Category: Health

Hey there, everyone, and welcome to the latest installment of “Hank shares his AI journey.” 🙂 Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be all the rage, and coming back from Cisco Live in San Diego, I was excited to dive into the world of agentic AI.

With announcements like Cisco’s own agentic AI solution, AI Canvas, as well as discussions with partners and other engineers about this next phase of AI possibilities, my curiosity was piqued: What does this all mean for us network engineers? Moreover, how can we start to experiment and learn about agentic AI?

I began my exploration of the topic of agentic AI, reading and watching a wide range of content to gain a deeper understanding of the subject. I won’t delve into a detailed definition in this blog, but here are the basics of how I think about it:

Agentic AI is a vision for a world where AI doesn’t just answer questions we ask, but it begins to work more independently. Driven by the goals we set, and utilizing access to tools and systems we provide, an agentic AI solution can monitor the current state of the network and take actions to ensure our network operates exactly as intended.

Sounds pretty darn futuristic, right? Let’s dive into the technical aspects of how it works—roll up your sleeves, get into the lab, and let’s learn some new things.

What are AI “tools?”

The first thing I wanted to explore and better understand was the concept of “tools” within this agentic framework. As you may recall, the LLM (large language model) that powers AI systems is essentially an algorithm trained on vast amounts of data. An LLM can “understand” your questions and instructions. On its own, however, the LLM is limited to the data it was trained on. It can’t even search the web for current movie showtimes without some “tool” allowing it to perform a web search.

From the very early days of the GenAI buzz, developers have been building and adding “tools” into AI applications. Initially, the creation of these tools was ad hoc and varied depending on the developer, LLM, programming language, and the tool’s goal.  But recently, a new framework for building AI tools has gotten a lot of excitement and is starting to become a new “standard” for tool development.

This framework is known as the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Originally developed by Anthropic, the company behind Claude, any developer to use MCP to build tools, called “MCP Servers,” and any AI platform can act as an “MCP Client” to use these tools. It’s essential to remember that we are still in the very early days of AI and AgenticAI; however, currently, MCP appears to be the approach for tool building. So I figured I’d dig in and figure out how MCP works by building my own very basic NetAI Agent.

I’m far from the first networking engineer to want to dive into this space, so I started by reading a couple of very helpful blog posts by my buddy Kareem Iskander, Head of Technical Advocacy in Learn with Cisco.

These gave me a jumpstart on the key topics, and Kareem was helpful enough to provide some example code for creating an MCP server. I was ready to explore more on my own.

Creating a local NetAI playground lab

There is no shortage of AI tools and platforms today. There is ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral, Gemini, and so many more. Indeed, I utilize many of them regularly for various AI tasks. However, for experimenting with agentic AI and AI tools, I wanted something that was 100% local and didn’t rely on a cloud-connected service.

A primary reason for this desire was that I wanted to ensure all of my AI interactions remained entirely on my computer and within my network. I knew I would be experimenting in an entirely new area of development. I was also going to send data about “my network” to the LLM for processing. And while I’ll be using non-production lab systems for all the testing, I still didn’t like the idea of leveraging cloud-based AI systems. I would feel freer to learn and make mistakes if I knew the risk was low. Yes, low… Nothing is completely risk-free.

Luckily, this wasn’t the first time I considered local LLM work, and I had a couple of possible options ready to go. The first is Ollama, a powerful open-source engine for running LLMs locally, or at least on your own server.  The second is LMStudio, and while not itself open source, it has an open source foundation, and it is free to use for both personal and “at work” experimentation with AI models. When I read a recent blog by LMStudio about MCP support now being included, I decided to give it a try for my experimentation.

LMStudio is a client for running LLMs, but it isn’t an LLM itself.  It provides access to a large number of LLMs available for download and running. With so many LLM options available, it can be overwhelming when you get started. The key things for this blog post and demonstration are that you need a model that has been trained for “tool use.” Not all models are. And furthermore, not all “tool-using” models actually work with tools. For this demonstration, I’m using the google/gemma-2-9b model. It’s an “open model” built using the same research and tooling behind Gemini.

The next thing I needed for my experimentation was an initial idea for a tool to build. After some thought, I decided a good “hello world” for my new NetAI project would be a way for AI to send and process “show commands” from a network device. I chose pyATS to be my NetDevOps library of choice for this project. In addition to being a library that I’m very familiar with, it has the benefit of automatic output processing into JSON through the library of parsers included in pyATS. I could also, within just a couple of minutes, generate a basic Python function to send a show command to a network device and return the output as a starting point.

Here’s that code:

def send_show_command(
    command: str,
    device_name: str,
    username: str,
    password: str,
    ip_address: str,
    ssh_port: int = 22,
    network_os: Optional[str] = "ios",
) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:

    # Structure a dictionary for the device configuration that can be loaded by PyATS
    device_dict = {
        "devices": {
            device_name: {
                "os": network_os,
                "credentials": {
                    "default": {"username": username, "password": password}
                },
                "connections": {
                    "ssh": {"protocol": "ssh", "ip": ip_address, "port": ssh_port}
                },
            }
        }
    }
    testbed = load(device_dict)
    device = testbed.devices[device_name]

    device.connect()
    output = device.parse(command)
    device.disconnect()

    return output

Between Kareem’s blog posts and the getting-started guide for FastMCP 2.0, I learned it was frighteningly easy to convert my function into an MCP Server/Tool. I just needed to add five lines of code.

from fastmcp import FastMCP

mcp = FastMCP("NetAI Hello World")

@mcp.tool()
def send_show_command()
    .
    .


if __name__ == "__main__":
    mcp.run()

Well.. it was ALMOST that easy. I did have to make a few adjustments to the above basics to get it to run successfully. You can see the full working copy of the code in my newly created NetAI-Learning project on GitHub.

As for those few adjustments, the changes I made were:

• A nice, detailed docstring for the function behind the tool. MCP clients use the details from the docstring to understand how and why to use the tool.
• After some experimentation, I opted to use “http” transport for the MCP server rather than the default and more common “STDIO.” The reason I went this way was to prepare for the next phase of my experimentation, when my pyATS MCP server would likely run within the network lab environment itself, rather than on my laptop. STDIO requires the MCP Client and Server to run on the same host system.

