TAKING ACTION: ✅Who takes a quick walk after each meal to help stabilize blood sugar? Share with us below! Studies suggest that for substantial health benefits, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (such as brisk walking), which works out to about 30 minutes on most days. However, you shouldn’t skip getting your steps in just because you don’t have 30+ minutes. As you can see below, there are benefits to walking any amount of time—even if you only have two to five minutes. Here’s what studies show ⬇️ ⏱ 2-5 minutes: Walking just 2-5 minutes every half hour helps with blood sugar regulation and weight loss. It’s also beneficial to do this just after a meal, as a short walk after eating helps stabilize blood sugar. ⏱ 10 minutes: Walking for 10 minutes (at moderate intensity) helps lower blood pressure, improves mood, and reduces illness risks. ⏱ 30 minutes: Daily 30-minute walks help reduce depression and boost bone density. ⏱ 40 minutes: Walking for 40 minutes three times per week is found to improve memory and, as we discussed yesterday, improve cardiovascular health! ⏱ 60 minutes: Improves sleep, reduces depression, and reduces stress! It’s also important to note that any amount of walking helps keep your body in motion, which helps with your overall fat loss goals. Long story short—if you want to improve your health and fat-loss goals, get to stepping, friends! 👟 To learn more about the benefits, regardless of the duration, check out today’s article! How Different Walking Durations Affect Your Body, Per Research

TAKING ACTION: ✅Share your weekly win below! Did you get more steps in? Crush your nutrition? Whatever you did well, tell me about it below! 🎉 It’s Friday, and not only that, it’s the first Friday of our STEPtember Challenge! Celebrating our wins is always fun, but there’s something special about the celebrations that come in when everyone is excited about a new challenge. 🎉 By now, you all should know just how important it is to celebrate your small wins. If it weren’t for your small ones, the big wins wouldn’t happen. If you really think about it, the small wins are the real MVPs, which means we should be thankful for each one—and celebrate each of them, as well! I encourage you to take a few minutes and think about what you’ve done well this week. Nothing is too small, friends. Every win counts. You don’t have to believe me. Believe the science. ⬇️ “Every small win gives your brain a spritz of dopamine, the feel-good neurochemical in your brain. Better yet, when we string together a continual series of small wins, you can increase the regular amount of dopamine being released into your brain for more constant joy and pleasure in your work, family, and hobbies.” —Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

TAKING ACTION: ✅Tell me how you’re doing with our STEPtember Challenge! Have you been getting your steps in so far this week? How do you feel overall? I want to hear from you today. 🫶 In case you haven’t guessed, walking is good for you. Obviously, it burns calories and is a great form of exercise, but have you ever considered the health benefits? Yesterday’s article briefly touched on a handful of the benefits, but if you truly knew just how much walking could improve your overall health, you’d make it a point to get your steps in consistently. 💯 Research suggests that walking 8,000-10,000 steps per day improves everything, including heart and brain health, which means it’s also great for your mental health. Walking regularly can help ease symptoms related to chronic mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. The best news, as the article below suggests, is that there’s no “right” way to do it! You can find your own style and still reap the benefits. The article below is a bit lengthy, but I encourage you to take time today to check it out—and most importantly, find your style and get steppin’! 👟 The Science Behind Why Walking Is So Good for You

TAKING ACTION: ✅After looking through the best produce to choose in September, tell me which is your Fall fruit and vegetable! Let me know in the comments below! “Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” –Henry David Thoreau It’s officially September, and the countdown to the holiday season is on. ⏳ In following the quote above, I wanted to talk about a topic we don’t discuss much—the importance of consuming seasonal produce. 🍎 If you’re like most people, you don’t really consider the benefits of eating seasonal foods. These days, grocery stores are stocked with almost every fruit and vegetable year-round. With that said, the benefits of eating food that is in season are numerous! Not only is it beneficial for you nutritionally, but it also supports nature and the environment. We’re going to discuss this in more depth throughout the month, as well as learn more about the benefits of walking—so be sure to stay plugged in! In the meantime, check out some of the best produce to choose in September! ⬇️ September Produce: Guide to Seasonal Vegetables and Fruits

TAKING ACTION: ✅STEPtember challenge this month! More details to come. ✅September is a transitional season into fall and when our bodies innately want to slow down and reflect- who is interested in doing a one-week No Background Noise Challenge this month?! Let me know in the comments!! Happy Monday, friends! Can you believe September is right around the corner? Wild, huh? 🤯 The good news is that next month also brings something else—our STEPtember Walking Challenge! This is one of the most fun challenges we do all year long and is the perfect way to ramp up our daily activity, improve our overall health, and shed a little extra fat! (Hopefully September is also going to bring some cooler weather, but I digress. 😅 ) We’re going to have a lot of fun this month, and of course, we’re going to learn! I’ve done my research and am collecting the most valuable (and interesting!) information on the benefits of walking—and I can’t wait to share it all with you! I encourage you to take advantage of our programming this month. This month’s activity (or lack thereof) will set you up and help you build habits for the upcoming holiday season. Now is the time to dig in, friends. Let’s go. 🔥