We have a collective man crush on Ido Portal. The Israeli-born, capoeira-trained movement master is light years ahead in his thinking of exercise.
Ido Portal sees movement as free-form and not restricted to repetitive exercises (and injuries) we see on a daily basis.
He wonders what is everyone training for, anyway? Instead of trying to make a faster time on a bike or obtain an ideal physical beauty, Ido wants to see people move all their parts freely.
He wants play back. Real play: the kind that’s fun, formless, and without rules, with lots of movement. He compares it to when two dogs meet on the street and sniff each other out. He wants us to frolic like the dogs. And he wants you to move a lot more!
Ido says: “I-DO. That’s my name. Talk the talk, but WALK the WALK. We move. A lot. We are designed to do so—hence why we are in this amazing body. I don’t mean training for 45 minutes three times a week; I mean A LOT. Heck, 100 years ago, just to have a drink of water was a workout.”
He’s influenced physical therapist Shawn Monahan. Shawn added fun to his workouts with monkey climbs and gymnastics rings. Fun doesn’t mean easy!
Take-away: Try adding a day of play to your usual exercise routine.
Want to learn more about Ido and watch him move? Check out his website to see him in action!
Image credit to Ben Medder