Movement, not just exercise: the case for rucking

The fitness community is full of disagreements. We can’t seem to settle debates on how many sets are optimal for muscle growth, how much protein is too much, how to navigate training around pain and so much more. Luckily, what we can agree on is that we as a species need to move more. Our movement diet is inadequate. Like a well-balanced nutritional diet that includes complex carbs and fibre, sufficient protein and an array of healthy fats, our movement diet needs to encompass the right volume of strength training, bits of mobility and flexibility training, some cardio and a touch of high speed work. Unfortunately, telling people to do all of the above only reinforces the majority’s cultural outlook on exercise - that it is prescriptive, and not preventative. It feels like a chore more than an investment in better health. We live in a world where taking the stairs and doing anything more than 4000 steps a day is considered exercise. As a fitness coach, I had to solve for this problem. How do I get people to emphasise more conscious movement without it feeling like exercise? (I’m purposely distinguishing between the two. Exercise is movement done with the intent of improving fitness. Unfortunately that intent draws negative connotations. Changing that outlook requires a cultural shift, one I am not equipped to champion single-handedly)To me, the answer lay in rucking. Walking with a weight on my back felt like the right mix of accessible and familiar. It delivered the physiological goodness of exercise while feeling like natural, casual movement. It felt easy enough for anyone to include in their movement diet. On Sunday, six of us casually rucked around 3 km in 40 minutes all the while chatting and getting our daily sun-exposure. On our backs was roughly 5-13 kilos in weight. We may not have felt it, but we toughened our bones, crushed some calories, spent much needed time in Zone 2 and strengthened the muscles of our legs, core and back. Wouldn’t you call that a win? I plan to ruck every Sunday at 7am. Reach out if you’d like to improve your movement diet. 

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