it. 

Seek inspiration from those who do it best

This past weekend at Richmond’s RiverRock, I had the privilege of watching some incredible athletes express themselves physically in ways I never have.

• I saw trick ropers do flips on a one-inch elastic band suspended over a canal

• I watched a 15-year-old girl win a rock climbing competition, scaling her way to the top in under three minutes

• I saw kayak polo players propel themselves through water with power and agility to launch a ball into a goal 

These feats weren’t just brute physicality. They weren’t just exercise science. They were art.

The athletes were artists, and their media were their bodies and the space and objects around them. Watching them perform didn’t just feel like watching science; it was enthralling, captivating, emotion-inducing, awe-inspiring. 

How are you using your body as an expression of art? Odds are, there are movements and activities you’ve yet to discover. You might discover them as an artist discovers their favorite medium and feel as though you were born to do it. 

Sometimes you don’t feel like following a training plan to a T, nailing sets and reps and intensity and volume and exertion and heart rate targets and goal times and and and...

Sometimes you feel like expression. It’s your body, at a deeper level than your conscious brain, asking you to let it express itself. 

So dance. Skip. Jump, flip, and fly. Lift without keeping count, run without tracking time, play without keeping score.

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: Move your body today in a way you haven’t in awhile.

Level 2: Find a fun activity to do with some friends or family. Might I suggest a trampoline park, laser tag, Spikeball, rock climbing, or a dance class?

Level 3: Incorporate more play into your training. Swing from things, play pickup games, and move like you were made for it. Because you are.

✍️ Drew's Picks:

• Revel: The best 100 sports moments of the century so far.

• Fit mom inspo: A three-time 100-meter Olympic champion smokes the other parents at her kid’s school sports day.

Whether you’re taking a dip, manning the grill, or just upping your vitamin D, enjoy your MDW, folks!

Keep moving,

Drew

The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).