Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman

Cycling is fantastic for cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and getting around—but what happens when it becomes your main form of movement? In this episode, Katy Bowman and Dr. Jeannette Loram explore how cycling shapes the body, from bone health and posture to hip mobility, spinal curves, and pelvic comfort. They discuss why even healthy forms of exercise don't provide every movement nutrient you need, and share practical strategies to help cyclists enjoy the ride while supporting long-term strength, mobility, and resilience.
Plus Katy speaks with Tyler Benner, founder of Strong Feet Athletics, about the role of the feet in cycling and what happens when we lock them into rigid compressive cycling shoes for hours at a time. They explore the benefits of a more foot-shaped, flexible cycling shoe and how allowing the feet more freedom may help support lower limb function both on and off the bike.

Enhanced Show Notes and Full Transcript

0:22 — Dynamic Collective Sponsors
2:37 — Introduction to Cycling, the Movement Diet, and the Tissues of the Body
5:35 — Bone Density in Cyclists
13:36 — Low Energy Availability in Cyclists: Effects on Hormones and Bones
17:36 — How Your Body Can Become Semi-Fixed in a Cycling Shape
20:04 — Hyperkyphosis and Cervical Issues
25:19 — Pelvic Position and Compression
30:47 — Practical Ways to Balance Cycling
33:22 — Interview with Tyler Benner: The Creator of the First Foot-Shaped Cycling Shoe
56:10 — Listener Question: What Kind of Pillow Should You Sleep On? Sponsored by My Happy Feet

Books, Links and Resources:

Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief by Katy Bowman
Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman
My Perfect Movement Plan by Katy Bowman
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
Strong Feet Athletics: the first foot-shaped cycling shoe
Anya's Review of Strong Feet Athletics Leviathan cycling shoe

Connect, Move & Learn:
Join Our Newsletter: Movement Colored Glasses
Follow Katy on Substack
Try Katy's Virtual Studio Free for 7 days!
Made Possible By Our Wonderful Sponsors:
ScreenFit™: a complete online vision training program —take $200 off with code NUTRITIOUSMOVEMENT
Ikaria Design: The Soul Seat® offers height-adjustable, multi-position sitting—get 10% off new chairs and desks with code DNA10
My Happy Feet: Toe-spacing socks that gently realign toes for comfortable shoe recovery—take 20% off with code MYDNA
Earth Runners:  makers of minimalist earthing sandals designed for natural foot movement and connection to the ground— use code DNA10 for 10% off.
Freet Barefoot: creators of comfortable barefoot shoes built for natural movement, flexibility, and durability— use code DNA10 for 10% off.
Venn Design: Beautifully upholstered ball-shaped Air Chairs and floor cushions that encourage dynamic sitting
Movemate: Active standing boards with smoothly articulating wooden slats. Designed to keep you moving without interrupting your focus.

Thoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.com
Your Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits 

October Retreats 2026

What if one simple cue could change the way you walk? In this episode, Katy introduces movement mantras—easy-to-remember prompts that help you improve your gait one step at a time. Learn how small changes to posture, arm swing, push-off, foot placement, and even the routes you choose can make walking feel stronger, smoother, and more comfortable.
Plus, Katy and Jeannette talk with the team behind Freet Barefoot about walking culture, healthy footwear, and hiking in all kinds of terrain, before answering a listener question on vibration plates and lymphatic drainage.

Enhanced Show Notes and Full Transcript

0:00 — Intro & encouraging kids to walk
7:15 — Dynamic Collective Sponsors
14:20 — The “Mental Ten” for better walking
15:00 — Movement mantras for posture, arm swing and push-off
18:15 —Vary your route, vary your carry
21:25 — Freet Barefoot and walking culture
23:00 — The story behind Freet Barefoot
31:05 — Multi-day walks, footwear and foot strength
37:50 — Walking culture and ‘Rights to Roam’ in the UK
43:05 — Favourite Freet Barefoot customer testimonials
47:40 — Do Vibration Plates Help Lymph Drainage? (sponsored by ScreenFit™).

