Narrator: Imagine a seventy-seven-year-old man. It’s a cold winter morning, and he’s outside, effortlessly shoveling his driveway. But he’s not done for the day. He spends the rest of it sledding with his grandchildren, full of energy and free from pain. Now, picture someone in their early fifties, who feels like their body is suddenly falling apart, plagued by aches and stiffness they can’t explain. What separates these two realities? Is physical decline an inevitable part of aging, or is there a secret to maintaining a durable, pain-free body for life?

In their book Built to Move, mobility pioneers Kelly and Juliet Starrett argue that the answer lies not in grueling workouts or extreme fitness regimens, but in restoring a series of simple, foundational habits that modern life has stripped away. They propose that our bodies are not fragile machines destined to break down, but resilient systems designed for movement, and we can reclaim that birthright by paying attention to ten vital signs of physical health.

Narrator: One of the most powerful indicators of long-term health has nothing to do with blood pressure or cholesterol. It’s the simple ability to get up and down off the floor without using your hands. In 2014, a groundbreaking study followed over 2,000 adults between the ages of fifty-one and eighty. Researchers asked them to perform what’s called the Sit-and-Rise Test: sit down on the floor into a cross-legged position and then stand back up, subtracting points for using a hand, knee, or forearm for support.

The results, tracked over six years, were astonishing. Those who scored lowest on the test—needing the most assistance—were five to six times more likely to have died during the study period than those who scored the highest. The test wasn't just measuring strength; it was a proxy for overall mobility, balance, coordination, and body control. The authors argue this ability is a fundamental human movement we lose over time. Toddlers fall and get up dozens of times an hour, naturally maintaining their hip mobility. Adults, however, spend their lives in chairs, which effectively puts our hips and spine in a cast. The solution, the Starretts suggest, is to "rewild" our bodies by spending more time on the floor. By accumulating thirty minutes of floor-sitting a day—in various positions like cross-legged, kneeling, or sidesaddle—we can begin to restore the natural range of motion in our hips and build the stability needed to stay agile for life.

Narrator: Most people think of breathing as an automatic, passive process. But the Starretts reframe it as a powerful tool for controlling our physiology, managing pain, and generating physical stability. They point to the world of elite athletics for proof. Olympic weightlifter Wes Kitts was a phenomenal athlete, but he had a critical flaw: he didn't know how to breathe correctly under a heavy load. During one competition, he passed out mid-lift. The problem wasn't a lack of oxygen, but an inability to create core stiffness while still ventilating.

After working on his mechanics, Kitts learned to take a deep, diaphragmatic breath to pressurize his trunk, creating a natural weightlifting belt that stabilized his spine. This allowed him to transfer force efficiently and safely. At the Tokyo Olympics, he successfully set a new American record. This principle isn't just for Olympians. Proper breathing—breathing low into the belly, through the nose, and slowly—improves body mechanics for everyone. It helps stabilize the spine for everyday tasks like lifting groceries, reduces neck and back pain by relaxing overworked muscles, and can even modulate our perception of pain by calming the nervous system. The book’s simple rule is: if you can’t take a full, easy breath in a certain position, you don’t truly own that position.

Narrator: Modern life is defined by flexion. We sit in cars, at desks, and on couches, with our hips constantly bent. The Starretts argue that the opposite movement—hip extension, or opening the hips by bringing your leg behind your body—is one of the most neglected and crucial ranges of motion for a healthy, pain-free life. When hip extension is restricted, the body is forced to compensate, leading to a cascade of problems like lower back pain, knee issues, and even foot pain.

Strength coach Joe DeFranco discovered this firsthand while training an NFL running back recovering from knee surgery. The athlete’s progress had stalled. On a hunch, DeFranco had him perform a simple hip mobility drill before running a 10-yard sprint. The result was immediate: the player instantly beat his personal record. DeFranco realized that by unlocking the hips, he had allowed the athlete’s glutes—the body’s most powerful engines—to fire properly. The book provides a simple diagnostic called the Couch Test, which involves kneeling and bringing one leg up against a wall or couch to assess hip and quad flexibility. By pairing this test with daily mobilizations, anyone can begin to undo the damage of a chair-bound life and restore the power and stability that comes from full hip extension.

Narrator: In the modern fitness world, walking is often dismissed as not being "real" exercise. The Starretts argue this is a profound mistake. They contend that walking is the single most potent and accessible health intervention available to us. The data is clear: while the popular 10,000-steps-a-day goal originated as a marketing slogan for a Japanese pedometer in the 1960s, modern science has validated its benefits. One study showed that people who walked 8,000 steps a day had a 51 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those who only walked 4,000.

The benefits go far beyond calorie burn. Walking lubricates joints, improves circulation, strengthens feet, and enhances sleep. It also has a powerful effect on the brain. A Stanford University study found that walking increased creative output by an average of 60 percent. The authors stress that the goal isn't just about a single, dedicated walk each day. It's about weaving more steps into the fabric of your life—taking the stairs, parking farther away, or walking during phone calls. They illustrate this with a simple comparison: a woman who runs for 30 minutes three times a week burns about 51,000 extra calories a year. A woman who simply walks 8,000 steps every day burns over 101,000. Consistency trumps intensity.

Narrator: What is the ultimate purpose of fitness? Is it to run a marathon or achieve a certain look? The Starretts offer a more profound motivation, beautifully captured in a German commercial they describe. The ad features an elderly man who, day after day, struggles to lift a heavy, old kettlebell in his dusty shed. His neighbors watch, confused. The seasons change, and he continues his solitary, repetitive work. Finally, on Christmas morning, his granddaughter runs to him, holding the star for the top of the tree. He smiles, effortlessly lifts her high into the air, and she places the star on top. The tagline appears: "So you can take care of what matters in life."

This story encapsulates the core message of Built to Move. The ten vital signs and their corresponding practices are not about becoming an elite athlete. They are about investing in your future self. They are the daily maintenance that ensures you can lift your grandchildren, carry your own groceries, travel without pain, and live a full, active, and independent life for as long as possible. It’s a shift from viewing the body as something that inevitably breaks down to seeing it as something that can be durably maintained.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Built to Move is that our physical destiny is not predetermined by age or genetics. It is shaped by our daily habits. The chronic pain and stiffness that millions accept as normal are often just the body's request for a change—a request for more of the natural, varied movement it was designed for. The book provides a clear, actionable roadmap for answering that call.

Ultimately, the challenge presented by Kelly and Juliet Starrett is not to add another punishing hour to your gym routine. It is to fundamentally reconsider the other 23 hours of your day. It asks you to see the world not as a landscape of convenience to be navigated from one chair to the next, but as an environment rich with opportunities for movement. The most powerful question the book leaves you with is this: What small change will you make today to move better, not for a workout, but for the rest of your life?