Nutritious Movement

04/20/2026

About 50% of the global population will experience amenorrhea (the loss of a menstrual period) as they transition into middle age, but sometimes it happens earlier, for other reasons. Most commonly, Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea occurs when one’s level of physical training is not supported by the right food intake.* The body, in its state of low energy, suppresses menstruation—an ancient survival technique we have stored in our genes.

New article on Substack:

Amenorrhea (missing periods), energy scarcity, and the bones you build for life

03/26/2026

FREE Book Club Workshop for Therapists & Parents of Neurodiverse Kids - April 16th

A Community Conversation About Physical Activity with Katy Bowman, author of Grow Wild: A Whole-Child, Whole-Family, Nature-Rich Guide to Moving More

Parents of neurodiverse children might recognize this tension: movement is essential for regulation, learning, and well-being—yet daily life often makes it incredibly hard to fit movement in. Between school demands, therapy schedules, sensory needs, screen time, transportation, and sheer exhaustion, “just move more” can feel unrealistic or even discouraging. Therapists, too, are often left trying to support families within systems that don’t easily allow for movement-rich lives....

More info/register: https://nutritiousmovement.com/course/grow-wild-OT-community

03/17/2026

“Loves, I know you’re tired and overwhelmed. I am too. My heart hurts because I thought there were answers, but it turns out there aren’t. There is just the work and the pleasure of a relative bit of rest in the trough between waves.

Given all this, I’ve been wondering how I can motivate you to help your heart by moving your body more—because it will help with everything—without making it feel like one more task you have to struggle to fit in, without it being another place to feel like you’re failing.

Let’s try “low demand,” and work on going super short (while finding a little fun), because nine minutes of getting your heart pumping vigorously each day can do more for your mood, sleep, and hot flashes than you might realize.”

This is my gentle, loving request for a few minutes of vigorous activity to protect your heart and support your sanity.

A gentle, loving request for a few minutes of vigorous activity to protect your heart and support your sanity

03/09/2026

Combo exercises can fill in the cracks left by individual exercises. Here's some of my favorites in the NYT. Give them a try!

Combination exercises can help you exercise your whole body quickly.

03/02/2026

I’m turning 50 years old this week, so there are certain body parts—like the knees—I’ve moved higher up on my “care for it to keep it” list. In fact, the knees are right at the top.

Are the knees on your to-do list too? Come join me for a 2-hour online workshop, 'New Knees for Spring: Tending to the Lower Leg', and I’ll take you through a set of moves that will address sticky spots that affect the loads we place on these often-achy joints.

Knee programs tend to focus on the tension and weakness in the upper thigh (tight quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors). Those are important, but I'll be helping you dig into mechanics of the often-ignored “lower knee.”

-When: March 11th (with unlimited access to the recording through May 10, 2026)
-Where: Zoom

Discover how your lower legs hold the key to stronger, happier knees in this 2-hour movement workshop with biomechanist Katy Bowman.

02/20/2026

"I Know I Should Exercise, But..." on CNN. "In the end, physical activity is not just about improving your health, she said, it also helps you become who you want to be and how you want to contribute to this world, which will ripple out and impact the people in your life."

You likely felt inspired when you made that New Year’s resolution to get fit, but by mid-February your will may have waned. Here are tips to keep motivation on track.

02/02/2026

Movement changes our DNA via actually, literally, physically moving parts of it around. How? Here’s a metaphor for you book lovers:

The body’s cells are always baking. And so they are always reaching for the recipe books in their DNA library. Cells that are physically active (loaded through movement) reach for the books that contain recipes for things like blood vessel development, taking up blood sugar, and muscle contraction. When they don’t move, they reach for the recipe books that contain formulas for processes like inflammation, muscle atrophy, and other things that break a body down vs. build it up.

A biology metaphor for book lovers and bakers

01/20/2026

Movement Rules for 2026, No.6: There will always be a reason not to move. Move anyway.

My morning row was glorious. Not featured in the photo are twenty minutes I spent in bed, trying to decide if I should cancel on my buddy or not. I go through this “should I/shouldn’t I just skip it” mental dialogue almost daily. DAILY.

Maybe it’s a part of my mind concerned with energy conservation. Regardless, that part can say what it needs to, but it doesn’t speak for all of me. The benefits to going are endless. Part of this morning’s rower talk is how everyone also goes through this internal dialogue most mornings, and show up anyway. It’s too early. Too cold. Too much work. There are other things to get done. People who need us.

And, we go anyway.

P.S. All that other stuff gets done too, because energy! And self compassion! Decreased stress and mental focus!

Rest of the rules for 2026: https://katybowmanmovement.substack.com/p/movement-rules-exercise-science

01/14/2026

Ok, here they are: Your Movement Rules for 2026 (and Beyond), in the fashion of Michael Pollan's "food rules"—“Eat [real] food, not too much, mostly plants.
https://katybowmanmovement.substack.com/p/movement-rules-exercise-science

01/05/2026

We've got it upside down when it comes to age and physical activity—we actually need more movement, not less.

“Slower division and more inactive cells make our bodies less responsive to exercise over time. Stuff we’ve always done to stay fit stops working. Said another way, it’s actually the first half our our lives that has us coasting downhill, drafting behind the good graces of our cells.

Midlife is when the uphill work of physical activity begins. If you think in pictures, flip the “over the hill” graph. You’re now in the valley, and if you want to keep going, it’s an uphill push from here."

Read: https://katybowmanmovement.substack.com/p/aging-and-exercise-its-not-over

12/27/2025

A new article: Lectio Divina ("divine reading") and a reading position to counter excessive forward-rounding of the spine

https://katybowmanmovement.substack.com/p/lectio-divina-unkyphosis-upper-back

12/18/2025

, Day 18: “Soft Bounce”

Find all exercise instructions on my Substack, Movement-Colored Glasses: https://katybowmanmovement.substack.com/p/ball-exercise-bouncy-squats-thigh-muscles

Note: Don’t do this on an old ball and clear some space. Make sure you’re never coming all the way up off the ball (don’t let it roll back away from you).

Sign up to get a daily ball exercise emailed to you every day through December 24th!