So I fired up the MCP Server, hoping that there wouldn’t be any errors. (Okay, to be honest, it took a couple of iterations in development to get it working without errors… but I’m doing this blog post “cooking show style,” where the boring work along the way is hidden. 😉

python netai-mcp-hello-world.py 

╭─ FastMCP 2.0 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│                                                                            │
│        _ __ ___ ______           __  __  _____________    ____    ____     │
│       _ __ ___ / ____/___ ______/ /_/  |/  / ____/ __ \  |___ \  / __ \    │
│      _ __ ___ / /_  / __ `/ ___/ __/ /|_/ / /   / /_/ /  ___/ / / / / /    │
│     _ __ ___ / __/ / /_/ (__  ) /_/ /  / / /___/ ____/  /  __/_/ /_/ /     │
│    _ __ ___ /_/    \__,_/____/\__/_/  /_/\____/_/      /_____(_)____/      │
│                                                                            │
│                                                                            │
│                                                                            │
│    🖥️  Server name:     FastMCP                                             │
│    📦 Transport:       Streamable-HTTP                                     │
│    🔗 Server URL:      http://127.0.0.1:8002/mcp/                          │
│                                                                            │
│    📚 Docs:            https://gofastmcp.com                               │
│    🚀 Deploy:          https://fastmcp.cloud                               │
│                                                                            │
│    🏎️  FastMCP version: 2.10.5                                              │
│    🤝 MCP version:     1.11.0                                              │
│                                                                            │
╰────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯


[07/18/25 14:03:53] INFO     Starting MCP server 'FastMCP' with transport 'http' on http://127.0.0.1:8002/mcp/server.py:1448
INFO:     Started server process [63417]
INFO:     Waiting for application startup.
INFO:     Application startup complete.
INFO:     Uvicorn running on http://127.0.0.1:8002 (Press CTRL+C to quit)

The next step was to configure LMStudio to act as the MCP Client and connect to the server to have access to the new “send_show_command” tool. While not “standardized, “most MCP Clients use a very common JSON configuration to define the servers. LMStudio is one of these clients.

Wait… if you’re wondering, ‘Where’s the network, Hank? What device are you sending the ‘show commands’ to?’ No worries, my inquisitive friend: I created a very simple Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) topology with a couple of IOL devices configured for direct SSH access using the PATty feature.

Let’s see it in action!

Okay, I’m sure you are ready to see it in action.  I know I sure was as I was building it.  So let’s do it!

To start, I instructed the LLM on how to connect to my network devices in the initial message.

I did this because the pyATS tool needs the address and credential information for the devices.  In the future I’d like to look at the MCP servers for different source of truth options like NetBox and Vault so it can “look them up” as needed.  But for now, we’ll start simple.

First question: Let’s ask about software version info.

You can see the details of the tool call by diving into the input/output screen.

This is pretty cool, but what exactly is happening here? Let’s walk through the steps involved.

1. The LLM client starts and queries the configured MCP servers to discover the tools available.
2. I send a “prompt” to the LLM to consider.
3. The LLM processes my prompts. It “considers” the different tools available and if they might be relevant as part of building a response to the prompt.
4. The LLM determines that the “send_show_command” tool is relevant to the prompt and builds a proper payload to call the tool.
5. The LLM invokes the tool with the proper arguments from the prompt.
6. The MCP server processes the called request from the LLM and returns the result.
7. The LLM takes the returned results, along with the original prompt/question as the new input to use to generate the response.
8. The LLM generates and returns a response to the query.

This isn’t all that different from what you might do if you were asked the same question.

1. You would consider the question, “What software version is router01 running?”
2. You’d think about the different ways you could get the information needed to answer the question. Your “tools,” so to speak.
3. You’d decide on a tool and use it to gather the information you needed. Probably SSH to the router and run “show version.”
4. You’d review the returned output from the command.
5. You’d then reply to whoever asked you the question with the proper answer.

Hopefully, this helps demystify a little about how these “AI Agents” work under the hood.

How about one more example? Perhaps something a bit more complex than simply “show version.” Let’s see if the NetAI agent can help identify which switch port the host is connected to by describing the basic process involved.

Here’s the question—sorry, prompt, that I submit to the LLM:

What we should notice about this prompt is that it will require the LLM to send and process show commands from two different network devices. Just like with the first example, I do NOT tell the LLM which command to run. I only ask for the information I need. There isn’t a “tool” that knows the IOS commands. That knowledge is part of the LLM’s training data.

Let’s see how it does with this prompt:

And look at that, it was able to handle the multi-step procedure to answer my question.  The LLM even explained what commands it was going to run, and how it was going to use the output.  And if you scroll back up to the CML network diagram, you’ll see that it correctly identifies interface Ethernet0/2 as the switch port to which the host was connected.

So what’s next, Hank?

Hopefully, you found this exploration of agentic AI tool creation and experimentation as interesting as I have. And maybe you’re starting to see the possibilities for your own daily use. If you’d like to try some of this out on your own, you can find everything you need on my netai-learning GitHub project.

1. The mcp-pyats code for the MCP Server. You’ll find both the simple “hello world” example and a more developed work-in-progress tool that I’m adding additional features to. Feel free to use either.
2. The CML topology I used for this blog post. Though any network that is SSH reachable will work.
3. The mcp-server-config.json file that you can reference for configuring LMStudio
4. A “System Prompt Library” where I’ve included the System Prompts for both a basic “Mr. Packets” network assistant and the agentic AI tool. These aren’t required for experimenting with NetAI use cases, but System Prompts can be useful to ensure the results you’re after with LLM.

A couple of “gotchas” I wanted to share that I encountered during this learning process, which I hope might save you some time:

First, not all LLMs that claim to be “trained for tool use” will work with MCP servers and tools. Or at least the ones I’ve been building and testing. Specifically, I struggled with Llama 3.1 and Phi 4. Both seemed to indicate they were “tool users,” but they failed to call my tools. At first, I thought this was due to my code, but once I switched to Gemma 2, they worked immediately. (I also tested with Qwen3 and had good results.)

Second, once you add the MCP Server to LMStudio’s “mcp.json” configuration file, LMStudio initiates a connection and maintains an active session. This means that if you stop and restart the MCP server code, the session is broken, giving you an error in LMStudio on your next prompt submission. To fix this issue, you’ll need to either close and restart LMStudio or edit the “mcp.json” file to delete the server, save it, and then re-add it. (There is a bug filed with LMStudio on this problem. Hopefully, they’ll fix it in an upcoming release, but for now, it does make development a bit annoying.)

As for me, I’ll continue exploring the concept of NetAI and how AI agents and tools can make our lives as network engineers more productive. I’ll be back here with my next blog once I have something new and interesting to share.

In the meantime, how are you experimenting with agentic AI? Are you excited about the potential? Any suggestions for an LLM that works well with network engineering knowledge? Let me know in the comments below. Talk to you all soon!

