A Motion Health Journey: Patrick Moodie

Hello. My name is Patrick Moodie and I am a founder of DARI Motion. This is my motion health story…

Over the past 10 years I have been working on creative ways to bring a better understanding of what “Motion Health” is to the population. In this post, I will walk through the journey I have taken with the technology to help educate and improve my own motion health and how that has translated into what you see at DARI today. So, let’ get started.

Growing up I spent a lot of time playing sports and being active outdoors. This was something that really help mold my interactions with family, friends, and others in my community. Movement and exercise were central to who I was and who I wanted to become. This became even more apparent to me after suffering a broken arm while pitching in baseball as a high schooler. I became limited in my activities and abilities. The loss of function in my day to day activities while splinted was eye opening. I had to learn to ask for help. That point, when you can no longer move, or function is a real point of humble reflection regarding how much simply being able to move can impact your quality of life.

Fast forward 10 years and I find myself starting DARI and leading a motion health movement. Quantifying movement in a way that was; fast, easy, and scalable. To do that we needed to find metrics that help funnel answers about a person’s motion health without having to dive headfirst into a pile of data accurately sift through the numbers like a well-qualified Phd in biomechanics. It needed to be simpler to approach.
DARI started this with a data model called the “DARI FMA” which judged how you moved with a point accumulation system. Essentially, the higher you jumped, the lower you squatted, and further you lunged the better you would score. Every inch and every degrees achieved would be added to your total. Lastly, you would have subtraction points for “poor biomechanics” reducing your overall score. The goal was to move to your best without compromising quality. Through statistical analysis we were able to define what an “elite” mover would look represented in DARI data.

Naturally, I started testing myself against these models to see how I (and the model) was performing. Those first initial test and continual work over the next year illustrate that I was a good mover, but not an elite mover. Looking back, that moment was more empowering then I realized. Just the act of testing myself gave me a new comfort with my body. When I had a deeper clinical musculoskeletal (MSK) exam my providers were confirming what the report was identifying and I began seeking treatments and corrective exercises that I never would have thought of implementing – because I wasn’t having pain.

That “Aw Ha” moment transformed my motion health. After attacking my personal motion health goals with corrective exercises and therapies, I found it easier to put my socks on, pick up my kids, get out of my car, hiking up mountains, or complete triathlons.
Still to this day, I continue to collect data and monitor my own personal motion health information. Now, as I age and the more my family grows or the unexpected curveballs of life keep coming at me reducing my time for my motion health, I am still able to continue to improve my motion health.

Just last month, for the first time in 10 years, I achieved an elite status for my motion health!

From those experiences and others over the years—DARI offers data models like: Athleticism, Readiness, or even Motion Age. All different ways for everyone to engage, educate, and understand their motion health. Check out which one might be right for you here -> https://www.darimotion.com/technology

To close, I work to know my motion health so that I don’t find myself waking up one day at a point where I can’t move well and I need to start asking for help or assistance. I want to spend as may quality years possible playing with my grandkids (hopefully 😊), climbing mountains with my friends, and dancing the night away with my wife. But, that all starts with today.

I hope you decide to start looking at your motion health more closely and start your own journey.