Sometimes there are days where getting outside for a walk just isn’t going to happen. Whether it’s due to the weather, a sleeping or uncooperative child, the lack of daylight, or any number of other reasons, finding an alternative to get in those intentional walks is sometimes necessary. It’s on those days where you might turn to the convenience of a treadmill, but what if you’re looking to purchase a treadmill and you have no idea where to start? Well, we surveyed the 99 Walks Pack and compiled a list of favorite brands and must-have features to keep in mind as you start your search.

Thanksgiving may look a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still feel like a celebration. Make it a year to embrace a new vision of the holiday or create a new tradition. The 99 Walks HQ team is switching things up this year and we thought we’d share with you just how we’re spending our turkey day in hopes that it might inspire you.

Advising someone to celebrate Thanksgiving 2020 by writing a gratitude letter seems borderline cruel. We’ve watched COVID-19 death tolls and case counts rise while the economy tanks, against the backdrop of reckoning in racial justice made more painful by its very delay, during an election season that felt like an impromptu colonoscopy, and we’re supposed to write a thank-you note about it? Shot gunning pumpkin pie directly from the serving plate while sitting in the corner of a darkened room and shrouded in the holiday tablecloth feels much more on brand for this year’s “festivities”.

Growing up as a self-proclaimed Air Force brat while her dad served for over 20 years, 99 Walks Pack Support Squad Team Member Katelyn Kuehl grew up on the flight line, calling home to bases around the world. Her rich family history led her to a 12-year career in the Air Force and a powerful initiative to honor all who are impacted by those serving in the armed forces. This lifestyle still carries over to her life today as she and her Air Force veteran husband, John, who currently reside in Wisconsin, still love to move around every couple of years and embrace the differing cultures they encounter along the way, serving locally to both veterans and their caregivers.

It’s nice to escape into a story. To lose yourself in the world of imagination, fantasy, suspense, comedy, romance and drama. To be escorted through a journey with characters who become a piece of you, a storyline that runs through your mind and captures your soul. It’s no wonder that our 99 Walks HQ team loves to read fiction, and we’re sharing with you our favorites so you can find a new treasure to add to your reading list.

Books are not only meant to entertain, but also to teach. To go in-depth on a particular topic, perhaps to cause reflection and thoughtfulness. Non-fiction books offer us a chance to learn the facts — to be informed about a life or time. Oftentimes, we come away from reading non-fiction with a little more understanding, and maybe a little more insight about what is most important.

We surveyed the 99 Walks team and asked them to share their favorite non-fiction books. Some were inspirational and motivational, some informative and enlightening, and some maybe even a little light-hearted and funny. But they all made an impact, and we hope you’ll find one or two to add to your list, too!

Want to be happier? Learn to see the cup half full, rather than half empty. Count your blessings. Appreciate the positive. Retrain your brain to focus on the good. And for heaven’s sake, stop worrying.

When the air turns crisp and the leaves turn the color of a sunset, it means apples are ripe for the picking. People all over the country flock to apple orchards to select the perfect apples to turn into scrumptious treats from pies and crisps, to applesauce and apple cider, jellies and butters. So today, in celebration of National Apple Day, we wanted to share nine fun and unexpected facts about apples.

Most sports have shoes made specifically for their performance, and walking is no different. But with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to decide what shoe is right for you. So we’ve put together a guide to help you find your perfect shoe, as well as asked our members to share their favorites and why they love them.

I love to stand on my head. I know that’s a weird thing for a woman in her 50s to say, but I do. I love how standing on my head engages my entire body to maintain my balance and I love feeling strong and straight and balanced. I stand on my head at the beach, in parks, at the gym, pretty much anywhere I can put something soft beneath my head.

But what I love most is the way standing on my head delivers a different perspective of familiar things.

When I was a kid, cancer was the Voldemort of diseases — the disease that must not be named. A cancer diagnosis was something to be whispered. A secret to be hidden as long as possible. This secrecy added to the fear and, I assume, to the isolation of treatment.

But times are a-changin.

Most people talk about seeing the beauty. But we know that you need to find the beauty. Beautiful things are not always obvious. Often, they are buried, hidden. Beauty can be found sneaking through the edge of a storm cloud, tucked inside the muck of a crusty oyster shell, or in the mess that becomes your kitchen when children decide to bake cookies. Beauty can be found in loss and pain and fear. Beauty can be found in the simplest of moments, but only if you look.

We all start out the same way — as beginners. But with each step and each intentional walk, we discover our abilities, our stamina, and our desires and often we begin to feel challenged to push ourselves to the next level. To quicken our pace and extend our intervals. To elevate our walk from that of a beginner to more advanced. But how do you know when you’re ready to “step” it up?

The other morning, I was walking up the stairs in my house when I noticed a ball of fuzz on a step. It wasn't big — about the size of a quarter — and probably came out of a dog toy that Moose dismembered (those of you with dogs probably know exactly that I mean). I noticed it but did not bend over and pick up it. 'Cause I didn't feel like it. My mind was on other things. But I noticed. And then I noticed it the next time I walked up the stairs and that time I thought "I'll grab that later." I probably walked up and down those stairs four or five more times before I finally bent over and picked up the ball of fuzz, walked into the bathroom, and dropped it in the trash can.

I didn’t know what to expect when my best friend asked me to join her in the new ballet folklorico troupe that was being assembled our freshman year in high school. Though I grew up in Austin, TX, and was surrounded by the Hispanic community, including having a best friend who was born in Mexico, I had never truly experienced the culture. Sure, I had a love for what my best friend would just call “food,” but other than tacos, enchiladas and a few Spanish language classes, I was pretty immersed in my own Caucasion culture.

Whatever your goals, we want to be sure that you get the most you possibly can out of your 99 Walks membership. So we’ve created this guide that we hope will answer all of your questions and give you all of the tools you need to begin walking your way to better. If there’s something we’ve missed, or some question we haven’t answered, do not hesitate to reach out to the Pack Support Squad pronto (team@99walks.fit). The entire 99 Walks team is here to help.

Why is it so hard to just start? Taking that first step to a healthy habit can be intimidating. What if I fail? What if I don’t like it? What if I’m not perfect, or able to do it as well as my neighbor/sister/friend? There is no limit to what can go through our head when we set out on a new challenge, and the truth is, everyone confronts difficulty getting started from time to time. So if you’re finding yourself unable to take that initial step, know you’re not alone, and then take inspiration from the following 9 ways to just get started.

Grandparents. They are the heart of a family. The point of connection. The center of memories. And on Grandparent’s Day, it’s a time to honor them and remember the love they shared so unconditionally, so fully. So, this year, the 99 Walks team has taken a moment to share their favorite memories of their grandparents. We hope our stories bring you a smile. Make you chuckle. And maybe stir up some memories of your own.