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Why do I keep a trampoline in my bedroom? No, it’s not for late night acrobatics. I use a rebounder to help support my lymphatic system. This lymphatic salve is another way I like to give the underappreciated lymph system some love. 

If you’re feeling puffy, run-down, or sluggish your lymphatic system might be to blame. When this important drainage system isn’t clearing like it should, you may notice swelling, fatigue, or even stubborn skin issues. The good news? A little natural support can help it flow better.

What Is the Lymphatic System?

The lymphatic system is your body’s built-in waste removal and immune defense network. It carries lymph, a fluid full of immune cells, through vessels and nodes. This fluid then filters toxins, waste, and pathogens along the way. Lymph nodes act like checkpoints, trapping anything harmful so your immune cells can fight it off.

Unlike your heart, which pumps blood automatically, the lymphatic system doesn’t have its own pump. It relies on movement, breathing, and muscle contractions to keep things flowing. Too much sitting, dehydration, or illness can slow it down. This causes fluid buildup, swollen nodes, and a sluggish immune response. If your lymphatic system isn’t getting the support it needs you can feel “off” long before swollen glands show up. 

Gentle movement, massage, and herbs that support the lymphatic system can make a big difference. 

A Lymphatic Salve

Massage is a great (and relaxing!) way to stimulate the lymphatic system, and you can boost the benefits with a massage oil. One study even looked at two groups, one had massages with a lymphatic essential oil blend, the other with plain oil. The essential oil group had higher levels of immune cells afterwards, suggesting more lymphatic benefits. 

There are several different herbs out there that support the lymphatic system, but these are the ones I chose and why. 

Red Clover

Red clover is a classic lymphatic herb known for keeping fluids moving and discouraging stagnation. It’s known as an alterative, a plant that gradually restores balance by clearing waste. Traditionally, it’s been used for swollen lymph nodes, cystic breasts, and even fibroids. 

It’s gentle enough for long-term use and makes a great everyday tonic when you need to keep things moving without overstimulating the system. Because it has a hormone balancing effect on the body, it’s not the right herb for everyone. You can read more about red clover and precautions here. 

Calendula

Calendula’s bright orange flowers aren’t just pretty, they’re powerful lymph movers and immune tonics. Traditionally used as a winter herb in Europe, calendula helps clear out old, stagnant lymph and supports the immune system.

It’s also known as a gentle “blood cleanser,” helping decongest swollen nodes and carry toxins out of the body. Herbalist Matthew Wood notes that its ability to drain fluids from wounds hints at its strong connection to the lymphatic system. 

Arnica

Best known for bruises and sore muscles, arnica also benefits the lymphatic system. It boosts circulation of both blood and lymph, helping clear waste from injured tissues faster. This makes it especially helpful for swelling, bruising, or trauma where lymph flow might be compromised.

Arnica is best used topically and only on unbroken skin. When used correctly though, it’s excellent for moving fluid while calming inflammation.

Violet

Violet is a gentle lymphatic alterative that’s really helpful for stuck lymph and inflamed tissues. Both the leaf and flower are used here. Herbalists use it for skin issues like eczema and acne, especially when these are linked to lymphatic stagnation.

Studies back up its traditional use. Some research shows violet extracts can calm an overactive immune system, which may explain its benefits for inflammatory skin issues. Violet is also used for swollen lymph nodes, fatty cysts, fibroids, and in breast massage oils. This herb is considered a gentle lymphatic, so it’s not as stimulating as some herbs. 

Castor Oil

Castor oil has been a go-to for lymphatic support for generations. Warm packs placed over the abdomen or other congested areas can temporarily increase T-11 lymphocytes. These immune cells help fight viruses, bacteria, and abnormal cells.

Traditionally, castor oil packs have been used to support the liver, reproductive organs, and lymphatic drainage. Its key compound, ricinoleic acid, stimulates lymphatic vessels and helps carry waste out of tissues. Castor oil on its own is very thick and sticky, but it blends in beautifully with this lymph salve. 

Essential Oil Blend

Essential oils don’t just smell nice, they can add some potent health benefits. One study used a massage oil blend of diluted lavender, cypress, and marjoram essential oils. The control group used a plain massage oil. While both groups felt less stressed, the essential oil group had more lymphocyte cells after their massage. Specifically they had higher levels of cells that fight infections and attack cancerous cells.  

Altogether these ingredients blend together to create an effective lymphatic massage salve. Here’s how to make it!

How to Use Lymphatic Salve

To use the salve, apply to the skin and use light, featherlike strokes to massage over lymphatic points. Here’s more info on the lymphatic system, including resources for lymphatic massage. There’s a certain process for lymphatic drainage so that it’s the most effective.

Which Herbs to Choose

You can use almost any blend of dried lymphatic herbs in this recipe that you prefer. Cleavers and chickweed are also both great options. However, they can be harder to find unless you forage them in the spring. Mullein is another good lymphatic herb that has an affinity for the lungs. 

Be sure to use dried herbs since fresh ones can add moisture to the oil and cause it to mold. If you’ve gathered fresh herbs yourself, here’s how to dry them for salve.

Pregnancy Safety Note

It’s generally not recommended to detox during pregnancy because of the negative effects it can have on an unborn baby. This salve contains ingredients that are not pregnancy safe and shouldn’t be used during pregnancy. However, gentle movement and supporting natural lymphatic drainage can be helpful. Check with your midwife first before doing lymphatic drainage like massage or dry brushing. 

Final Thoughts on Lymphatic Salve

Our lymphatic systems work quietly behind the scenes, but they need a little help to do their job. Movement, hydration, and gentle massage are important, and lymphatic herbs can add extra support.

I love using this salve after a warm shower or with light massage when I feel puffy or run-down. I’ll often dry brush in the mornings before getting in the shower to get things moving even more. A little lymph massage is a simple act of self-care that can have big benefits.

How do you support your lymphatic system? Leave a comment and let us know!

 

Co-authored by Antonio A. Conde,
Innovation and Digitization Country Leader at Cisco

 

As Cisco celebrates ten years of Country Digital Acceleration, Spain stands out as a vibrant example of what’s possible when vision, partnership, and innovation come together. Country Digital Acceleration has been the driving force behind Spain’s digital journey, setting the pace for transformation that touches every sector and community.

Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) is Cisco’s global initiative to co-invest with national governments, industry, and academia to accelerate digital growth, inclusion, and competitiveness. In Spain, this program is known as Cisco Digitaliza—and since 2018, it has become a catalyst for progress, aligning with the national Spain Digital Agenda 2026 and the goals of the Next Generation EU recovery funds.

