​I stare at the screen and will my brain to spit out just one more meaningful sentence. Unfortunately, zombie mode has set in and nothing is forthcoming. Time for a break. The physical movement of scrubbing dishes until they gleam, water warming my hands, sudsy scent freshening the air, and a fun audio book all coax my mind to another track. Thoughts scurry behind the scenes, synthesizing and coalescing without my conscious control. And a few minutes later, voilà, I’m back at the keyboard, ideas morphing easily into concrete words.

Breaks are key. Breaks with physical movement encouraging blood flow, easing muscle and joint stiffness, and boosting oxygen to the brain can be helpful, as can simply sitting quietly for a couple of minutes and not doing anything. Doing nothing may sound impossible, since most of us live in a state of constant stimulation, but that stillness is incredibly healthy for our brain and mental state.

Regardless of age, we can all get overly locked-in to focused brain time. This article, 5 Research-Based Reasons to Use Brain Breaks in the Classroom, discusses how brain breaks enhance productivity, creativity, and learning. Brain breaks involving movement and play have the added benefit of fostering social bonds and teamwork. This could be anything from playing catch, to a group hike or snowshoe, to a group exercise or dance class. I especially love this teacher’s idea of Two Laps and a Nap, where after a few minutes of focused study, the students rejuvenate by walking around the room a couple of times, then put their heads on their desks for a solid three minutes of rest with soothing music. An actionable and effective tool for all!

If you take a deeper dive into the science, waking rest enhances the brain’s ability to replay and consolidate memories of what just occurred, crucial in learning a new skill. This also has implications for people recovering from stroke. In this article, NIH: Study shows how taking short breaks may help our brains learn new skills, the study participants hooked up to brain scanners  typed a code for ten seconds and then rested for ten seconds, repeating this cycle 35 times. During the rest phase, the brain repeatedly replayed the code typing. The brains that replayed the fastest and most number of times in the rest period made the most progress in learning the skill. The study also found that in addition to expected activity in the sensorimotor part of the brain, the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (both involved with memory among other functions) were also active. The study concluded that manipulating brain replay would potentially support faster learning of a new skill as well as aiding in stroke rehabilitation.

As a general rule of thumb, taking breaks gives the brain and nervous system some space. We might think we don’t have the time to step away for a few minutes. But the reality might look more like slogging away at a task for two hours versus that same task only taking a sharply focused 30 minutes after a ten minute walk to refresh the brain and body. Think, too, of the nervous system. Rather than operating in a consistently frazzled state, that short walk can provide an ease for the nervous system, resulting in less stress, enhanced respiration, digestion, and a calmer outlook. UW: Taking Breaks Is Good for Your Brain - Here’s Why.

Here I am at the screen once again. I’ve taken many breaks to research and write this short piece. My brain is starting to sputter and the words are no longer flowing. Let’s you and I both take a little break.


Originally published February 2025

Let’s be honest, most of us don’t think much about our feet unless there’s a problem - like an ingrown toenail or a painful middle-of-the-night cramp. When you are having a bad day, think about the day your feet are having: a quick wash in the shower (if they are lucky), and then they are shoved into shoes  - out of sight, out of mind. How would you like to spend your day in a dank cave with an itchy, smelly sock? Or hanging out on a sandal marinating in dirt and sweat? Truly, our feet are the uncomplaining workhorses of our bodies.

Take a moment to consider your feet. They support your entire body all day long. They help you balance by sending your brain information about the surface you are moving across. There are 29 muscles associated with the foot: 19 in the foot itself and 10 that originate outside the foot, crossing the ankle joint to act on the foot. Each foot has 26 bones and 33 joints. They are a structural marvel, with the arch providing both shock absorption and propulsion. When our feet are working well we have a spring in our step. When our feet are ignored we can develop pain, tightness, and limited mobility, and we have less energy due to that essential foundation not working so well. 

There are many ways to care for your feet: self-massage, wooden rollers, tennis balls. You can book a reflexology session, a massage, or a pedicure. You can soak your feet in some warm water and epsom salts or sea salt. Even walking around your house barefoot is a nice way to care for your feet. Those experiencing plantar fasciitis, when the fascia (connective tissue) on the sole of the foot is inflamed, may choose to support their feet constantly with footwear - that can help. Personally, walking around my house barefoot years ago is what cured my plantar fasciitis. It is worth experimenting to see what works best for you.

