Animal Moves: How to Move Like an Animal to Get You Leaner, Fitter, Stronger and Healthier for Life

By Darryl Edwards

Train like an animal…to move like a human…

Animal Moves is a groundbreaking new workout program that utilises the functional and primal movements of the animal kingdom as inspiration for an exercise regimen that will have you the king or queen of the jungle in no time. 

With the help of its innovative 12-week movement plan, you will: 

* improve strength, speed and stamina
* increase mobility and flexibility 
* look, feel and perform better

Follow Darryl's easy-to-follow instructions, 
tips and photo illustrations of workouts to:

* save time with high-intensity training
* save money with no gym required
* focus on mood and body with mindful movement
* improve posture, breathing and relaxation
* have fun with scheduled playouts

• Language: English
• Publisher: Explorer Publishing
• Release date: Apr 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9780993329852

Darryl Edwards

Darryl Edwards es un orador internacional, entrenador personal certificado, terapeuta nutricional y autor ganador de Paleo Fitness: Un Entrenamiento Primario y Nutrición para Adelgazar, Fuerte y Saludable. Sus trabajo ha sido publicado en Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Elle, Top Santé, así como también apariciones en la BBC y el la ABC en Australia. Su viaje con el estilo de vida Paleo empezó hace más de 10 años, cuando tenía anemia ferropénica, hipertensión y 26 porciento de grasa corporal. Se sentía débil y letárgico y sufría de insomnio junto con dolor debilitante de espalda baja y rodillas. No pasó mucho tiempo después de enfocarse en la estrategia Paleo para cosechar los beneficios y su salud mejorada continua hasta el día de hoy. Edwards es ahora un experto destacado en la optimización de la salud y el bienestar, ofreciendo consultas individuales y grupales. Actualmente vive en Londres, Inglaterra y tiene un blog acerca de su experiencia con el estilo de vida Paleo en www.thefitnessexplorer.com

Book preview

1. INTRODUCTION

The most popular day to exercise is tomorrow; the second is next Monday, right? We often feel this way because exercise can be perceived as tedious, unnecessary work and unpleasant. It can be so difficult to feel motivated when surrounded by an environment that encourages us to be sedentary. We may be aware of the health benefits, we know we would feel better afterwards, but why can it feel so awful even thinking about exercise? Let alone doing it!

Although it is my passion to promote living healthier lifestyles and movement being a crucial part of that, I understand why some people hate to exercise. Many people find the process intimidating or are concerned that they do not have the time, money or ability to commit to it. I know because I have been there too!

Gym attendance that fizzles out after a few weeks, even though you have 11 months of payments remaining on your contract?

A concern that everyone else at the gym knows precisely what they are doing and you feel like the odd one out?

The idea that you have to get into shape first to begin exercising?

Convincing yourself that your 10-minute walk daily is enough movement because you eat a healthy diet?

Well, I want to change the way you feel about exercise. It turned my life around because it made me feel better. I know it can make you feel better too. You do not need an expensive gym membership. You can do it anywhere: such as the back garden, in the living room, or at the local park. You can do it by yourself, with friends, family or colleagues—even the kids. You certainly don’t need anything else to begin. So let us move on to defining exercise and movement. Then we will follow with some of the reasons and research as to why it is remarkably beneficial.

WHAT DO WE MEAN?

The terms movement, physical activity, fitness, exercise and training are often used interchangeably, but there are differences.

Movement is the act or process of moving ranging from the ever so slight, such as the involuntary blink of an eye to the most vigorous of voluntary muscle activity like sprinting.

Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscle that results in energy expenditure, which is beyond that of the body at rest; this could include activities such as, walking, gardening and climbing stairs.

Exercise is a subset of physical activity that usually comprises planned, structured and repetitive movement that one engages in for the pursuit of developing or maintaining physical fitness.

Training is exercise performed to satisfy a long-term performance or skill goal, which is planned and structured.

A sedentary lifestyle is a type of lifestyle with little or no physical activity; it can contribute to ill health and many preventable causes of death.

Fitness is the ability to perform daily, recreational and extraordinary physical tasks efficiently and effectively.

People that sit still more than 4 hours per day have a 40 per cent higher risk of premature death than those that sit fewer than 4 hours per day.

Dunstan David W.; Owen Neville (2012). "New Exercise Prescription: Don't Just Sit There: Stand Up and Move More, More Often". Arch Intern Med.

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

"All parts of the body, if used in moderation and exercised in labours to which each is accustomed, become thereby healthy and well developed and age slowly; but if they are unused and left idle, they become liable to disease, defective in growth and age quickly."

Hippocrates

What do all of these chronic conditions have in common?

Cardiovascular disease,

Stroke,

Type 2 diabetes,

Cancer,

Migraines,

Obesity,

Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety,

Musculoskeletal conditions such as chronic low-back pain?

Answer: there is substantial evidence that these and 20 other chronic conditions can be prevented or managed by adults doing 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on at least five days a week.

Most of us are aware of the dangers of smoking, drinking, poor diet and stress when it comes to lifestyle disease. There is clear evidence emerging that prolonged periods of physical inactivity is associated with a heightened risk of severe illness and premature death. The majority of us globally fail to meet the recommended levels of physical activity for health and well-being not only for adults but children too.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also called lifestyle or chronic diseases, are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and in most countries around the world.

There are many compelling reasons for why, as humans, we should be more physically active.

Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting a positive association between physical activity and psychological well-being, less depression, enhanced cognitive function and a slowing down in the advancement of dementia and neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

We should avoid prolonged sitting and hours spent being sedentary and find opportunities for movement whenever we can. Walk more, take the stairs, avoid the lifts, carry groceries home, consider the use of standing desks and take regular movement snacks or breaks to walk around the office to decrease daily non-active minutes and mitigate the risks.

There are many benefits to regular physical activity. It can help to:

Reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Reduce your risk of cancers including breast, lung, colon and prostate.

Improve self-esteem, mental health and mood.

Improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control.

Reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Improve concentration and cognitive ability.

Reduce anxiety, depression and better manage stress.

Reduce blood pressure for those with hypertension.

Decrease body fat by building and preserving lean muscle mass.

Prevent low-back pain by improving flexibility, strength and posture.

Reduce osteopenia and osteoporosis risk.

Increase your chances of living healthier for longer.

DEFINING PHYSICAL INACTIVITY

A type of lifestyle with little physical activity, which is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as less than 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. Recent research suggests that sedentary behaviour is a significant risk factor for chronic disease and mortality. Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer of the UK, claimed inactivity was ‘a silent killer’ in the Start Active, Stay Active - Sports England report.

THE BIGGEST PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM OF THE 21ST CENTURY

A study of 54,000 people, published by Steven Blair, University of South Carolina, in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, reported that physical inactivity increased the risk of early death and was more significant than the dangers of smoking, type 2 diabetes, and obesity combined. This report suggested that low cardiovascular, respiratory fitness is more likely to be associated with premature death than obesity, smoking, hypertension (high blood pressure), elevated cholesterol or diabetes.

Physical activity is often overlooked when discussing health risk factors, the author of this landmark study on physical inactivity stated:

"My overriding concern is that the crucial importance of physical activity is undervalued and underappreciated by many individuals in public