In this issue:

• Movement Snack Spotlight

• Curious Movement and Balance Class

• National Walking Day

• Couch to 5K Walking Program

• Free Articles and Videos

• Soft Trail Stroll Schedule

• About Me

Movement Snack Spotlight

Every month in 2026, I am spotlighting a special movement snack.

A movement snack is a movement break. Like a typical snack is a small bit of food, not a meal, a movement snack is a small amount of movement done on its own, not as part of a larger exercise routine or other activity. And I am a big fan!

The April 2026 Movement Snack Spotlight is…

Go for a Short Walk!

Whenever you have been sitting for a long time, it is time for a movement break. Look out the window and check the conditions.

• If it is raining or dark, you can walk around inside the house.

• If the weather is good, go out your front door, walk around the house, and come back in.

• You can walk out the door and down the sidewalk for 2 or 5 minutes, turn around, and walk back.

Try one of these every day this month! Or you can keep doing one of the snacks from prior months, or you can do a little of each. The important thing is to move everyday, several times a day.

Share with me how it goes and read others’ experiences. Look for posts on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Read the Movement Snack Spotlight article on my website where you will find all the monthly snacks.

Now, go for a walk!

Thank you to the five curious folks who showed up last month to help me test the location and concepts for the Curious Movement and Balance Class that I am putting together!

I will announce the details on this class in a separate email later this month.

Class Objectives:
Gain movement confidence
Expand movement possibilities
Improve balance

Class Methods:
Standing. Walking. Stepping. Jumping. Crouching. Reaching. Pulling. Climbing.
All class activities are optional. Do as much or as little as little as is right for you.

National Walking Day

National Walking Day is the first Wednesday of April. #NationalWalkingDay

Join us April 1st at 6:00 p.m. at Ankeny Market & Pavilion for a Q&A session and a short walk on the High Trestle Trail.

If this is the only walk you do all year…
If you go for a walk every day…
If you want to join the Couch to 5K Walking Program…
If you want to start your own regular walking program…
YOU ARE WELCOME!

Couch to 5K Walking Program

Have you been thinking that you would like to walk farther, walk more comfortably, walk faster? I invite you to join the Spring 2026 Couch to 5K Walking Program.

This program follows my nine-week Couch to 5K Walk Plan. The plan takes you from walking 10 minutes at a time to completing a 3.1-mile walk.

The program includes…

• A journal for recording your walks, observations, and other data.

• Group training walks where we meet, talk, and walk together.

• A Facebook group where we can get to know each other, get the details for the group training walks, and ask questions.

Through the journal, training walks, and Facebook group, you will receive coaching, accountability, advice, and support. We will introduce strategies for building speed, talk about shoe selection, provide resources for sticking with it, and more.

At the end of the program you may choose to do the 3.1-mile hike that is part of the Soft Trail Stroll National Trails Day event, or you might do the Central Iowa Heart Walk, or you may log the miles on your own. Regardless, you will receive a printed certificate of completion.

Cost for the program is $40.

Free Articles and Videos

On my website you will find free articles and vidoes on a variety of fitness topics.

To go along with my focus on walking this month, please enjoy the following walking-related articles!

All my videos are available on my YouTube channel. Exercise demos, Quilters Stretches, aerobic follow-alongs, and more.

If you are looking for a simple way to become more active and enjoy the outdoors, the free Soft Trail Stroll walking series was created for you!

Our walks are typically 1.5 to 2.5 miles long and in the Des Moines metro. We always set a pace that accommodates everyone present. It’s a stroll! No one is left behind.

April 18th will be at Banner Lakes, south of town just off Hwy 65. The trail there is really unique and a lot of fun. We really enjoyed it last year!

Our May 5th stroll is special, too. Usual park, usual meeting spot, usual distance, but we will cross the creek and wander through the lilac bushes!

Details for each route are available by clicking the graphics below.

Optionally, if you are on Facebook, join the conversation in our Soft Trail Stroll Facebook group! This group is useful for discussing the weather forecast and meeting locations. After each stroll, it’s a good place to continue conversations and share photos.