 

Driving impact: Seven years of progress in Spain 

When we look at Spain’s digital landscape today, the numbers tell a story of rapid evolution.

The country’s tech ecosystem has expanded by 22%, now encompassing nearly 8,600 companies and generating over €14.8 billion in economic impact [i]. Venture investment in deep-tech rose by nearly 46% in 2023 alone [ii], and Spain’s GDP continues to grow—reaching around 3.2% in 2024, one of the fastest rates in the eurozone [iii]. 

Behind these numbers is the work of CDA, driving over 114 projects across key sectors to build digital skills, modernize services, and secure critical infrastructure. 

The program’s success can be attributed to its strategic focus on clearly defined impact areas: 

Developing digital talent
A cornerstone of the program’s impact has been the growth of the Cisco Networking Academy. More than 470K people in Spain have been trained in networking, cybersecurity, IoT, and programming, opening new doors for youth, women, and professionals seeking to upskill in a fast-changing economy.  These efforts don’t just build resumes—they build confidence, create opportunities, and empower communities. Many a long and successful career in tech has started at the Cisco Networking Academy. 

Modernizing public services
CDA has helped bring digital innovation to classrooms, clinics, and government offices across Spain. From secure, connected classrooms and telemedicine solutions to AI-assisted diagnostics and IoT-based emergency management, these projects have helped improve the quality and efficiency of services that touch millions of lives. The projects have focused on using technology to drive productivity and improve patient outcomes. When public services are modern and resilient, everyone benefits. 

Securing critical infrastructure
Digital transformation demands trust.  Working with government agencies and industry leaders, CDA has brought advanced cybersecurity technologies and training to protect Spain’s essential services—energy, healthcare, transportation, and more. These efforts mean that as Spain becomes more connected, it also becomes more resilient to cyber threats. 

 

Innovation Milestones 

Semiconductor design center in Barcelona
In 2023, CDA helped launch a state-of-the-art semiconductor design center in Barcelona. This facility is developing advanced chips for connectivity, cybersecurity, and high-performance computing, positioning at the heart of Europe’s semiconductor value chain and supporting technological sovereignty across the continent. With the launch of CDA 3, this design center will become even more relevant and strategic to the region’s innovation ecosystem. 

Pioneering quantum-safe cryptography
Recognizing the security challenges posed by quantum computing, Cisco’s CDA program has spearheaded quantum-safe cryptography projects in Spain. These projects bring together public institutions and leading universities to develop and pilot cryptographic protocols that are resilient to quantum algorithms—helping safeguard critical data for years to come. The teams have also begun assessing existing systems for compliance with emerging global security standards, supporting Spain’s ongoing efforts to reinforce national cyber resilience. By investing early in quantum-safe technologies, CDA ensures Spain stays ahead of future threats and helps set benchmarks for other countries 

AI and Giga Factories
Spain’s commitment to next-generation industrial development is evident in the rise of AI Factories and Giga Factories—large-scale, data-driven manufacturing and research hubs. Through CDA, Cisco provides the secure, intelligent digital infrastructure needed to power these factories, from high-speed connectivity and advanced networking to automation and energy-efficient operations. CDA has fostered collaborations between government, industry, and academia to create innovative ecosystems that support scalable artificial intelligence applications, optimize manufacturing processes, and boost Spain’s global competitiveness. These projects are helping to establish Spain as a leader in smart manufacturing and AI-enabled industry at scale. 

 

Why it matters: Spain as a model for digital transformation 

In just seven years, Cisco Digitaliza has helped Spain build a digital ecosystem that is more skilled, more innovative, and more secure. The program’s collaborative model—uniting public, private, and academic partners—shows what’s possible when we invest in technology for impact.  

Looking Ahead 

The story doesn’t end here. Cisco has renewed its commitment to the CDA program in Spain three more years—reflecting our belief in Spain’s potential to lead in artificial intelligence, quantum research, advanced manufacturing, and beyond. We’re excited to keep building a more inclusive, connected, and secure future. Explore more about Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration journey and join us as we shape what comes next for Spain and beyond. 

Sources: 

[i] Spain’s tech boom: €14.8B impact, 8,580 startups — but where are the women?
[ii] Quantitative Report on Deep Tech In Spain
[iii] Spain Full Year GDP Growth

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Children who lived near a St. Louis creek polluted with radioactive atomic bomb waste from the 1940s through the 1960s were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer over their lifetimes than children who lived farther from the waterway, a new study has found.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, corroborate worries that neighbors of Coldwater Creek have long held about the Missouri River tributary where generations of children played.

“We actually saw something quite dramatic, not only elevated risk of cancer, but one that increased steadily in a sort of dose-response manner the closer the childhood residents got to Coldwater Creek,” said the study’s senior author, Marc Weisskopf, an epidemiology professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

As part of the Manhattan Project, Mallinckrodt Chemical Works processed uranium in St. Louis for the development of an atomic bomb. By the mid-1940s, according to historians, the company began to haul its radioactive waste north of the city, leaving it in open steel drums, unattended and exposed to the elements, next to Coldwater Creek.

The study’s release comes shortly after passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” which contained a little-known provision to help people sickened by exposure to nuclear waste in Missouri and elsewhere. It provides payments of $25,000 to families of people who died as a result of radiation-linked cancers in the St. Louis area and $50,000 to those who developed the cancers and survived.

Like the new study, the provision recognizes the potential health risks from lower radiation levels associated with the production of the atomic bomb. Previous legislation, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, known as RECA, expired last year after paying out $2.6 billion to people who developed cancer after exposure to high-dose radiation from participating in onsite atomic weapon testing, mining or hauling uranium or being downwind of the Nevada test site.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, pushed to get a new version of RECA into the Trump budget bill. Hawley had been a vocal critic of the BBB’s $900 billion cut to Medicaid, but in the end voted for the massive package of tax and spending cuts. Hawley’s yes vote came after a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals was added to the BBB.

Research treasure trove: Decades-old baby teeth

Weisskopf and his research team had the addresses of 4,209 tooth donors from the St. Louis Baby Tooth Survey. Participants, born between 1945 and 1966, donated their baby teeth for science starting in 1958 and joined the new experiment between 2021 and 2024. Weisskopf initially planned to study cognitive decline, but after participants repeatedly mentioned Coldwater Creek, he pivoted to investigating proximity to the creek and cancer risk.

Almost one-quarter of the participants reported having cancer. Those who lived within one kilometer of the creek as children were 44% more likely to report having cancer than those who lived more than 20 kilometers away. Even more striking, those who lived within one kilometer of the creek were 85% more likely to have radiosensitive cancers, cancers believed to be caused by radiation.

Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a radiologist and epidemiology professor at the University of California, said she was impressed with the design of the study, with which she was not involved. “This study adds to our understanding that radiation is carcinogenic and that we have to be cautious to minimize exposures to radiation wherever possible,” she said. The main source of exposure today comes from medical imaging, she said.

The study also highlights the need to clean up areas, like shipyards, with radioactive waste, she said.

A behavioral difference for boys?

Male study participants were more likely than female participants to develop cancer, Smith-Bindman noted. She and Weisskopf hypothesized that the boys were more likely to play in Coldwater Creek in the aftermath of World War II.

In 1958, scientists at Washington University began collecting the baby teeth of children from St. Louis. The teeth were used in studies investigating possible links between cancer and the fallout from nuclear tests in the western U.S. St. Louis was chosen not because of its connection to uranium production but because milk in the Midwest had some of the nation’s highest levels of strontium-90, a radioactive isotope produced by nuclear fission. 

High concentrations of strontium-90 found in donated baby teeth contributed to the adoption of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. A 2011 study found that men who were children in St. Louis in the 1960s and died of cancer by middle age had more than twice as much radioactive strontium in their baby teeth as men who grew up nearby and were still alive.

Though he did not use the baby teeth in his current study, Weisskopf would like to measure strontium-90 in the teeth in a future study to assess cancer risk and actual exposure.

“As boys, they might have played in the creek way more than girls, and so they got much more exposure,” he said. “If that were the case, then the radiation in the teeth should be higher in the boys than in the girls.”

Given that the half-life of strontium-90 is 29 years, Weisskopf is eager to begin work on a more detailed study while radiation remains in the baby teeth.

Over the years I’ve gone from using harsh, conventional skincare products to rubbing mud and avocado on my face! My current skincare routine is a little more in the middle of those two extremes. While I still love a good food mask, there are some really good pre-made skincare options now!

I still have high standards and don’t want anything going on my skin that has sketchy ingredients. Through trial and error I’ve found some skincare brands with clean ingredients that also perform well. 

Here are some of my favorite skincare brands that I use and recommend! The moms behind the Wellness Mama team also use many of these products and they meet their approval too. 

OneSkin 

I had OneSkin’s co-founder Alessandra on the podcast and I’ve been intrigued by their products ever since. While I love a good skincare DIY, there are some products you just can’t replicate at home. OneSkin is unique because of their patented OS-01 peptide that you won’t find anywhere else. OS-01 has been scientifically shown to reverse skin’s biological age at a cellular level.

This means healthier skin with fewer lines, wrinkles, and sagging. I’ve noticed my skin feels more firm and supported when I use their products. I’m not a fan of using SPF everything every day and prefer to use other methods for safe sun exposure. So I don’t use OneSkin’s sunscreen products daily. However, I do love that all of their products are unscented. 

You can read my full review on OneSkin’s products here, but for a quick overview, here are some of my favorites. 

PREP Facial Cleanser

This facial cleanser helps exfoliate away dead skin cells and soothes even sensitive skin. Unlike a lot of other face washes on the market though, it has several highly effective botanical ingredients. You’ll find things like prickly pear, arnica, and Japanese honeysuckle. I also like that it works well with all skin types, from teenage acne, to dry menopausal skin and isn’t drying or harsh. 

OS-01 FACE Lotion

As we age our skin gets thinner, more damaged, and not as smooth. The OS1 FACE moisturizer is lightweight so it doesn’t make my skin feel greasy, but it’s deeply nourishing. It includes their OS-01 peptide that helps our body create healthier skin at a cellular level. It increases skin thickness and stimulates collagen for smoother, firmer skin. OS-01 FACE features ingredients like pracaxi oil, andiroba oil, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. 

OS-01 BODY Lotion

This is OneSkin’s body lotion and it has many of the same benefits as their face moisturizer. Studies show it improves skin barrier and elasticity by a large amount and helps protect the skin from damage. And with prebiotics, antioxidants, and other botanicals, it feels great on my skin. 

Learn more about OneSkin and try them for yourself here. And use the code wellnessmama15 for a discount. 

Annmarie Gianni

I can’t say enough about how much I love all of Annmarie Gianni’s products! You can also buy a trial set and test out their products before buying full size. While I often vary my skincare products, I’ve been using a lot of Annmarie Gianni lately. They’re Made Safe approved, use wildcrafted and organic ingredients, are always non-GMO and made in the USA. 

Here are some of my current favorites:

Aloe Herb and Phytonutrient Cleansers

The Aloe Herb cleanser is pH balanced, comes in several different sizes, and is infused with a variety of herbs. It feels great on my skin and not too drying since it’s a cream cleanser. Plus it doesn’t leave a weird, sticky feeling on my skin afterward. Annmarie’s Phytonutrient cleanser has so many active botanicals in it that it would be hard to list them all! You’ll find apple extract, aloe, calendula, chamomile, and many more. 

Hydrate Hyaluronic Acid With Peptides

I love this elixir for whenever I have dry skin or the weather is really dry. It’s very concentrated so you just mix a little bit with your face lotion or oil and apply to thirsty skin. Hydrate uses hyaluronic acid and collagen peptides for firmer, more elastic, and more hydrated skin. 

Anti-aging Serum

Again, this anti-aging serum is loaded with skin loving botanical ingredients. It’s an aloe-based serum that helps firm and tighten skin as it ages. You don’t need very much to see results. The serum uses ingredients like hyaluronic acid, rose hydrosol, and antioxidant buddleja extract to fight free-radical damage. You’ll also find rosehip, frankincense, myrrh, rhodiola, plantain, and many more!

Learn more about Annmarie Gianni and find all of their products here. 

Alitura

I’m friends with Alitura’s founder Andy Hnilo and interviewed him about his amazing story on the podcast. Years ago Andy was in a terrible accident that should have left him with major facial scars. Instead, he created some pretty amazing skin rejuvenating products. I love so many of Alitura’s products and I love their backstory even more. 

Clay Mask 

This was Alitura’s original signature product and the first one I tried (and fell in love with). It has premium ingredients in a mask you won’t find anywhere else. The freshwater pearl powder restores damaged skin, along with grass-fed colostrum, ginseng, clays, and kelp. My skin feels amazing after I use it and it’s now a part of my regular routine.

Gold Serum and Moisturizer

Alitura’s superfood serum for the face helps skin cells regenerate, improves skin tone and elasticity, plus so much more. It includes antioxidant Co- Q10 and astaxanthin, marine collagen, bee propolis, alfalfa extract, and others. I’ve noticed it really helps soothe my skin, especially if I stay in the sun too long.

