Angela Foster Performance Podcasts - Episode 29

EP 29 – Fitness Hacks and Movement Snacks – with Darryl Edwards

This week, Angela is in conversation with Darryl Edwards, otherwise known as The Fitness Explorer, the founder of Primal Play, a company founded on the mission to “change lives through play”, and the bestselling author of ‘Animal Moves’

This is a fascinating episode in which Darryl shares some incredible advice designed to get your metabolism flowing, and to keep you fit, without the pressure on, and reliance of, regular exercise sessions. Darryl’s entire approach is about keeping you moving throughout the day, and it all begins with a concept called “Movement Snacks”…

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Fitness Hacks and Movement Snacks – with Darryl Edwards

Key Takeaways

Exercise is a modern construct developed to supplement the lack of physical activity in our day-to-day lives. Exercise has become a far more important way, to modern humans, to achieve the sense of locomotion and physical activity we need in a given timeframe.
Even if you are exercising for around sixty minutes per day, if you’re sitting for multiple hours, this can undermine any of the effects of your physical activity.
Darryl calls his prompts for movement, “movement snacks”; small ways in which we can force ourselves to move more, and by doing so, create a constant impetus to abstain from being sedentary. Some of the best and most simple ways of doing this are:
- Drink more water. This can force you to take more toilet breaks. And use a toilet on a different floor.
- When you’re on the phone, make sure you’re not sat down.
- Instead of meetings at a table, why not walk and talk?
- Walk to work if you can do so
We are constantly told to avoid foods that cause spikes in insulin, but nature has given us another way of managing this: physical activity, which causes muscle contraction.
When you are hungry, your body will force you to eat. When you are tired, your body will force you to sleep. But nothing will force you to exercise. By exercising, we are becoming far more proactive than we sometimes realise.
Feel-good hormones are generally associated with physical activity. This is why exercise is so often recommended as a way to combat depression.
The word “exercise” itself, and even the phrases associated with it, such as “no pain no gain”, carry with them negative, painful connotations. This is partly the reason why so many are instantly, psychologically switched off when it comes to exercise.
75% of UK children have less time out side than prison inmates. 1 in 7 UK children have never spent time in an outdoor space. Lethargic activity, such as technology-based interactions are driving a surge in health problems in the next generations, and needs to be addressed.
Adult play, the gamification of exercise for adults seeking to keep active, is difficult to maintain. To keep it going, Darryl recommends:
Download Darryl’s free eBook ‘On The Importance Of Play’ (available on the Primal Play website)
By becoming more playful, you will automatically think of more ideas for movement
Engage with the activities created by Darryl on Primal Play, which will help you to engage your creativity
When engaging in social activity, your effort is naturally increased, but also your endorphins are greatly increased by engaging in physical activity with someone else, especially when it’s rhythmic.

Best Moments

‘2000 years ago there was no need to exercise’

‘It’s about integrating your day with movement’

‘I wanted to know why. What does it do at a biological level; at a physiological level?’

‘Movement is medicine’

’The process is what’s important, not the outcome’

’There are so many obstacles in the younger generation’s way’

‘Endorphins are released immediately with play; not at the end’

Valuable Resources

Contact Details

About the Host

Angela Foster

Angela is a Nutritionist, Health and Performance Coach. She is also the Founder and CEO of My DNA Edge, an Exclusive Private Membership Site giving individuals the tools and bio hacks needed to optimise their genetic expression for optimal health and performance.

After recovering from a serious illness in 2014, Angela left the world of Corporate Law with a single mission in mind:

To inspire and educate others to live an energetic, healthful and limitless life.

Angela believes that we can truly have it all and has spent the last 5 years researching the habits and routines of high performers, uncovering age-old secrets, time-honoured holistic practices and modern science to create a blueprint for Optimal Human Performance.

About the Guest

Darryl Edwards is a Natural Lifestyle Educator, movement coach, nutritionist and creator of the Primal Play Method™.

Darryl developed the Primal Play methodology to inspire others to make activity fun while getting healthier, fitter and stronger in the process.

Check out Darryl’s TEDx Talk “Why working out isn’t working out” at www.primalplay.com/tedx

Darryl is the author of several award-winning books including Paleo Fitness and Animal Moves. His work has been published in titles such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Elle Magazine, Men’s Fitness and he has featured on the BBC TV documentaries Eat to Live Forever and Doctor In The House.

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