A Primer of Rewilding and Natural Lifestyle

Rewilding and natural lifestyle is simply about reconnecting with nature and incorporating more natural, ancestral practices into modern life. It's not about living off-grid, but rather about making conscious choices to align with our natural biology and the environment.

Core Principles :

Reconnecting with Nature:


- This involves spending more time outdoors, engaging with natural environments, and fostering a deeper appreciation for the natural world. It can range from simple activities like walking in parks to more immersive experiences like hiking, camping, or foraging.

Embracing Ancestral Practices:


- This means incorporating practices that were common in our ancestors' lifestyles, such as:


1. Movement: Moving more naturally, including ground-based movements, and incorporating more varied physical activity.


2. Diet: Eating whole, unprocessed, seasonal foods, and potentially incorporating wild or foraged foods.


3. Connection: Fostering strong social connections and a sense of community.


4. Sensory Engagement: Activating all senses by spending time in nature, going barefoot, and experiencing natural light and darkness.


Promoting Well-being:

Rewilding aims to improve physical and mental health by reducing the "evolutionary mismatch" between our modern lifestyles and our biological needs. It can help reduce stress, improve sleep, and enhance overall well-being.

Ecological Awareness:

A rewilding lifestyle often involves a greater awareness of environmental issues and a commitment to sustainable living. This can include practices like reducing consumption, supporting local ecosystems, and promoting biodiversity.

Practical Ideas for Implementing it Yourself:


- Spend more time outdoors in natural settings.
- Incorporate natural movement into daily life.
- Eating a diet that emphasises whole, unprocessed foods.
- Practice mindfulness and connecting with one's senses.
- Cultivate a sense of community and connection.

If you would like to discover more about rewilding and natural lifestyle, get in touch!

The Problem with Being Only Evidence-Based in Fitness and Rehabilitation

The Problem with Being Only Evidence-Based in Fitness and Rehabilitation

In recent years, there has been a notable shift in the fitness and rehabilitation world toward evidence-based practices. This approach, which prioritizes using research findings to guide decision-making, has undoubtedly led to numerous advancements. We’ve seen more efficient, scientifically supported interventions, greater consistency in outcomes, and an overall higher standard of care. However, there’s a looming issue with an over-reliance on evidence-based thinking: it can stifle creativity, limit innovative approaches, and ultimately restrict the progress of the field.

The Rise of Evidence-Based Practices

Before diving into the drawbacks, let's take a step back and appreciate why evidence-based approaches became the gold standard. In both fitness and rehabilitation, we are dealing with people's health, often in vulnerable states. As a result, ensuring the practices we recommend are safe and effective is paramount. Research-backed methods provide the solid foundation for these practices, offering a higher likelihood of positive outcomes and reduced risks.

The focus on evidence also helps reduce the influence of fads, untested trends, and anecdotal claims, ensuring that practices are grounded in robust data. This has undeniably led to positive changes, particularly in areas where poor practices or misinformation previously ran rampant. Physical therapists, personal trainers, and rehab specialists are now armed with a strong understanding of biomechanics, human physiology, and the science of injury prevention.

The Positives of Evidence-Based Practice

  1. Consistency and Reliability: Evidence-based approaches offer tried-and-true methods that have been shown to yield consistent results. When we use practices supported by research, we can confidently predict the outcomes for clients, leading to improved patient and client satisfaction.

  2. Safety: Research is designed to investigate not just the effectiveness of a method, but also its safety. Evidence-based practices tend to have a lower risk of causing harm because they are based on proven protocols, ensuring that interventions align with the body’s natural processes.

  3. Educational Clarity: By relying on well-documented studies, professionals in fitness and rehabilitation can better understand and communicate the rationale behind their methods. This helps clients trust their trainers and therapists, knowing that their treatment plan is not based on whim or hearsay.

The Downsides: The Constraints of Being "Only" Evidence-Based

Despite these benefits, relying exclusively on evidence-based thinking presents a number of challenges that can impede the broader development of the field.

1. Killing Creativity and Innovation

One of the most significant drawbacks of an evidence-based-only approach is its tendency to stifle creativity. When research dominates the conversation, new, unconventional, or out-of-the-box thinking is often dismissed. After all, if something hasn’t been studied extensively, how can we justify using it? This mentality can discourage experimentation with alternative methods, and as a result, the field becomes stagnant, relying on tried-and-true solutions at the cost of exploration.