Their facial moisturizer also hydrates thirsty skin with ingredients like raw Christmas berry honey, blue chamomile, sea buckthorn, and wildcrafted vanilla to name a few.

Pearl Cleanser

Their pearl cleanser features wildcrafted and organic botanicals to help cleanse and renew skin. I use this one at night because it doesn’t leave any oily residue that can get on my pillow. It has cleansing clay, soothing rosewater, geranium hydrosol, and many more skin loving ingredients.

Learn more about Alitura Naturals and find all of their products here. And use the code wellnessmama for a discount. 

Purity Woods 

You might have heard me mention Purity Woods Dream Cream before as a natural face moisturizer. Not only does Purity Woods have all organic ingredients, but they feature some pretty unique plant extracts. I like using their moisturizer along with other products in my skincare routine. 

They’re most well known for their daytime Dream Cream moisturizer, but I actually like their nighttime cream even better. It’s non-greasy, unscented, and my skin soaks it up with no residue after. It uses ingredients like maple leaf extract to keep elastin healthy for firmer skin, antioxidant Japanese knotweed and rosehip seed, and anti-inflammatory evening primrose oil.

When I use their nighttime moisturizer I feel like I don’t have anything on my face when I’m done. 

Learn more about all of Purity Wood’s products or try them for yourself here. 

Made On

I like that Made On keeps things simple and only uses natural ingredients. It’s one of the first natural skincare products I tried early on in my natural health journey. I make my own lotion bars sometimes, but Made On also has really good hard lotion. They now also have lip balm, muscle balm, rash cream, and other products. 

If you’re not familiar with hard lotion or lotion bars, they’re oil based bars hardened with beeswax and natural butters. They’re a great option for travel or for little ones who want to “do it myself.” 

Check out Made On and try their products here. Use the code wellnessmama for 15% off. 

Toups & Co Organics

It can be hard to find healthy makeup options. It’s even harder to find healthy makeup options that actually work! That’s why I was so excited to find Toups & Co organic makeup. They partner with regenerative farms to source fair trade ingredients, including their grass-fed and finished tallow. 

Toups has a wide variety of skincare products for all ages, including cleansers, serums, masks, deodorant, moisturizers, and soap. They even have a babycare line for the most sensitive skin. 

I use their natural makeup the most often though. It has clean ingredients that nourish skin, lips, and eyes, without adding to our toxic burden. Conventional makeup can have lead, heavy metals, and other toxins that get absorbed into our skin and mucous membranes. The lipstick is vibrant and their foundation blends in well to match unique skin tones. Plus they have primer, eyeliner, mascara, blush, and more. 

Learn more about Toups & Co Organics and find their products here. 

Final Thoughts on Healthy Skincare Brands

I still love my natural skincare DIY projects, but there are just some things you really can’t recreate outside of a lab. And having access to natural and organic skincare has never been easier or more convenient. There’s such a wide variety with really great ingredients to try now.

These companies have made their way into my skincare routine and onto my bathroom counter. I hope you’ll check them out if you haven’t already!

What does your natural skincare routine look like? Anything you’d like to try or add? Leave a comment and let us know!

IT leaders from across the country gathered at Cisco Live US 2025 to explore the latest innovations, strategies, and best practices in technology. The event featured tailored sessions and keynotes designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing manufacturing, transportation, utilities and other industrial organizations. Here are a few highlights from the week. 

Modernizing Industrial Operations

The most innovative demonstration on the show floor at Cisco Live featured a guitar refurbishment factory illustrating how industrial networks are becoming the nervous system of modern manufacturing. In this advanced assembly line, guitars underwent meticulous inspection and tuning by AI-driven robotics, showcasing the wide-ranging capabilities enabled by sophisticated networking technology.

The demo featured AI-powered machine vision, virtualized programmable logic controllers, industrial visibility, network segmentation, secure remote access, data extraction, and more—highlighting how cutting-edge networking is fueling innovation and operational efficiency in industrial settings. Check out the below video to see the technology in action.

Cisco Customer Achievement Awards

The Cisco Customer Achievement Awards recognized outstanding Cisco customers who achieved exceptional results through innovative use of Cisco solutions. The awards celebrated excellence in areas such as AI-readiness, future-proof workplaces, digital resilience, and sustainability, highlighting transformative business outcomes and customer success stories. Winners were announced during the awards ceremony at Cisco Live San Diego 2025 and featured the below industrial customers.

Future-Proofed Workplaces

The Future-proofed Workplaces Awards honored customers modernizing work environments, ensuring secure access, immersive collaboration, hybrid work, and innovations in smart building tech and secure networking.

• Fairlife – Modernized Infrastructure Maestro Award Winner

High Impact Sessions

 There were numerous high impact sessions throughout the week including:

Enhancing Plant Floor Security to Reduce MTTR at General Motors

This session highlighted practical strategies for improving plant floor security and minimizing downtime in manufacturing settings. General Motors is tackling challenges like limited visibility into network traffic and endpoints, along with a shortage of skills and training, to secure its global plants. With the implementation of Identity Services Engine (ISE) for policy management and the deployment of Catalyst Industrial Ethernet (IE) solutions, IP67 switches, and Catalyst Center, GM is achieving increased efficiencies and a strong ROI.

The Software-defined Factory Enabled by SDA 

This session explored the application of Software-Defined Access (SDA) technology in industrial automation environments. It featured Audi, showcasing their innovative approach to virtualizing Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS) hardware. By leveraging hyperconverged infrastructure and SDA, Audi is creating efficient virtual environments that connect seamlessly to the plant floor.

Explore Cisco Live US 2025 On-Demand Sessions

Don’t miss the opportunity to catch up on all the valuable insights and innovations shared at Cisco Live US 2025 by exploring the Cisco Live on-demand session library. Whether you want to revisit your favorite presentations or discover new topics relevant to your organization, the on-demand sessions offer flexible access to expert-led discussions, product demonstrations, and industry best practices.

Be sure to check out must-watch sessions such as Connecting and Protecting Manufacturing Organizations in the AI Era, for in-depth perspectives on how AI is transforming security and connectivity in manufacturing. It’s the perfect way to stay informed, inspire your team, and make the most of Cisco Live—anytime, anywhere.

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Scientists can protect children from being born with certain devastating genetic disorders by creating “three-parent” babies, according to the results of a landmark study released Wednesday.

British researchers used the experimental technique to help families have eight children who appear healthy. They now range in age from younger than 6 months to older than 2 years.