Books, Links and Resources:

More about Freet Barefoot
A stepwise course to Walking Well with Katy Bowman & Jill Miller

Connect, Move & Learn:
Join Our Newsletter: Movement Colored Glasses
Follow Katy on Substack
Try Katy's Virtual Studio Free for 7 days!
Made Possible By Our Wonderful Sponsors:
Earth Runners:  makers of minimalist earthing sandals designed for natural foot movement and connection to the ground— use code DNA10 for 10% off.
Freet Barefoot: creators of comfortable barefoot shoes built for natural movement, flexibility, and durability— use code DNA10 for 10% off.
Venn Design: Beautifully upholstered ball-shaped Air Chairs and floor cushions that encourage dynamic sitting
Movemate: Active standing boards with smoothly articulating wooden slats. Designed to keep you moving without interrupting your focus.
ScreenFit™: a complete online vision training program —take $200 off with code NUTRITIOUSMOVEMENT
Ikaria Design: The Soul Seat® offers height-adjustable, multi-position sitting—get 10% off new chairs and desks with code DNA10
My Happy Feet: Toe-spacing socks that gently realign toes for comfortable shoe recovery—take 20% off with code MYDNA

Thoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.com
Your Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits 

October Retreats 2026

Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr. Jeannette Loram unpack emerging research on heart disease, inflammation, cholesterol, and arterial plaque. Inspired by a recent Scientific American article, they explore what plaque is, how and why it forms, and how blood flow patterns influence where plaque accumulates in the arteries. They discuss recent evidence that places inflammation as a foundational piece of heart disease and how the ‘spiky’ shape and structure of cholesterol in plaque has a direct role in the inflammatory pathways and immune system overreactions that occur in heart disease. 
Katy and Jeannette offer practical insights into how regular activity, varied positioning, and lifestyle choices can help support healthy arteries. They also discuss the importance of scientific curiosity, prevention over treatment, and why understanding the body's processes can inspire better self-care.

Enhanced Show Notes and Full Transcript

0:00 — Introduction:  the Scientific American article on heart inflammation
3:43 — Dynamic Collective
9.15 — Main takeaway: inflammation, cholesterol and heart disease
9:47 — What is plaque? 
15:33 — Why plaque forms in specific locations within arteries: wounding and blood flow 
23:12 — How cholesterol enters arterial walls  
40:00 — Why understanding the body can deepen appreciation and motivation for self-care
44:16 — Listener question: sciatic pain (sponsored by Venn Design).

Books, Links and Resources:

Science and Poetry by Mary Midgely 
Connect, Move & Learn:
Join Our Newsletter: Movement Colored Glasses
Follow Katy on Substack
Try Katy's Virtual Studio Free for 7 days!
Made Possible By Our Wonderful Sponsors:
Venn Design: Beautifully upholstered ball-shaped Air Chairs and floor cushions that encourage dynamic sitting
My Happy Feet: Toe-spacing socks that gently realign toes for comfortable shoe recovery—take 20% off with code MYDNA
Earth Runners:  makers of minimalist earthing sandals designed for natural foot movement and connection to the ground— use code DNA10 for 10% off.
Ikaria Design: The Soul Seat® offers height-adjustable, multi-position sitting—get 10% off new chairs and desks with code DNA10
Movemate: Active standing boards with smoothly articulating wooden slats. Designed to keep you moving without interrupting your focus.
ScreenFit™: a complete online vision training program —take $200 off with code NUTRITIOUSMOVEMENT
Freet Barefoot: creators of comfortable barefoot shoes built for natural movement, flexibility, and durability— use code DNA10 for 10% off.

Thoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.com
Your Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits 

October Retreats 2026

This is the Men’s Health episode in honour of Father’s Day this month.
Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr Jeannette Loram discuss health issues more common in male bodies, including abdominal aortic aneurysms, type 2 diabetes, gout, and male pelvic health.
Drawing on anatomy, physiology, and lifestyle habits, they explore why men may be more susceptible to these conditions and offer movement and lifestyle solutions to consider. They also take a deeper look at the relationships between abdominal aortic aneurysms, pelvic health, and how chair sitting and sedentary lifestyles may affect both.
Whether you're interested in men's health or caring for the men in your life, this episode offers a fresh perspective on common health challenges through a movement lens.

Enhanced Show Notes and Full Transcript

0:00 — Intro and welcome.
2:40 — Conditions more common in men: abdominal aortic aneurysms, diabetes, gout, and testicular issues.
3:40 — Thanks to our sponsors: the Dynamic Collective.
6:20 — What is an abdominal aortic aneurysm?
9:33 — Why are abdominal aortic aneurysms more prevalent in men?
16:10 — Sitting as a cardiovascular risk factor.
17:07 — Testicles, chairs, and pelvic tucking.
25:20 — Waist stiffness, abdominal weakness, and pelvic floor function.
29:19 — Movement considerations for pelvic and abdominal health.
31:00 — Type 2 diabetes, muscle loss, and men’s health.
32:48 — Gout: why men are more at risk and exercise considerations.
37:30 — Listener question: male vs. female flexibility (sponsored by Ikaria Design).

