Penny O

Nutritious Movement Certified - Restorative Exercise Specialist
Movement Coach
Kia ora, I'm Penny. I have been helping people move better and feel better in their body for over 20 years.

Most of my working life has been spent in the health and wellness setting, with a focus on human movement. As a former physiotherapist, health promoter at Public Health, outdoor instructor, massage therapist and now movement coach, I have been lucky to work with some wonderful people all over the world.

These wide ranging experiences have built a somewhat unique perspective about the small details and larger issues relating to movement and health and their links to the common aches and pains we all experience.

I love the details of human movement and teaching people how to find sustainable ways of moving to better support their joints building useful strength for the movements we do all day, every day. Life happens outside the exercise class and this is where the quality and quantity of our movement matters most.
I am also really interested in how our environments and cultures shape our bodies and influence our movement. The way we are moving our bodies and the way we are interacting with the world are integrally linked. We need to act on both parts of the equation to make lasting change in our bodies and take charge of our health as we age.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the ubiquitous phrase, 'It's just because I'm getting old'. This narrative needs to be challenged! I have been lucky to continue my movement education with the biomechanist and author Katy Bowman from Nutritious Movement and have certified through her programme as a Restorative Exercise Specialist.

Katy is a paradigm shifting leader of the 'Movement Movement'. The people who have engaged with her approach are certainly challenging the current aging paradigm. People are feeling better in their bodies than they did 10 years ago, and this is at age 50,60,70 and 80! It starts with simple exercises and small changes to your movement habits, how we stand, sit, walk, get on and off the floor etc, and leads to feeling better in your body and enjoying a fun and enriching movement-filled life!

If you want to be inspired with practical tools for working on your body throughout the day, be challenged in your thinking, motivated to move and age dynamically with more resilience - then check out her books and website. I think reading her books or blogs are a foundational movement education everyone should do. You will never look at movement the same way again. Of course, I offer in-person movement classes and workshops which bring these movements off the page and into life.
I am also passionate about plants, compost and permaculture and love being outside. I am always seeking out ways to bring more meaningful, productive movement into my life. And I LOVE to walk. In the bush, at the beach, to work or the supermarket, it doesn't matter. Walking is what humans do (and have always done)... and I quite like being human!

We really do have the ability to change the way we move and the way we feel. By arming yourself with some knowledge about how the body works and becoming aware of how our environments and choices are shaping us, along with some corrective exercises and help from your healthcare team plus some time and determination, you too will experience the benefits of bringing more movement (which doesn't mean more exercise!) into your life.

Looking forward to moving with you!

Penny
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