The families have been plagued for generations by rare but often fatal inherited mitochondrial disorders, according to two papers published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The four boys and four girls, including a set of identical twins, need to be followed longer to confirm the procedure is safe and effective, the researchers say. But the results are being hailed as a milestone in the quest to harness cutting-edge genetic technologies to enable more women to have healthy babies.

“Mitochondrial disease can be devastating for the family. It can be tragic,” says Doug Turnbull, a professor of neurology who is part of the team at Newcastle University that has been developing the technique for more than a decade. “This is an important breakthrough — a big step forward.”

The research is thrilling many families, doctors and other scientists.

“I think this is a landmark advance. It is pioneering work,” says Dietrich Egli, an associate professor of developmental cell biology at Columbia University who had been advocating for lifting federal restrictions on similar research in the U.S. “It is extraordinary — no question about it.”

Worries about risks temper hopes

But some critics question the approach. They worry about risks, and whether the approach will open the door to using genetic technologies to manipulate the genes in other ways to someday create “designer babies.” Moreover, genetic changes like this can be passed down for generations. So any mistakes could introduce deleterious mutations into the human gene pool, they say.

“It’s dangerous,” says Stuart Newman, a professor of cell biology and anatomy at the New York Medical College. “It’s biologically dangerous. And then it’s dangerous culturally because it’s the beginning of biological manipulation that won’t just end with preventing certain diseases, but will blossom into a full-fledged eugenics program where genes will be manipulated to make designer babies.”

Current U.S. regulations would prevent the procedure from being used in this country to produce children. But a New York doctor reported in 2016 that he had created a three-parent baby for a Jordanian family in Mexico. Australia has legalized it. And doctors in some other countries, including Greece and Ukraine, have used the technique to try to help infertile women have babies, even though it’s unclear the method works for that purpose.

“I think it will normalize the fact that it’s appropriate to take this material and to tinker with it, all in the pursuit of the perfect baby, whatever somebody happens to think that is,” says Francois Baylis, a distinguished research professor emerita at Dalhousie University in Canada.

Defective cellular powerhouses

Mitochondrial disorders can cause serious health problems, including paralysis, heart failure, brain damage, strokes and blindness. Children born with one of these disorders often live short, painful lives. The disorders are caused by defects in mitochondrial DNA. The genetic material is the blueprint for structures called mitochondria, which provide energy to cells. This DNA is passed only from mother to child.

The fix tested by the British scientists is sometimes called “mitochondrial donation.” It involves removing the genes from the nucleus of the fertilized egg of a couple who wants to have a healthy baby. Those genes represent the majority of genetic material in eggs and are responsible for most of a person’s traits, such as their appearance. The defective mitochondrial DNA is left behind.

The genes from the nucleus of the egg are then injected into a fertilized egg from a healthy woman that has had all of its DNA removed except for the donor’s healthy mitochondrial DNA. This is called pronuclear transfer. The resulting embryo can then develop with the healthy donor mitochondria and later be implanted into the womb of the woman who wants a healthy, genetically related baby.

As a result, the baby has all the DNA responsible for the main traits of the two parents trying to have a healthy baby along with a small amount of mitochondrial DNA from the woman who donated the egg. That is why they are sometimes referred to as “three-parent” babies.

Early results are encouraging

In the new study, the babies were born to seven women at high risk of transmitting serious, disease-causing mitochondrial DNA mutations to their offspring. Their mother’s disease-causing mitochondrial DNA mutations were either undetectable or present at levels that are unlikely to cause disease, the researchers reported.

“A child with one of these conditions can be in a lot of pain, suffer all sorts of problems and die. It’s truly horrible to have to watch your child slowly die of something that bad. It’s heartbreaking,” says Robin Lovell-Badge, a developmental biologist at the Francis Crick Institute in London who wrote an editorial accompanying the papers. “So for women at risk of having children with serious mitochondrial diseases, this provides them with an option to have children without suffering. It’s very encouraging.”

“All the children are well and continue to meet their developmental milestones,” Newcastle University’s Turnbull says.

Baylis, at Dalhousie University, and others worry about risks that may not yet be apparent, to the babies themselves, the women having the babies and the women donating the eggs, such as a dangerous hyperstimulation of their ovaries.

“There are risks to the women who are going to be receiving the embryo and there are risks to the women who are the donor of the eggs that will be providing the mitochondria, Baylis says. “We don’t know the future.”

She’s also worried about putting so much importance on the need by couples to only have children with their own genes.

“What you’re seeing is this sense that, ‘My genes are very valuable. My genes are the only ones worth reproducing.’ And I think that’s always worth questioning,” Baylis says.

Women at risk of having children with a mitochondrial disorder have other options, including adoption, she argues.

Turnbull acknowledges the research remains at a relatively early stage, requiring additional follow-up research and monitoring. “The results so far are very encouraging,” he says.

Turnbull argues reproductive technologies are highly regulated in Britain and many other countries: “I think there are enough checks and balances in the system to prevent this from becoming a slippery slope to designer babies.”

Others stress that the technology is distinct from gene-editing techniques like CRISPR, which have also raised fears about designer babies.

“This is totally different,” Lovell-Badge says. “This is using a method that is avoiding a serious disease. If you care about peoples’ health, peoples’ desire to have genetically related children, then I see no reason why you should not accept these methods.”

Walking is one of those things that most of us do every single day, but don’t think much about. It’s not just a way to get us from point A to point B, but it can also be a powerful health tool. More recently, I’ve been intentionally incorporating more walks into my day, and here’s why. 

The (Many) Benefits of Walking

Walking isn’t just a casual form of movement, but a research-backed, restorative practice that can have a profound impact on nearly every area of our health. That is, if we choose to make it a daily habit.

And I say “choose” because walking is one of those things that’s so simple, we often dismiss its potential benefits. It doesn’t come with fancy gear, flashy gym memberships, or complex routines. Yet it’s often the simple things that can be the most impactful. 

I recently shared a post about wearing a weighted vest while walking, a habit I’ve adopted more recently. It got a lot of questions and responses, which made me realize this topic deserves a deeper dive. In this article, we’ll cover what the science has to say about walking benefits and how to practically make it a regular part of your routine. 

We’re Meant to Move

As humans, we’re biologically wired to walk. For most of our history, walking wasn’t an exercise, but how we survived. From foraging to hunting to living our daily lives, it’s estimated that our ancestors walked anywhere from five to ten miles each day.

Today? Most of us are lucky if we get a mile in between our cars, screens, and schedules.

