Plant Person Profile: Conor Millstein

Meet Conor Millstein, a Philadelphia based Movement Education Specialist and Plant Person we love. 

Hi Conor! Tell us a little about yourself:

Hey Plant People whatup?! I am a 29 year old fitness business owner based out of Philadelphia PA. I’ve got 4 degrees across multiple disciplines and am currently operating a virtual movement education business focused around rebuilding bodies from the inside out in order to obtain a healthy spine in a balanced environment. I love to play and live with a hell of a fervor. Sports, exercise, or just pure good times, you will always find me smiling. My dream is to one day create a school that incorporates movement education into the heart of the curriculum.  

What are you reading right now? 

At the moment I am deep in Yuval Harari’s “Sapiens” in order to brush up on my evolutionary biology and history - two areas of major influence in my fitness programs and personal movement exploration.

Who are three people we should follow right now - or - three podcasts we should listen to?

• WeckMethod - learning optimal running mechanics and core training techniques. Here's a Video and here's Audio only, in case you’re on the go.
• Flobility - a free workout guaranteed to open your eyes to what being “strong” is from a cutting edge trainer
• Thomas Meyers, Anatomy Trains - leading researcher in discovery of fascial lines how they create synergies of tissues in the body that allow us to move. Introductory video warning: shows imagery from a procedure that you may find yucky 

What's your must-have Plant People product?

Advanced Immune Power 💯 Getting sick is the only way to guarantee a halt in progress. Staying on top of immunity creates a baseline environment for growth.

What's your relationship to the world of "wellness"?

Ohh strap in… 

My relationship to wellness dates back to my parents both having worked in fitness from the time of aerobics & bodybuilding to Soul Cycle & power yoga class. I have been in gyms as long as I can remember. I have deep interest in how the human organism works and that has brought me through quite a journey. 

Gaining weight for sport, lifting for competition, running for marathons, losing weight, remodeling posture, improving athletic performance, all of which I have pushed to their limits. 

My obsessions, research, and personal exploration have led to a fully functioning business revolving around alignment of an individual towards a specific goal. Wellness is the lense I use to help them accomplish that goal.

What do you love about it?

The simple fact that I am in charge of my own wellness, and that this allows me to hold myself accountable to make strong decisions for myself. 

What needs to be changed? 

Not so much that anything has to change, moreso it has to evolve, specifically in the physical fitness area of wellness. The most up to date scientifically tested information is as close as it has been to something effective yet so far at the same time. Simply put, this science is based on the anatomy of cadavers which has led to a certain definition of functions that fails to optimize the use of the living human body. 

The living body experiences constant impulse which creates a verticalized function to the body that cannot be replicated once our heart stops beating (really a few hours after our heart stops but who wants to think about that…). This intangible verticalized function allows for us to conduct movement in a way that preserves our physiological systems. Human fundamental systems are built around the ability to walk, run, throw, swim, and climb. This is due to the requirement of fleeing danger and attacking from a distance. 

Therefore, our training should evolve to respect verticalized fundamental functions as the priority. You should leave your workout with an increased ability to perform fundamental function on top of looking/feeling better. This becomes tangible when we feel our workout sends us walking out the door with more spring rather than less. 

What do you think sets Plant People apart from other hemp and herbal supplement companies?

Firstly the team is fantastic. Communicative and helpful at every step of the way. After that, the care they put into the details is evident from the packaging through to the quality and effectiveness of their ingredients. 

What's your #1 must-do tip to feel whole, nourished, grounded?

Maintain the ability to run pain-free at all times. This means my body’s physical preparedness will inform decisions for diet, exercise, and daily schedule - all potential areas of high stress & impact in my day - to keep me functioning at a high level.