Strengthening the feet is excellent not only for self-care, but to take advantage of the benefits your strong and pain-free feet will offer up. One of my favorite ways to work my feet is with Essentrics®. We articulate each part of the foot, wiggle the toes, engage the muscles throughout the foot and arch, encourage foot and ankle mobility, and connect working our feet to working the larger muscles in the legs. This all results in feet feeling and moving better, and the full body feeling energized from the release of the tension unknowingly held in the feet and ankles.

Your feet are your foundation - enjoy taking care of those tootsies in whichever way you choose.

Learn More
Here’s an Essentrics blog post on the importance of working our feet, and it includes a foot workout video with Miranda Esmonde-White, the founder of Essentrics.

Originally published September 2022

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We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk!
-Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai planted a lot of trees. Over 50,000 of them to be exact. 

Professor Wangari Maathai was the founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya in 1977. She saw planting trees as a means to address issues women in many communities were facing: food scarcity, lengthier walks to gather wood for fuel, and streams drying up. The women could plant seedlings and earn a small amount of money, and the resulting trees would provide food, firewood and shade, and retain soil.

Eventually, the Green Belt Movement trained over 30,000 women in forestry and other skills, giving them agency and a way to manage the land in their communities. Tree nurseries were created to expand the availability of seedlings. Through small grants, Green Belt was able to pay the women when their seedlings survived for six months. 

Teaching women skills and giving them meaningful work went against cultural mores, and Professor Maathai was publicly ridiculed by members of parliament, verbally abused by the president, physically beaten by government police and hired thugs, and jailed several times. Yet, she persevered.

Early on in Green Belt’s formation, a huge order of seedlings arrived but Professor Maathai had nowhere to put them. She ended up filling her yard and house to the bursting point with the trees, much to her then-husband’s dismay. Later, when the Green Belt Movement was more established and had a large number of employees, the ruling government party Kenya African National Union or KANU, sent the police to kick Green Belt out of their office. Professor Maathai set up shop in her small home, cramming dozens of people into the tiny space. 

Professor Maathai fought for decades on behalf of women and planting trees. She served on political committees within Kenya, and was recognized globally for her work, serving as the United Nations Messenger of Peace and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. 

She believed that empowering people to take action within their communities, working for the common good, and to stand strong together, was the path to true democracy. Planting trees was an integral part of this work, and also was a way to promote peace and goodwill. 

Professor Maathai rallied people to plant trees to call attention to the planned destruction of Uhuru Park, a major city park in Nairobi. She also rallied a large group of women to protest political prisoners - this peaceful protest lasted for over a year. When KANU was secretly instigating violence between rural villages, Professor Maathai disguised herself and at great risk traveled to those communities to understand what was happening. She encouraged the people of battling villages to plant seedlings together as a means to mend the rifts between them. 

Wangari Maathai never gave up. By showing up to plant trees even in the face of violent opposition, by voicing the truth and encouraging people to speak up in the face of government injustice, and by teaching women the skills to benefit themselves and their communities, she planted seeds of dignity and of hope.

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Sources/Learn More

• The Greenbelt Movement
• Unbowed, A Memoir, by Wangari Maathai

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Originally published January 2025

​​Colorado is known for its abundant sunny days. According to a Google search, Colorado boasts 300 sunshiny days to Florida’s 230, even though Florida nabbed the Sunshine State title. 
Especially noticeable after a cloudy day (or hour), the way we feel after some time in the sun speaks for itself. Usually we feel energized, our outlook is brighter, and we’re in a pretty good mood. Read on to learn more about the sun’s benefits.

Not just about the D
When our skin is exposed to direct sunlight our body sets about producing vitamin D. Supplementation with vitamin D has become a common strategy in recent decades, with concern about too much sun exposure causing skin cancer.

But sunlight does more than just help us produce vitamin D. For example, sunshine helps set our circadian rhythms, regulating serotonin and melatonin levels, so that we sleep better at night. Interestingly, sunlight that enters our eyes affects areas in the retina which trigger the release of serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone. Some people experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) with the shorter winter days (less chance for the sunlight to help create serotonin), and light therapy can help. Healthline article on the Benefits of Sunlight.

Sun exposure may have other important health benefits. In this Karger Journal Review, authors found a correlation between increased sun exposure and decreased blood pressure and cardiovascular mortality, independent of vitamin D. 

Sunlight can even lessen pain! This Medical News Today article explains that UVB rays cause the skin to produce beta-endorphins. Here are a few of the beta-endorphin benefits: reduce pain and depression, help wounds heal, increase alertness, and improve mood. 

Moderation in all things
Lest we get the bright idea to run around outside all day without protection, the article also gives a suggested time limit of 15 minutes in the sunshine before coating yourself with sunscreen.

​Originally published August 2022