This disconnect between where we came from and how we live now contributes to what some researchers call “Nature Deficit Disorder.” And while we can’t all go live barefoot in a forest, we can bring elements of natural movement back into our lives. A simple daily walk is a great way to start doing that. 

The Science Backed Benefits of Walking

There are so many areas of our health that are positively impacted by walking. Here are some of the most compelling reasons to lace up your shoes. Better yet, go for a walk barefoot on the grass!

Boost Mental Health

Research shows walking helps reduce anxiety and depression symptoms. That might not be surprising if you’ve ever taken a walk to clear your head or felt better after a stressful day just by getting outside.

But it’s not just anecdotal. Studies show walking can increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitters we’re often told we need more of. One study even showed that 30 minutes of walking led to significant changes in brain activity associated with relaxation and positive mood. And when over 15% of women in the US take a prescription antidepressant (twice as many as men), that’s a big deal!

Support Metabolic Health

Less than 10% of Americans are considered metabolically healthy. That means over 90% of us could benefit from blood sugar support. And here’s the great news: walking is one of the most accessible tools we have.

A study in Diabetes Care found that just a 10-minute walk after meals can reduce blood sugar spikes by up to 12%. I often take short post-meal walks to help my body process food more efficiently. If I’m not in a place where I can really do that, then even a few dozen air squats will do the trick. I’ve seen the difference firsthand in my blood sugar readings while wearing a continuous glucose monitor.

It’s Great for Your Heart

Want a healthier heart? Get walking! A meta-analysis found that walking for just 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of heart disease by 19%.

Unlike high-intensity workouts, walking is gentle on the body. That means you can do it daily without spiking cortisol or overly stressing your system. When I was healing from Hashimoto’s and intense nervous system dysregulation, walking (not running or weightlifting) was my movement of choice. It was restorative instead of depleting.

Regulate the Nervous System

One of my favorite benefits of walking is how it supports nervous system health. Especially when done in nature, walking stimulates the vagus nerve and helps shift the body into a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state.

You may have seen those powerful before-and-after brain scans showing how even 30 minutes of walking can reduce stress activity in the brain. Nature walks and forest bathing can also reduce cortisol levels and promote feelings of calm.

Enhance Lymphatic Flow and Joint Health

Walking is a full-body activity that helps boost our lymphatic movement and circulation. Since the lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump like the heart, it relies on muscle movement. Walking is a perfect way to keep things flowing. This can support immune function, detoxification, and even reduce puffiness and inflammation.

Walking also supports joint health through regular, low-impact movement. Unlike more intense workouts, walking can actually lubricate and hydrate joints. As my friend Hunter Cook teaches with CARs (controlled articular rotations), consistent joint movement is key to long-term mobility.

Do You Really Need 10,000 Steps?

You’ve probably heard the “10,000 steps a day” mantra. But did you know that number actually came from a Japanese marketing campaign in the 1960s, not from science?

The truth is, studies show that benefits really start around 7,000 to 8,000 steps per day. Even that might sound like a lot, but it breaks down to about 30 to 60 minutes of walking, spread throughout the day. And every step counts.

The goal isn’t perfection, but consistency. Whether you take one long morning walk or three short ones after meals, the benefits add up. 

How to Upgrade Your Walks

Once walking becomes a regular habit, you can layer in some optional (and fun) upgrades to boost the benefits.

1. Add a Weighted Vest

Wearing a weighted vest can increase calorie burn, core engagement, and bone density. It’s important to start light, 5% of your body weight or less, and build up slowly if desired. I’ve worn vests from 30 to 60 pounds, depending on the terrain. On soft ground like sand, I stick to lighter weights or skip it altogether.

A quick note here: Someone once asked if wearing a weighted vest is like being overweight. The answer is… kind of, but with important differences. Carrying extra weight does stress the bones (which can strengthen them), but chronic inflammation or poor metabolic health can negate some of those benefits. With a vest, you get the bone benefit without the systemic stress.

I love barefoot walking when possible, on sand, dirt trails, or grass. It strengthens the feet, improves balance, and may help reduce inflammation through grounding or earthing (contact with the Earth’s natural electric charge). My oldest son regularly takes barefoot runs on concrete and has slowly worked his way up to having the proper form to do that safely. Myself? I’m not a fan of how the concrete feels barefoot, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend starting there! 

Not ready for full barefoot walks? There are great minimalist shoe options like Earth Runners and Groundies that offer flexibility and grounding without sacrificing protection.

3. Try Incline or Hill Walks

Want to increase the intensity without adding weight? Find a hill or set your treadmill to an incline. This targets the glutes and hamstrings more, elevates heart rate, and boosts the metabolic impact. Overall, it’s still low impact.

The Best Times to Walk (And Why)

If you’re wondering when to walk, here are a few times that offer extra benefits:

• Morning: Walking in early daylight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, supports hormone balance, and boosts mood. Try combining it with a morning gratitude or meditation practice to habit stack even more benefits.
• After Meals: A short walk after eating (even just 10 minutes) supports digestion and stabilizes blood sugar. This is one of my favorite health habits.
• Evening: Gentle movement in the evening helps wind down the nervous system and supports better sleep. Bonus if you walk at sunset and get some free red light!

Make Walking a Daily Habit

The biggest takeaway here isn’t about how long or intense our walks are. It’s all about getting started and being consistent. Here are a few ways to make walking an easy, enjoyable habit:

• Track It: I use an Oura ring, but you don’t need anything fancy. A simple step counter or app can help you stay mindful.
• Make It Enjoyable: Listen to audiobooks or podcasts, or just enjoy the quiet. Whatever helps you look forward to it. Sometimes I’ll reserve a favorite audiobook to listen to only while I’m on a walk.
• Walk with Others: Social walks are one of my favorite ways to connect. Meet up with a friend and walk instead of sitting at a coffee shop.
• Habit Stack: Pair it with an existing habit, like your morning tea, your lunch break, or your evening wind-down.
• Start Small: Even five to ten minutes a day is enough to get started. It’s about building the habit, not winning a marathon.

Final Thoughts on the Benefits of Walking

Walking might be one of the most common human activities, but that doesn’t mean it’s ordinary. In my humble opinion, walking is one of the most overlooked tools we have for healing, regulating, and thriving. It supports everything from our mental health and metabolism to our bone strength, brain health, and longevity.

If you’re simply looking to start getting healthier or you’ve been on this path for a while, I’d encourage you to try adding walking to your routine. See how it affects your energy, your mood, and your stress levels. Over time, you may just notice that you crave walking more, especially when it’s out in nature!

Do you make walking a habit? Have you ever tried upgrading your walk? Leave a comment and let us know!