Move To Thrive

Movement for Strength, Longevity, and Joy | LIVE Class Schedule

This weekend, I had the privilege of speaking with an incredible group of women (and a few gentlemen) about physical wellness—how shifting perspective, focusing on what truly matters, and making intentional choices each day can create meaningful progress.

We explored what I believe to be essential pillars of physical wellness (I prefer that term over fitness 😊 ): creating space in both body and schedule, functionality, cardiovascular health, longevity, and, most importantly, joy.

Since the topic was fresh on my mind, I thought I’d share some of the talk with you all!

Here are the highlights of what we covered ⬇️ along with a few clips from my talk.

"Use it or lose it.”

We’ve all heard the above saying or others like “a body in motion stays in motion” and while they may oversimplify the issue, they actually get to the point quite nicely.

It’s true. If you want to keep moving as you age, you have to keep moving now.

But what that movement looks like is what tends to be the issue.

Like all things wellness, the abundance of information around movement can leave some feeling overwhelmed, confused, alienated, and unmotivated. And I can understand why. I’d like to help people feeling this way, feeling “stuck”, get unstuck.

And for those of you that are active, maybe there’s an opportunity for refection here that might support your continued progress.

There is no one way. Different bodies require different approaches. Just as different personalities, economics, environment, accessibility, and preference also effect our choices when it comes to the physical aspect of our wellness.

The trick is figuring out what your body requires.

Consider these pillars:

Create Space - There are endless reasons why you could choose not to move your body—but one of the most important first steps is simply creating space for it. Prioritizing time in your schedule to care for your body and your health is a choice.

Reframing can be especially helpful, particularly if you have a demanding schedule or feel “out of shape” and discouraged. Let go of rigid time constraints and focus on what is possible. Even just a few minutes of movement—a quick walk up and down the stairs, stretching between tasks, or holding onto the back of a chair for a few squats—can make a meaningful difference.

Prioritize movement in your schedule and in your life. And the next time you catch yourself saying, “I have no time,” pause and reframe: “I haven’t prioritized the time.”

That’s the truth of the matter. And the truth will set you free to make the progress you desire.

Functionality - Some may have lofty fitness goals, but for most, the core desire is pretty simple: to sustain daily function and move through life with ease. To support that, it’s essential to focus on key elements like balance, mobility, flexibility, posture, strength, and stability.

Let’s circle back to creating space—but this time, in your physical body. Over time, our muscles, ligaments, and joints bear the burden of chronic use. If you’re an especially active person, that wear and tear adds up even more. The body still functions, yes, but often not quite like it used to. One of the biggest factors in that shift? A lack of space.

Put simply, you’re super tight everywhere and this is causing major inefficiencies and issues with the way you move, how your strengthen your muscles, and stay nice and mobile. My favorite visual — imagine you’re in a full body suit, but that suit keeps getting tighter and tighter and tighter, contorting your body making it difficult to move your arms, legs, spine, and more. In order to move, you begin to compensate. Those compensations turn into new patterns creating a ripple effect. The effect being a deteriorating state of functionality, or worse, injury or a permanent state of reduced functionality.

Your body needs space to function properly. And you create that space by working on balance, mobility, flexibility, posture, strength, and stability.

Activities that support this include: (there are plenty more, this is just a jump start)
✔ Pilates
✔ Yoga
✔ Martial arts
✔ Functional training classes
✔ Weight lifting
✔ Walking & hiking

If you’re dealing with a troublesome knee, shoulder, back, neck, etc., seeking additional support is so important. I can’t emphasize this enough. Don’t shrug it off. Address the issue before it becomes an even bigger issue.

Professionals like physical therapists, massage therapists, structural integrationists, acupuncturists, and others can help address underlying issues. Private training is also a great option for personalized guidance, ensuring you move safely and effectively. Even one session can be super helpful, you’d be surprised.

The goal isn’t just movement—it’s movement that supports you.

Cardiovascular Health - A strong cardiovascular system improves endurance, circulation, energy levels, and heart health—allowing you to move with ease and sustain activity over time. A huge factor in staying physically healthy and well.

The good news? You don’t need to run marathons to boost your cardiovascular health. Small, consistent efforts go a long way.

Here are some simple and effective ways to strengthen your heart:
✔ Brisk walking – Just 20-30 minutes a day can make a big impact, but if all you can do is 5 minutes, start there. You can always build up over time.
✔ Dancing – A fun way to elevate your heart rate without it feeling like exercise.
✔ Jump rope – Quick, effective, and great for coordination.
✔ Hiking – A great way to challenge endurance while enjoying nature.
✔ Cycling – Low-impact but excellent for heart health.
✔ Swimming – Full-body, joint-friendly, and great for the lungs.
✔ Interval training – Short bursts of higher-intensity movement (like jogging, bodyweight exercises, or rowing) followed by rest.

Cardio doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming—it just has to be consistent. Finding activities you enjoy makes it easier to stick with, which ultimately leads to a stronger, healthier heart.

Longevity - When choosing movement, think beyond the present moment—consider physical longevity. Ask yourself — Can I sustain this choice of movement over the long term? If yes, great. If no, dig deeper:

• How long can I realistically sustain it?

• Is there a specific goal I’m working toward?

• Once I achieve that goal, what’s the next step?

• Can I adjust the movement to make it more sustainable?

• Can I support it by incorporating other forms of movement for balance? (Hint: mobility and flexibility!)

Now, let’s take it one step further—actual living longevity.

What do you want to be able to do in your 40s, 50s, 80s, 90s? Prepare for those things now.

If you want to be able to squat down and stand back up with ease at 80, start working on it now. If you want to be able to get up and down from the floor comfortably, practice it now.

And if your current routine feels like it won’t support you in aging well—especially if it’s putting excessive strain on your joints—consider modifying it. Longevity isn’t just about staying active; it’s about moving in ways that will serve you for a lifetime.

Joy – You might as well have fun while you’re doing it! Is there a type of movement that just looks fun to you? Or something you’ve done in the past that you genuinely enjoyed? Don’t be afraid to think outside the box—there’s no wrong answer here. Finding ways to move your body that feel joyful is one of the most reliable ways to ensure you keep doing it. And when movement is enjoyable, it’s much easier to turn it into a lasting habit.

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LIVE Class Schedule This Week:

Monday Movement 8:30am via Substack App

Thursday Guided Meditation 8:30pm via Substack App

Hope to see you there!!

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Here are a few past posts that relate to the above if you’d like to dive deeper into the topic. 😃

XO - Vas