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Hey Reader,

This morning I went for a run. Sunday is a typical run day for me, but today I was dragging my feet a little bit.

Usually on Sundays I have a bit more of a time boundary, so I push myself to get out of the house by a certain time. But this Sunday our schedule was clear. So getting out of the house didn't feel as pressing.

Except that I knew the later I left, the grouchier I'd be.

Here's why:

I knew I'd be out for a run for over an hour. So the later I leave, the later I get back, the later I have breakfast, and the later my day actually starts.

I am a morning movement person.

I've known this about myself for a really long time, but it solidified in my body and my life after my first child was born.

After she was born, I struggled with figuring out when the best time was to move. I tried moving when she was napping, which didn't work because she rarely napped unless she was attached to my body. I tried late at night, after she'd finally fallen asleep, but that only worked for a mellow yoga practice. And even then, I didn't love it.

This leads me to my Movement Snack this week.

Movement Snack this week:

Morning movement is what feels best in my body. This is true for every style of movement I do, including dance -- which is tough because 2 of the 3 dance classes I take are at night.

My body feels heavier at night. More tired.

I don't have much control over the class schedule at the dance studio, but I do have control over when I can move my body on my own time.

So I schedule in my daily movement first thing in the morning.

Here's how I do it:

I stick to shorter movement practices (except when I am training for a half marathon -- but I'm currently tapering so those are getting shorter again, too, thankfully).

And I give myself time boundaries -- as in, I have a window of time that I can practice within.

Because I believe that morning movement can be life changing and movement is best when it's consistent, I created a program to help make morning movement more possible.

I'm calling it A Month of Morning Movement.

If you've done my Daily 5 program, it's similar. But the practices are slightly longer, all between 8 and 18 minutes. And they're a bit more varied. I've built in 8 minute dynamic flows, 10-12 minute core-focused bodyweight practices, 12-18 minute strength training, and 13-17 minute mobility, as well as mellow practices.

Plus, I'm building in habit science tools to help you get moving in the morning -- if that's what you want to do -- as well as continue to move consistently even when the program ends.

We begin on May 1st.

​To make it as accessible as possible, I've created a sliding scale for payment. If for some reason, this program still feels out of reach financially and you still want to join in, email me directly!

QUICK NOTE: I'll be sending a few extra emails out about this program over the next 10 days. If you're not interested, click here and you will not receive any of these extra emails.

Question of the week:

When are you most likely to move your body? Or when do you feel most motivated to move your body?

I look forward to hearing about your movement motivation and hopefully seeing you on the mat soon, too!

Warmly,

Naomi

Want to stay in touch during the week? Here are a 2 easy ways:

​Follow me on Bluesky, where I share daily movement practices as acts of resistance, connection, and strength.

​Follow me on substack, where I write about the intersection of movement, motherhood, and the culture that we are all moving through. Or better yet, subscribe so you have immediate access to regular essays, including my most recent essay about the recent all-woman, Blue Origin spaceflight. The reactions to this flight have been more vitriolic than any previous flight, including when Bezos himself went. As usual, the internet would rather meme-ify everything rather than create space for nuance and thoughtful criticism.