Books, Links and Resources:

Rethink Your Position by Katy Bowman 
Diabetes and Exercise: How Exactly Muscle Movement Manages Blood Sugar –– Podcast Ep 187

Connect, Move & Learn:
Join Our Newsletter: Movement Colored Glasses
Follow Katy on Substack
Try Katy's Virtual Studio Free for 7 days!
Made Possible By Our Wonderful Sponsors:
Ikaria Design: The Soul Seat® offers height-adjustable, multi-position sitting—get 10% off new chairs and desks with code DNA10
ScreenFit™: a complete online vision training program —take $200 off with code NUTRITIOUSMOVEMENT
Movemate: Active standing boards with smoothly articulating wooden slats. Designed to keep you moving without interrupting your focus.
Venn Design: Beautifully upholstered ball-shaped Air Chairs and floor cushions that encourage dynamic sitting
My Happy Feet: Toe-spacing socks that gently realign toes for comfortable shoe recovery—take 20% off with code MYDNA
Freet Barefoot: creators of comfortable barefoot shoes built for natural movement, flexibility, and durability— use code DNA10 for 10% off.
Earth Runners:  makers of minimalist earthing sandals designed for natural foot movement and connection to the ground— use code DNA10 for 10% off.

Thoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.com
Your Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits 

October Retreats 2026

Biomechanist Katy Bowman and biologist Dr Jeannette Loram explore the fascinating world of vibration: the benefits and costs of impact to the body and the importance of sensing vibration in humans and other animals.
Katy and Jeannette discuss how foot impacts during walking may actually form part of the brain’s circulatory system. They also unpack the science of vibration plates and whether they are useful for muscle strength, bone health, and balance. The conversation then turns to running, exploring how it generates vibrations through the body’s soft tissues, how these vibrations may affect performance, and what runners can do about it. Finally, they share some remarkable examples of vibration sensing in animals and consider how modern lifestyles may limit this sense in humans.
The discussion on impact and contact with the ground continues with Mike Dally of Earth Runners®, creators of minimalist earthing sandals. Katy and Mike talk about the aims of minimalist footwear in reducing interference between the foot and the ground, how to adapt to minimalist sandals, and new designs in development, including an easy-to-put-on children’s sandal.
Enhanced Show Notes and Full Transcript
0:00 The barefoot shoe expo debrief
3:40 The Dynamic Collective
6:40 Introduction to vibrations and waves
8:22 Walking vibrations and brain health
13:26 Vibrations and bone: building bone and fracture
16:04 Soft tissue vibration during running
17:45 Vibration plates: how do they work, and are they worth it?
25:25 Running revisited
33:44 Vibration sensing in animals
40:08 Mike Dally from Earth Runners®
52:25 Over-engineering health solutions rather than removing interference
56:00 Adapting to minimalist sandals
58:40 New products coming up: user-friendly children’s sandals
1:06:45 Listener question on foot pressure issues, sponsored by Movemate

Books, Links and Resources:

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
Mary Roach books
Katy’s stylish strappy shoes
How Walking Benefits The Brain
Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse
The Ins, Outs, Ups and Downs of Breast Movement
Interview with Dr Libby Hinsley: Hypermobility, Proprioception & Building Up a Bendy Body - Podcast Ep #177
Earth Runners® Sandals 

Connect, Move & Learn:
Join Our Newsletter: Movement Colored Glasses
Follow Katy on Substack
Try Katy's Virtual Studio Free for 7 days!
Made Possible By Our Wonderful Sponsors:
Movemate: Active standing boards with smoothly articulating wooden slats. Designed to keep you moving without interrupting your focus.
Venn Design: Beautifully upholstered ball-shaped Air Chairs and floor cushions that encourage dynamic sitting
Ikaria Design: The Soul Seat® offers height-adjustable, multi-position sitting—get 10% off new chairs and desks with code DNA10
Freet Barefoot: creators of comfortable barefoot shoes built for natural movement, flexibility, and durability— use code DNA10 for 10% off.
Earth Runners:  makers of minimalist earthing sandals designed for natural foot movement and connection to the ground— use code DNA10 for 10% off.
My Happy Feet: Toe-spacing socks that gently realign toes for comfortable shoe recovery—take 20% off with code MYDNA
ScreenFit™: a complete online vision training program —take $200 off with code NUTRITIOUSMOVEMENT

Thoughts/questions email us at podcast@nutritiousmovement.com
Your Voice on the Podcast: Read The Credits 

October Retreats 2026