Feeling more like the Grinch than the star of a holiday movie lately? Use this 10-minute walking workout as permission to drop the pressure and back off from holiday perfectionism.

Because being a perfectionist can suck.

We’ll chat about how to trade you’re A+, overachieving, homemade everything holiday for a calmer B- holiday that helps you stay sane.

Let yourself buy the pie, use paper plates, and grab gift bags instead of wrapping… while getting our steps in.

You can do this walk indoors, outdoors, on a treadmill, or just marching in place while you hide from guests in the kitchen.

There’s a bell at the halfway point if you’re walking outside and want a turn-around cue, and there’s background music to keep you on beat.

I somehow also talk about “buttah,” doing way too many dishes, wrapping Pokemon figures, and being terrible at algebra.

Tap Follow/Subscribe so next week’s walk is waiting for you.

Come say hi on Instagram: @yourwalkingpodcast

Support the show

Grab your free guide to fitting walking into your busy day:

https://walkingandtalking.show

Feeling wired and anxious, with your brain rehearsing every worst-case scenario?

Like you’re carrying a really heavy backpack stuffed with intrusive thoughts?

Take a walk with me and let’s shake some of that off.

This 15-minute indoor or outdoor walking workout is for the days when anxiety feels physical and you still have to function like a human.

We’ll calm anxiety, reduce stress, and walk off some of that nervous energy.

Get out of your head and into your legs so that jittery, anxious energy has somewhere to go. And, set down some of the mental load you’re carrying for everyone else, without pretending the real problems don’t exist.

You’ll also hear a ridiculous backpack story from my travels in Europe, so you can picture anxiety as an overstuffed pack you are allowed to take off now and then.

Our walk is lighter than a therapy session, but it still helps you feel calmer, steadier, and a little more like yourself.

Plus completely pointless mentions of Donna Summer, why I love my thighs, Sarajevo, the Athens metro strike, and being a digital nomad. Somehow, I fit that all in.

~Helen

P.S. You’ll hear a bell halfway through—if you’re walking outside, that’s your signal to turn around if you want.

Tap Follow/Subscribe so you'll be notified of the next walk.

Support the show

Grab your free guide to fitting walking into your busy day:

https://walkingandtalking.show

A quick note: It’s Thanksgiving week, and if you’re feeling the holiday pressure... you aren't alone. We all need a moment of calm right now, so I’m bringing back one of my most popular walking meditations to help you breathe through the stress. (Originally released as Episode 16 on December 26, 2021.)

Consider this 15-minute walking meditation a virtual hug.

You don't need to "push" or "achieve" anything today. Just get in touch with your body, free your mind, and breathe.

Together we will:

• Find a quiet moment of peace in a busy week (yes!).
• Lower stress levels right away using just our breath (and boy, do I need that).
• Remind yourself that you are strong, capable, and doing enough. (I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me! ~ Stuart Smalley, SNL)

This is not a "woo-woo" meditation and you don’t need experience. You just need to put one foot in front of the other.

Instagram: @yourwalkingpodcast

Support the show

Grab your free guide to fitting walking into your busy day:

https://walkingandtalking.show