Creativity is what drives innovation. Think about the earliest days of physical therapy or the fitness industry. Many of the foundational practices that we now consider “conventional” were once highly radical and untested. Early physical therapists were experimenting with techniques, testing theories in real time, and learning from their own experiences. They didn’t have large-scale, peer-reviewed studies to back up their decisions; instead, they relied on ingenuity, practical experience, and a willingness to try new things.

2. Limiting Radical, Anticonventional Thinking

Radical ideas in fitness and rehabilitation often challenge the status quo. And it’s through these bold, anticonventional ideas that we’ve seen some of the most important breakthroughs in science and practice. However, when we demand that every intervention be supported by robust evidence before it’s even considered, we create a situation where only what is “proven” is allowed to exist. This risks creating an echo chamber where new ideas, however promising, are dismissed because they don’t yet have the backing of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) or meta-analysis.

This is particularly problematic when we consider that fitness and rehabilitation are fields that deal with human beings. Each individual is unique, and what works for one person may not work for another. Rigid evidence-based models can reduce the flexibility needed to explore new possibilities. Furthermore, the longer the scientific community demands rigid proof of efficacy, the longer it takes for innovative ideas to be tested, evaluated, and integrated into practice.

3. The Risk of Confirmation Bias

Evidence-based practices are not immune to biases. Research findings are subject to interpretation, and studies can sometimes be funded by parties with particular interests, or research populations can be narrowly defined, limiting the applicability of the findings to the broader population. When evidence-based approaches dominate the conversation, it’s easy for practitioners to fall into the trap of confirmation bias, where they only accept evidence that supports their existing beliefs and disregard any conflicting findings.

For example, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that a personalized, individualized approach to rehabilitation may be more effective than strictly following a one-size-fits-all model based on current research. Yet, because the current body of evidence still heavily emphasizes standardized approaches, these nuanced, personalized strategies can be overlooked.

4. The Conformity of Conventional Thought

Finally, there’s the danger of reinforcing conventional wisdom simply because it's "what we know." Conventional approaches to fitness and rehab often emerge from early pioneers testing their ideas. Over time, those ideas evolve and become standard practice. However, that doesn’t mean they’re always the best or most effective methods.

The original idea behind many conventional methods was once considered radical and new. In fact, many of the techniques we now take for granted (like certain forms of stretching, resistance training, or injury rehab protocols) were once seen as unproven and unconventional. But once they gained evidence to support them, they became the gold standard. The problem now is that the field has become so reliant on evidence that it’s forgotten how to embrace radical new thinking when the evidence isn’t there yet.

Reclaiming the Balance: Evidence, Innovation, and Experience

While evidence-based practices will continue to play a central role in fitness and rehabilitation, there needs to be room for creativity and unconventional thinking. Research provides valuable insights, but it shouldn't be the sole guiding force. Practitioners should feel empowered to experiment, innovate, and look beyond the confines of existing studies, especially when working with individuals whose needs may not be fully represented in research.

By embracing a more open-minded, integrative approach—one that combines the rigor of evidence with the flexibility of experience and creative thinking—fitness and rehabilitation professionals can push the boundaries of what is possible. After all, no great advancement in these fields came from adhering strictly to what was already known; it came from those who dared to question the status quo and experiment with new ideas.

In conclusion, evidence-based practice has revolutionized fitness and rehabilitation, providing a solid foundation for success. However, it is essential to balance that evidence with creativity, exploration, and the willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. It is this delicate balance that will drive the next wave of innovation in these fields, ensuring that we never stop growing, learning, and improving.

Our Brain Evolved for One Thing Only: Movement

According to leading neuroscientist Dr Daniel Wolpert, we have a brain for one reason and one reason only: ‘To produce adaptable and complex movements’.

Movement is the only way we have to affect the world around us.

Traditional dualistic thinking that predominated the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led us to believe that the brain and body were separate, with the brain as a master to perceive the world or to think, and the body to move. This reductionist thinking still predominates many of our approaches to fitness, rehabilitation and of course, movement. By doing so we have limited the effectiveness of our programmes by not recognising the mutual interdependency of body and mind.

