In this issue:

• Curious Movement and Balance Returns!

• 2026 Healthiest State Walk

• Couch to 5K Walking Program

• Movement Snack Spotlight

• Free Articles and Videos

• Soft Trail Stroll Schedule and CITA Trail Festival

• About Me

October has a lot of great offerings! Look at the Curious Movement and Balance Class, the 2025 Healthiest State Walk, the Couch to 5K Walking Program, and the Central Iowa Trail Association Trail Festival.

I hope to see you at one or more events!

Curious Movement and Balance

This month the Curious Movement and Balance Class will be at the new Ashley Okland Star Playground at Greenbelt Landing in Clive. It’s very easy to access right off I-35/80.

We explore movement and balance by approaching various features and asking “What can I do with this?” and “How can I do this?” in a supportive environment.

See all the fun in the Photo and Video Gallery!

Come gain movement confidence, expand movement possibilities, and improve balance. The only prerequisite is that you can walk across a grassy space.

Come with curiosity and willingness to discover what you can do.

Location: Ashley Okland Star Playground at Greenbelt Landing in Clive

Dates: Thursdays, October 8, 15, 22, 29

Time: 9:00–10:00 a.m.

Cost: $45.00 for the series or $12.00 for a single class

Healthiest State Walk

The Healthiest State Initiative sponsors the annual Healthiest State Walk to remind Iowans “that meaningful change often begins with small steps and that together, those steps can move Iowa forward towards a healthier future!”

Join thousands of other Iowans in events across the state in walking for 30 minutes “to raise awareness of the importance of physical and mental well-being in Iowa.”

I am hosting one such event: a 30-minute stroll at Red Feather Prairie for all who are interested. This beautiful site is west of Ankeny and overlooks Saylorville Lake.

While we are walking, I will be available to answer your questions about walking, about beginning a walking program, or about the Fall 2026 Couch to 5K Walking Program specifically. Or just come foe the scenery!

The Healthiest State Initiative is “a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization on a mission to create awareness and integrate solutions to improve the physical, social and mental well-being of Iowans.”

Group Walking Program

Are you disappointed you missed the Spring 2026 Couch to 5K Walking Program? Have you been thinking that you would like to walk farther, walk more comfortably, walk faster? Do you want to check “completed a 5K” off your list?

This walking program will help you get started and stay with it! The walking journal is full of manageable goals and helpful tips. The online discussion group and real-life group training walks keep you in touch with others on this path. You get coaching, accountability, advice, support, and more.

Sign up for the Fall 2026 Couch to 5K Walking Program!

Put the Wednesday, October 7th Healthiest State Walk on your calendar.

Week one of the nine-week program begins Monday, October 12th.

Movement Snack Spotlight

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

A movement snack is a movement break. Just as 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!

Have you seen the Monty Python skit The Ministry of Silly Walks? Take a look at it for inspiration and then imagine yourself as the head of the government department (ministry, if you are British) in charge of silly walks.

Invent a silly walk and use it to walk around the house. Each day, add more detail—the more extra movement, the better—and invite those around you to join in!

Find me on social media and comment on my Movement Snack Spotlight posts to let me know what your walks look like. If you feel brave, post a video of you showing how to do it!

Let me know in the comments, and follow me on social media: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. To catch all the monthly movement snacks, read the Movement Snack Spotlight article on my website.

Free Articles and Videos

On my website you will find free fitness-related articles and videos. In this month’s newsletter, I’m sharing trail related articles in honor of the CITA Trail Festival.

Even if you don’t plan to mountain bike, check out “How Can You Mountain Bike in Iowa?” It has details on all the trails we use for Soft Trail Stroll!

All my videos are available on my YouTube channel. Movement snacks, 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 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.

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

Soft Trail Stroll is part of the inaugural Central Iowa Trail Association Trail Festival on Saturday, October 17th. Come for our walk on Hillside Trail and check out all the other events and vendors. Yoga, mountain biking, trail running, kids rides, and food!