24 Ways to Move More: Monthly Inspiration for Health and Movement

by Nicole Tsong, Nicole Tsong

Your body is made to move and is designed to adapt to a range of activity--climbing, sprinting, carrying heavy things, walking long distances. Yet today we move less than ever before.

Yoga instructor and fitness expert Nicole Tsong wants to change that. She has tried hundreds of different types of movement and in this new guide, she shares which of those are the most fun, accessible, and body-beneficial. Detailing two new activities for each month of the year, she describes her own experiences trying each movement, then lays out a road map for readers to embark on a similar adventure, starting at beginner level and moving up through "Reach" and "Adventure" goals. For example, readers can choose to walk 35 to 40 minutes twice a week for the whole month, or they can slowly increase mileage each week working up to a 10-, 15, or 20-mile challenge. Tsong also offers quick tips for getting started, basic gear needs and costs, and a "Discovery" section with questions, prompts, and journal space so readers can explore their own movement journeys.

208 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

For more than six years, Nicole Tsong wrote the popular “Fit for Life” column in The Seattle Times, published in Pacific NW Magazine. Nicole is the author of “Yoga for Hikers” and “Yoga for Climbers” with Mountaineers Books, and has taught yoga for more than a decade, including for three years at the White House Easter Egg Roll. In addition to writing, Nicole founded a work/life balance coaching business, supporting high-achieving women master radical change. A former journalist, Nicole has lived and worked in Anchorage, Alaska, Washington D.C. and Walla Walla, Washington, covering topics ranging from the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race to a U.S. Senate race.
Raised in Chicago, Nicole was first introduced to the mountains during a dinosaur dig in Moab, Utah in high school. Her love of hiking and mountains took off as a student at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H., where she majored in comparative literature. After a stint teaching English to college students in Wuhan, China, Nicole moved to the West Coast and has called it home ever since. She now lives in Seattle, where you can find her out in the mountains with her pup Coco, playing violin, and loving on her houseplants. Reach out at nicoletsong.com.

Reviews

[Amy Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I was quite a mover and reading Nicole’s book, I learned there are always ways to move more, and to move creatively. Moving the body in many ways is what makes the difference. I’m inspired to up my movement game this winter with more snowshoeing and skiing, and to start adding in practices for injury prevention like acupuncture. Nicole’s book is easy to read and follow and listening to her try out things even when they felt challenging made me feel like I could do them too. A great read for any movement level!

[Jamie Hirschi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a great journey for healthy people, who live in larger cities.

I can't do about half of the activities, but I was able to try a few new things. She is pretty insistent on signing up for classes, but when you live in a rural community some of these are not possible. While she talks about modification in the beginning and this book being something that can be modified for anyone she didn't keep that feeling throughout the book and that's problematic. I wanted to love this book, but I just felt the opposite by the time I was done reading.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this and got some ideas. The resources section was really helpful. I can't wait for the world to open again to try sone of these, though there's a few I know I can start doing now!