For example, the cerebellum is located at the back of the brain and is often referred to as the brain inside the brain. Its sole role is dedicated to coordinated movement, posture, balance, fine motor control and motor learning. This small area is densely populated with neurons, known as 'granule cells', which account for 80 per cent of the total neurons in the whole brain, but only about 10 per cent of its volume!

So, 80% of our brain power is dedicated to movement, this is what we are designed to do, our brain (and body) needs complex movement skills to remain nourished and healthy.

Yet we continue to live in a period of movement skill poverty and move with less skill, volume and complexity than ever before in our history. We tend to choose single-capacity specialisations with a very narrow skill base for our health/fitness and recovery. There is nothing wrong with developing capacities, but how do we then nurture our brain and body's requirements for complex movement and variability?

It’s time to look back to our evolutionary development and integrate natural movement training in addition to our more traditional training.

The Natural Method

EMBRACING THE JOURNEY: RELEARNING NATURAL MOVEMENT AND LIFESTYLE FOR A BALANCED LIFE

In the fast-paced modern world, where technology has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, the importance of natural movement and natural lifestyle often takes a backseat. As a society, we find ourselves confined to desks, hunched over screens, and disconnected from our bodies.

The natural method is a radical change to the way we frame and approach physical activity and its impact on our overall well-being.

WE ARE CREATING A MOVEMENT RE-EVOLUTION.

This profound shift encourages individuals to reconnect with their bodies more mindfully, embrace ancestral movement patterns, reconnect with nature and regain the freedom that comes with moving and living how you were designed to.

THE CONCEPT

Reclaiming your natural movement begins with rediscovering and waking up the fundamental movements that govern our body's mechanics and capabilities, movements that are deeply imprinted in your DNA. It involves rediscovering basic human movements such as crawling, squatting, running, jumping, climbing and balancing that you once mastered as a child. Whether you are returning from injury, have lost your movement confidence or just want to learn a way of fitness that is more natural, by consciously engaging in these innate movement patterns, we can re-establish a solid foundation for physical well-being and optimal functionality.

Much of our work at Move Well is influenced by the MOVNAT natural movement philosophy and system.

THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION

Relearning natural movement goes beyond mere physical exercise. It nourishes the mind-body connection, allowing us to tap into our innate wisdom and awareness. Through mindful and playful movement practices in nature, individuals can explore and embrace the deep mental connection between movement and our natural environment. This heightened awareness fosters a sense of self-care, optimal function and mental well-being to enhance recovery, decrease injury, move with better efficiency and make a better connection with nature.

ENHANCING STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE

Our bodies are designed to adapt and evolve. By incorporating strength training exercises that mimic natural movements, individuals can develop functional strength and increase resilience. Movements such as lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling empower us to handle real-world tasks with ease. By embracing weightlifting, bodyweight exercises, and functional training, we rebuild muscle imbalances and promote a more efficient and balanced musculoskeletal system.

INFUSING PLAYFULNESS AND CREATIVITY

Relearning natural movement invites us to rediscover the joyful nature of physical play. This infusion of playfulness reignites youthful energy, ignites our sense of adventure, and sparks creativity, all while promoting moving well and maintaining a healthy body.

EMBRACING THE OUTDOORS

Relearning natural movement invigorates our connection with nature. By taking our movement outside, we are exposed to varied natural stimulation that challenge our bodies and minds in unique and natural ways. Moving in and reconnecting with Jersey’s amazing natural spaces and places provides opportunities to engage in natural movement while benefiting from fresh air, increased vitamin D intake, and the mental well-being that comes from being immersed in nature.

THE TAKE AWAY

Integrating natural movements into our daily routine not only enhances physical fitness but also nurtures our mental well-being, strengthens our resilience, and fosters a profound sense of connection with both ourselves and the world around us. So, join us and embark on this transformative journey of uncovering your natural movement together, one step at a time, and transform your relationship with movement, health and nature.

Get Out There!

There's no better way to help than to get out and experience nature for yourself.

Why not visit one of Jersey’s world-leading nature sites and get practising some nautral movement? It can be a simple as walking the railway track all the way up to coasteering!

Lose yourself and play with movement in our amazing green a blue spaces!