When you learn how to use the poles effectively, your entire walking pattern begins to change. People often notice improved stability, longer stride length, increased rhythm, and more confidence moving outdoors. Instead of simply walking through your environment, you begin interacting with it differently.
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And honestly, this fits beautifully with what we’re doing inside The MedFit Movement Studio this June.
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This month, our community is participating in 26 Ways to Move Through June — a movement challenge designed around small, approachable movement moments throughout the month.
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Many of the movement moments pair perfectly with Nordic walking: walking outdoors, exploring new routes, moving socially, connecting with nature, and building movement into everyday life in sustainable ways.
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Because movement doesn’t need to be dramatic to matter.
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One walk still counts.
One movement moment still counts.
One small step still counts.
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Edmonton Friends​
We still have a few spots available in the Nordic Walking workshop series beginning June 3.
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And if you’ve taken the Nordic walking workshop before and are thinking, “I should really start using my poles again…” — hit reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you.
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Every season invites a different kind of movement.
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Maybe this June is your season to step outside again.
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Stay well and happy moving,
Lisa
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P.S. Nordic walking is even more fun with other people. If you have a friend who’s interested in joining but doesn’t own poles yet, I do have a limited number of loaner poles available for the workshop series
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This past week, a client sent me an email that absolutely made my day.
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She had just returned from the lake where a truckload of firewood needed unloading — 150 logs in total.
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But instead of simply powering through, she caught herself applying the movement strategies we’ve been practicing and discussing together.
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 She hinged through her hips.
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 Used her squat.
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 Lifted and turned with intention.
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 Paused every 10 logs to breathe and recheck her alignment before continuing again.
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And by the end?
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No pain.
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No medication.
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Just a great feeling of realizing her body could handle a demanding real-life task differently than before.
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Honestly, that deserves a standing ovation. 
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Because that’s what I mean when I talk about Real Moves for Real Life.
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Movement practice isn’t only about exercises done perfectly during a class or program. It’s about building awareness, confidence, and capacity so your body can support you in everyday life — whether that’s unloading firewood, gardening, carrying groceries, getting up off the floor, or simply moving through your day with a little more ease.
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And truthfully? I’ve been thinking about this myself while cleaning up the flower beds at home lately. I keep catching myself practicing my own hip hinge while moving dirt, lifting pots, and bending toward the garden beds.
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These little movement moments matter.
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In fact, earlier this week on Instagram, I shared a short clip of me practicing my own hip hinge while cleaning out the flower beds at home.​
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Not in a gym.
Not in a perfect setup.
Just real-life movement in real time.
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Because this is where movement patterns actually begin to matter; in the everyday tasks we repeat over and over again.
If you saw the post, I hope it encouraged you to notice your own movement patterns a little differently this week, too.
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If you haven’t watched the “A Better Way to Bend Forward (Garden Edition)” video yet, you can still catch it.

​And speaking of movement moments…
This June, I’m inviting our community to take part in something simple, approachable, and fun inside The MedFit Movement Studio:
 26 Movement Moments 
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The idea is simple:
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​26 ways to move during the month of June in celebration of the year 2026.
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No perfection required.
No “all or nothing” mindset.
Just opportunities to move your body in ways that support your life.
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Every movement counts.
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Some days might involve stretching.
Some might involve walking.
Some might involve gardening, dancing in the kitchen, practicing a squat, or taking a few mindful breaths before moving again.
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The official challenge launches May 26th inside The MedFit Movement Studio and will run from June 1-30.
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But because you’re part of this email community, I wanted to open the doors a little early and invite you to join us now with complimentary early access through the Move Now level of the Studio.
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This is a chance to explore the community, ease into the challenge, and start collecting your own movement moments before June even begins.
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And honestly? The firewood story above is exactly what this challenge is about.
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Not perfect movement in exercise machines.
Not intense gym workouts.
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Real life.
Real bodies.
Real movement moments that slowly build confidence, awareness, and capacity over time.

​Sometimes the biggest changes don’t come from dramatic workouts or intense programs.
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Sometimes they begin with noticing:
“Oh… my body handled that differently today.”
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And that matters.
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Stay well and happy moving,
Lisa
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P.S. If you’ve had one of those “real life movement wins” lately — big or small — I’d genuinely love to hear about it. Those stories inspire me more than you know. Drop a comment below.

