Movement is MedicineWhy, How & Where to Move More

It begins with the evidence, including the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines and Jerry Morris’s famous 1953 London bus study, and the history of exercise as medicine from Hippocrates onwards. Movement traditions from around the world follow, from Greek gymnasia and tai chi to Highland games and Scottish country dancing.

Then come short chapters on more than a dozen ways to move: walking, running, cycling, swimming and wild swimming in Scotland (with safety), strength training, mobility, balance, dance, tai chi and qigong, yoga, Pilates, martial arts, gardening and play. Further chapters cover movement and mental health, moving at every age, living with health conditions, the somatic and spiritual side, and fascia and other movement myths.

The practical end has ten-minute routines with simple drawings (a desk break, morning mobility and strength at home), a four-week starter plan, tips for staying motivated, and free and cheap ways to move in Fife. If you have a heart condition or any doubts, talk to your GP, practice nurse or physio before starting something new.

• Why movement matters: the UK guidelines
• Exercise as medicine: the London bus study
• Movement through history and cultures
• Walking, running, cycling and swimming
• Strength, mobility and balance
• Dance, tai chi, yoga, Pilates and martial arts
• Movement and the mind, and at every age
• Fascia and movement myths
• Ten-minute routines
• Your four-week starter plan
• Free and cheap ways to move in Fife