The Power of Just 5 Minutes of Walking + A Vacation Dispatch From Cartagena, Colombia!
Next week, I'll have a full trip recap, plus a preview of where you can explore with me later this year during my travel-filled 2023.
If you’re reading this newsletter soon after it arrived in your inbox or launched on Substack, I’m on my way home from a week-long adventure in Cartagena, Colombia! In my next dispatch one week from today, once I’m back home and back at my desk, I look forward to reporting back about:
The local foods I discovered and devoured.
My Colombian fruit tasting and a rum and chocolate class.
The two-hour private salsa dance lesson that checks another item off my 40 Before 40 Bucket List.
Some spa time!
I also hope to make some strong progress on my 2023 book bucket list during flights to and from South America!
During my 35 years, traveling to new countries has been an absolute gift and a complete game-changer in the way I connect with others, care for myself, push my boundaries, empathize with others and so much more. Besides my retirement account, travel and dining at local restaurants are my two favorite ways to “invest” my dollars.
This out of office time is also where I’m able to really explore who I am when I’m not constantly focused on achieving. Nine months into my full-time freelance career, I had not taken one day off. No weekends. No sick days. Nothing. I had to forcefully remove myself from the hamster wheel I had kept myself on, and thanks to an Undiscovered Sunsets-planned adventure to Peru (BTW, there’s no better way to travel than via a Whitney-designed trip!), was able to begin to baby step towards a better work-life blend.
I’ll leave you with a sneak peek of an image from one of the homes away from home Whitney booked for me this week, and would love to hear in the comments: What has been the most impactful destination you’ve visited, and what did you learn on the journey?
What to Read…
Perhaps you’ve heard that controversial claim that “sitting is the new smoking”? It’s true that an increased reliance on technology, more desk jobs, a society that optimizes efficiencies and the pandemic (and related mental, physical and environmental barriers to movement) have made modern-day humans less active than in generations past. The World Health Organization estimates 60 to 85% of the people in the world are sedentary, "making it one of the more serious yet insufficiently addressed public health problems of our time," health experts at the organization say.
Since we know we're not going to stop sitting—hey, some research suggests that even hunter and gatherer societies in Africa sit about as much as we do stateside—researchers are on a quest to discover if there are any lifestyle habits that can help "cancel out" the negative health effects of sitting. (Insufficient activity levels, by the way, have been linked to higher risk of heart disease, certain cancers, osteoporosis and beyond. Keep in mind that you can also overdo it, too! Like so many things in life, it’s all about balance.)
A recent study reveals that a bite-sized exercise “snack” of just 5 minutes might be enough to make a significant shift in your health and longevity. Learn more about this just-released research, and if you’re feeling inspired to step things up, check out the month-long, trainer-designed walking plan to slash stress. Then don’t miss my skincare overshare-inspired skinimalism guide.
EatingWell: How 5-Minute Walk Breaks May Undo the Negative Effects of Sitting All Day, According to a New Study
EatingWell: The Best Walking Plan to Help Reduce Stress
Better Homes & Gardens: Our Best Greek Salad Recipes Will Transport Your Taste Buds
Better Homes & Gardens: Easy Artichoke Heart Recipes: 13 Ways to Use the Pantry Staple
Better Homes & Gardens: What Is a Dutch Oven—and How Do You Use It?
Better Homes & Gardens: Global Dumpling Recipes From Pierogi to Gyoza to Empanadas
HUM Nutrition: Is Skinimalism the Secret to Your Best Skin Yet?
VERANDA: You Can Bid on Fashion Editor André Leon Talley’s Collection in This Exclusive Christie’s Auction
Culinary Hill: 6 Ways to Eat Less Sugar, Plus My Best Low-Sugar Recipes (That Still Taste Amazing)
