Happy Wednesday, everyone! 🙌 Yesterday’s check was eye-opening. The deep squat and getting up off the floor caught a few of us out, me included. The squat was my hardest one. When that happens, the first thing most of us say is “it’s my age.” Kelly Starrett sees it differently, and I agree with him. Most aches don’t come from one bad moment or from birthdays. They build slowly from positions we repeat every day. Hours in a chair. One side of the body doing all the work. Arms that never go overhead. He calls pain a "check engine light". It’s not a reason to panic. It’s a sign something needs to change. His own career ended with a neck injury from paddling a canoe on the same side, 11 to 13 times a week, which ended up creating overuse issues. So today the floor is yours 👇 What’s ONE spot that feels stiff or sore, and what does your day look like around it? Desk, car, sport, sleep. I’ll reply to every one with something simple to try. And if you haven’t done yesterday’s 6-move check yet, there’s still time. Drop your score on Tuesday’s post 🙌

Happy Thursday, everyone! 🙌 In the Q&A a couple of weeks ago, @Steph van der Merwe said her energy is great in the morning but drops in the afternoon. I think a lot of us know that one 🖐🏽 Working with people over the years, I came to realise that the two most important things we have to address first aren’t training or supplementation. They’re sleep and food. A few simple numbers: 😴 7 hours of sleep is the minimum for an adult. Aim for 8 hours in bed, phone out of the room. ☕ Caffeine done by 12:00. Afternoon coffee feels like it helps, but it chips away at tonight’s sleep, which sets up tomorrow’s slump. 🌳 Get outside in daylight. The average adult these days, spends about 20 minutes A WEEK outside. A week! That is absolutely alarming 🚶🏾 8,000 steps a day. Realistically, you don’t need all four this week. Pick the one that would make the biggest difference for you. 👇 What time do you usually go to bed, and when’s your last coffee?

Happy Tuesday, everyone! 🙌 Yesterday was about jumping. Today let’s see where we’re actually starting from. These are six quick tests built on the positions Kelly Starrett says people lose first. It takes about 10 minutes, and I go through all six in the video 📹 Each test you pass is 1 point, so your score is out of 6. How to score ✅ Pass = you did it as written, with no pain ❌ Nearly doesn’t count yet, but make a note, because that’s the one to watch on the retest 🛑 Anything hurts = 0 for that test, and stop there ↔️ Tests with two sides: both sides must pass to get the point 1. Floor up and down Sit on the floor, then stand back up. ✅ Pass: down and up with no hands, knees or furniture to help. @Trish Berrange and @Roar Resell , here's the alternate version I promised. Coming up via your knees counts too, as long as your hands stay off the floor 🙌 2. Deep squat Squat as low as you can, heels down, weight across the whole foot. ✅ Pass: hold the bottom for 30 seconds without holding on or your heels lifting. 3. Arms overhead Stand tall and raise straight arms overhead. ✅ Pass: arms straight by your ears, without leaning back or arching your lower back. 4. Front of the hip Half kneel, squeeze the back glute and shift forward. ✅ Pass: you stay tall for 30 seconds each side, and you feel the stretch at the front of the hip, not in your lower back. 5. Lunge hold Long lunge, back heel up, back glute squeezed. ✅ Pass: 30 seconds each side without touching anything or losing balance. 6. Spring test Skip or hop on the balls of your feet, with or without a rope. ✅ Pass: 60 seconds without stopping. Your score 0 to 2: Restart 3 to 4: Rebuild 5 to 6: Spring A low score isn’t a fail, it’s just your starting line. We retest on Friday 20 Nov with the same rules, so keep your score somewhere safe. What did you score? Post your own clip in Wins 🏆

Please give @Maria Roberts a warm welcome to Fitbodies After 40. 🎉 Maria is a digital marketer and life coach from South Africa who helps women thrive in midlife. A lot of what we talk about here, moving well and feeling better as we get older, is close to her world, so I think she’ll fit right in 🫶🏽 Maria, we’re in the middle of Stay Springy, a two-week series on staying strong and mobile as we age. Yesterday was about jumping, and today there’s a 10-minute, 6-move self-check. It’s a great way to jump in, and you can find the post in the Stay Springy category 🦘 Welcome 🎉

This morning has been slow and deliberate. I decided to sleep in 🛌 and let our helper take the doggies out for their walk 🦮. I'm going for a 10k run this morning, then a lot of chilling out and hopefully a swim 🏊🏼‍♀️ What is everyone getting up to today? Quick reminder, Stay Springy starts Monday 🦘 Before then, try the floor test once more: sit down, stand up, no hands. Have a great Day