The past three weeks have been a lot of fun.
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I was invited to teach at the Edmonton Lifelong Learners Association spring session at the University of Alberta, and some of you reading this today may have been in class with me there. If that’s you — I’m so glad you’re here now as part of this email community. 
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I hope to continue sharing resources that support your physical activity, movement, exercise, and therapeutic yoga practices in ways that feel practical and sustainable for real life.
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Over the past few weeks in class, we spent quite a bit of time exploring hip hinging and bending strategies — not just for yoga, but for everyday movements too.
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And honestly, this feels like the perfect time to talk about it.
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Gardening season is coming.
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This week’s new Real Moves for Real Life video focuses on:
​A Better Way to Bend Forward.​
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This isn’t really about posture.
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It’s about strategy.
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Many people get nervous about gardening season because they already know what tends to happen:
They spend a few hours outside, and suddenly the back starts “talking back.”
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But bending itself is not the problem.
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What’s important is how the movement load is being distributed throughout the body.
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In this video, we explore a simple movement strategy called the hip hinge — helping the hips and pelvis contribute more effectively so the back doesn’t feel like it has to do all the work.
We talk about:

• using the hips as a stronger foundation
• improving stance and support
• distributing movement load more effectively
• reducing unnecessary strain on the spine
• making gardening and everyday movement feel more sustainable

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And this applies to so much more than gardening: lifting groceries, loading laundry, reaching into cupboards, picking things up from the floor.
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These are movements we do every single day — often without thinking about them.
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So let’s take a different approach.
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Instead of trying to “fix” posture, we can become more aware of how we move and where the work is happening in the body.
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One small adjustment can sometimes make a surprisingly big difference.
(And yes… Mr. Indiana Bones makes an appearance in this one too.)
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 Watch the video here:

And if this topic resonates with you, June has a few upcoming opportunities to continue exploring movement together:
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Take Your Walk to the Next Level: Intro to Nordic Walking
A three-week in-person workshop series starting June 3 in Edmonton. We’ll explore walking mechanics, posture, pole use, and how to make walking feel more supportive and efficient.

​​It’s Not Just Tight Hips​
A virtual workshop happening June 12 focused on understanding hip tension, movement patterns, and what may actually be contributing to discomfort and stiffness.​
This workshop will be hosted inside The MedFit Movement Studio and includes complimentary access through the Move Now membership level.

As always, if this video was helpful, I’d love if you shared it with someone else, gave it a thumbs up, or leave a comment. It truly helps these resources reach more people who may need them.
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And I’m curious:
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Are you practicing your hip hinge before the grass turns completely green? 
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Have a great week ahead! Be well and happy moving,
Lisa

Hello!
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This week’s new Real Moves for Real Life video is about something we often don’t practice enough:
Getting up off the ground.
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It sounds simple — until it suddenly doesn’t feel simple anymore.
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And with gardening season upon us, this movement pattern becomes even more important. Whether you’re planting flowers, pulling weeds, playing with grandchildren, or simply sitting on the grass for a few moments, confidence getting down and back up again matters.
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Here’s what I see all the time from a movement perspective:
Over the years, I’ve watched clients develop many different ways of getting up and down off the floor. Some strategies are quick. Some are cautious. Some involve furniture nearby. Some involve rolling, crawling, or carefully negotiating stiff knees, hips, wrists, or balance challenges.
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And honestly?
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That adaptability is part of being human.
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We work with the body we have today.
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But what’s also important to understand is this:
If we never practice these transitions, they can slowly start to feel unfamiliar, awkward, or even intimidating.
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Confidence decreases long before strength necessarily disappears.
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This video walks through the strategy I personally use with clients to help them get up off the ground, along with some of the key movement concepts that can make the process feel more manageable and supported.
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Together, we’ll explore a simple framework:
 Create your base
 Shift your weight
 Drive through the hips
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You don’t have to move perfectly.
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You don’t have to force yourself onto the floor if that doesn’t feel accessible right now.
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But it is worth staying curious about how your body moves through these everyday transitions — because these are real-life movements that support independence, confidence, and participation in the activities you enjoy.
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If this resonates, the new video is now available.

Also — if you’re looking to build more confidence and support your walking this spring, registration is now open for my upcoming Take Your Walk to the Next Level: Intro to Nordic Walking workshop series starting June 3.​
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We’ll explore how poles can help with posture, balance, upper body engagement, and walking efficiency — all while getting outside and moving together.

Have a wonderful week!
Lisa
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P.S. One small step still counts. Sometimes practicing getting up off the ground once or twice is enough to begin rebuilding confidence again.
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