A collaboration with the Edmonton Public Schools - Integrated Infrastructure Services department.
Tradesmen.
You work with your body. So when it starts to wear down, it’s not just frustrating - it’s a threat to your livelihood, your independence, and your ability to enjoy the life you’ve built.
But on the plus side, you actually have the chance use your time on the job as a way to build a body that is strong and injuryproof. The people who sit at desks all day don't get to have that opportunity!
Below are the biggest takeaways from the session: what we shared, why it matters, and how to start thinking differently about your own long-term health. And here's the powerpoint.
🧠 Think in Decades - Not Weeks or Months 🧠
When most people decide it’s time to care about their health a bit more, they think pain should vanish in two weeks and forecast fitness goals for the next 90 days.
But if you use your body for work, you have to think in years.
If kneeling is already hard at 30, it won’t magically get easier at 40 or 50.
You only get “ignore it and it goes away” healing power during childhood, when your body is still growing - and even then, only for a short window (and that goes extra for boys!).
Once your growth stops and your height levels off, maintenance becomes a mandatory part of living in a modern, high-tech world.
The shape you’re in now reflects the last 2–10 years of use.
Where you’re headed next depends on what you do starting now.
The good news is that your body is designed to heal and adapt - no matter how old you are or how long you’ve felt this way.
🧬 Movement Issues Don’t Heal With Rest 🧬
If you’ve had the same nagging ache for more than two years, that injury has been “baked in” to your connective tissue. You cannot rest, stretch, or medicate it away. This goes double if you’ve got multiple issues.
Your body isn’t trying to be your enemy. It’s trying to protect you - by saying, “This corner is hurt. Avoid it.”
Part of that message is real: the tissue may be damaged. But another part is just your nervous system being hyper-alert, sending warning signals when it doesn’t need to.
The only way to get back to your original settings is to gently retrain your body through that line - teaching it what’s safe, rebuilding what’s weak, and restoring what’s been lost.
This kind of healing doesn’t happen passively. No one can do your reps for you.
It only happens when you participate. The chiro can’t crack it away, the massage therapist can’t work it out, and the physio can’t zap it with their sound wave tools.
Real recovery doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen over time.
Permanent “good as new” healing comes from changing how you move - and sticking with those new patterns for 7 months to 2 years.
🧭 Your Longevity Compass 🧭
(Visuals on page 5 of the presentation)
Your body thrives on balance: challenge and recovery.
“Use it or lose it” isn’t a cliché - it’s how biology works.
Challenge too much, and you break down. Rest too much, and you fall apart.
Stress (in the form of good movement) is what triggers your body to grow stronger. But if you never recover from that stress, your system starts to break down - with repetitive strain or overuse injuries.
Rest is where recovery happens - where the body actually builds your next generation of tissue. But too much rest leads to “underuse” injuries. That means a part of your body becomes so weak, it starts hurting just from lack of use.
The best kind of rest is walking with long strides. After that, rest means stepping away from your usual patterns and doing something different. Go for a swim. Climb a tree. Go paintballing.
Rouleau is designed to help you find that middle zone - where you’re doing enough to improve, but not so much you break.
That’s how your body becomes pain-free, strong, and built to last.
🛠 The Rule of Twos 🛠
You can tell if you are on the right path by thinking about the Rule of Twos.
1. Last 2 weeks: Have you stayed consistent with your movement practices? Are you walking, doing your maintenance and challenging your body? If yes, you’re on the right path.
2. Last 2 months: If you’re been consistent, you should feel a clear shift. Less pain. More strength. More ease in movement. Your strength should be increasing and newer movements should feel more familiar. Positive bodyfat changes are also easier to gauge in 2 month windows.
3. Last 2 years: If you’ve been coasting, pushing, or ignoring your body - it’s time to proceed with caution. Don’t redline and go for your top gear just yet. Even at the 6-month mark of doing things right, your body is still laying down the scaffolding for a long-term upgrade. Activities that test bone strength - like powerlifting - can require even longer to fully adapt before they can be pushed to the max.
🔧 The Long Haul Toolbox 🔧
The 6 exercises below are simple, powerful movements that rebuild your body from the ground up.
1. Don’t Walk Like a Duck - Train your feet to point forward so you don’t end up needing knee surgery.
2. Build Your Grip Strength - A 195lb grip = life-saving force. Strength here often eliminates shoulder pain too.
3. Develop Your Dead Hang - Work towards 60 seconds to help bullet proof shoulders, reset your spine, and develop your grip strength. From there you can increase the time, or hang from one arm.
4. Foot Rolling - After 8–16 hours in boots, your feet need recovery. A few minutes a day can prevent years of pain.
5. Full Squat + the “No Hands” Stand - Can you get up off the floor with no hands? If not, it’s time to train. This is one of the most important skills for lifelong independence.
6. Walking Upright - Long-stride walking = full-body reset. It decompresses your spine, stimulates your nervous system, and clears tension from the day. And don’t wear mashmellow shoes.
Start where you are. Do what you can. And do it consistently.
What Now?
If you learned something, felt something, or just know you’ve got work to do - don’t stop here. And check out the presentation for the Activations that tell you how to move well.
👉 Fill out this short form to tell us what you’re dealing with and how we can help. Whether you’re interested in private 1:1 support, joining a future pilot class, or just want to stay in the loop - this is the place.
And if you’ve got a friend, family member, or colleague in rough shape, send them our way.
Especially if they’re facing surgery, or being told it’s “just part of getting old.”
Always remember - your body is designed to heal and adapt.
