Wellness While Walking
Carolyn Cohen
Welcome! Each episode of Wellness While Walking addresses the real health concerns you're facing:
• metabolism shifts and blood sugar spikes/weight gain
• establishing sustainable habits despite crazy-busy schedules
• adapting movement regimens (featuring walking!*) to work for you… in a fun way!
• implementing doable nutrition approaches that work with your midlife body and life
Hi, I'm Carolyn, a Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach of almost 20 years.
I was a health-rejectionist! I didn't think it mattered what our lifestyles were like – I even doubled down on this approach, working in the ultra-processed foods industry for a decade (and gained a lot of weight and was fatigued all the time, but I didn't connect the dots!) But then I got very sick. And my young children did, too. I started to open up to the idea that what we ate, how (if!) we moved, how we slept and more – how it did matter! I "walked back" my chronic disease diagnoses and my kids healed.
After over a decade of health coaching people in their midlife years, I also noticed another trend – that of extremes! Folks rejected things like walking and eating largely whole foods for their more intense counterparts, like running and "eating clean." I knew that I needed to fight this, because there are lots of health-conferring points in between on the spectrum, and I'm all about capitalizing on the low hanging fruit by taking small steps that we'll actually do and enjoy!
I do think we need to fight societal norms that leave us unhealthy – we call that "walking against traffic" – but this can be a moderate, doable, fun and effective path! Getting this word out to the wider audience beyond my clientele led me to introduce the Wellness While Walking Podcast in January of 2020, and we've been going strong since!
I hope you'll join me, Health Coach Carolyn, for Wellness While Walking—your 30-minute movement companion that delivers research-backed strategies for weight management, metabolic health, healing chronic conditions and extending your healthspan in a motivating, compassionate format!
Whether you're seeking accountability for consistent action, clarity on conflicting health advice, or gentle guidance for aging vibrantly, Wellness While Walking meets you where you are with understanding and actionable solutions.
By the end of each episode, you'll feel physically energized, mentally renewed, and equipped with clear next steps—having moved, learned, laughed, and found the motivation to take the next meaningful step on your health journey! (*Did I mention that we play a beep halfway through so you know when to turn around if you're walking while listening?!)
Today is a terrific day to start so press "Follow" and then "Play," and let's do this, together!
• metabolism shifts and blood sugar spikes/weight gain
• establishing sustainable habits despite crazy-busy schedules
• adapting movement regimens (featuring walking!*) to work for you… in a fun way!
• implementing doable nutrition approaches that work with your midlife body and life
Hi, I'm Carolyn, a Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach of almost 20 years.
I was a health-rejectionist! I didn't think it mattered what our lifestyles were like – I even doubled down on this approach, working in the ultra-processed foods industry for a decade (and gained a lot of weight and was fatigued all the time, but I didn't connect the dots!) But then I got very sick. And my young children did, too. I started to open up to the idea that what we ate, how (if!) we moved, how we slept and more – how it did matter! I "walked back" my chronic disease diagnoses and my kids healed.
After over a decade of health coaching people in their midlife years, I also noticed another trend – that of extremes! Folks rejected things like walking and eating largely whole foods for their more intense counterparts, like running and "eating clean." I knew that I needed to fight this, because there are lots of health-conferring points in between on the spectrum, and I'm all about capitalizing on the low hanging fruit by taking small steps that we'll actually do and enjoy!
I do think we need to fight societal norms that leave us unhealthy – we call that "walking against traffic" – but this can be a moderate, doable, fun and effective path! Getting this word out to the wider audience beyond my clientele led me to introduce the Wellness While Walking Podcast in January of 2020, and we've been going strong since!
I hope you'll join me, Health Coach Carolyn, for Wellness While Walking—your 30-minute movement companion that delivers research-backed strategies for weight management, metabolic health, healing chronic conditions and extending your healthspan in a motivating, compassionate format!
Whether you're seeking accountability for consistent action, clarity on conflicting health advice, or gentle guidance for aging vibrantly, Wellness While Walking meets you where you are with understanding and actionable solutions.
By the end of each episode, you'll feel physically energized, mentally renewed, and equipped with clear next steps—having moved, learned, laughed, and found the motivation to take the next meaningful step on your health journey! (*Did I mention that we play a beep halfway through so you know when to turn around if you're walking while listening?!)
Today is a terrific day to start so press "Follow" and then "Play," and let's do this, together!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 23, 2020 • 33min
50. 2020 in Hindsight + Looking Ahead: Wellness, Walking and the Wheel of Life
Looking backward to see where we've been, we focus on 2020 and the first year of the Wellness While Walking podcast, before turning our sights on the promising road ahead! LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) Ep. 45: Our Daily Lives: Embracing + Elevating the Ordinary Ep. 49: Walking Daily with Dana and Mary: #walk20in20 Blue Zones, Dan Buettner. Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee) - @garyvee "This Year, Don't Set New Year's Resolutions," forbes.com "Covid-19: Now is the Time to Redraw the UK's Map of Inequality," health.org.uk "COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights Longstanding Health Inequities in US," hsph.harvard.edu Emily Prokop, Podcast Coach, Teacher and Strategiest DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thank you for listening to Wellness While Walking podcast, a walking podcast.
Dec 16, 2020 • 37min
49: Walking Daily with Dana and Mary: #walk20in20
Join a fun chat with two listeners who've walked EVERY DAY in 2020! How did they do it? Why did they do it? What can we learn about their efforts, practices, and the benefits they've derived from their daily outings? LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) Guest Information Mary can be found at @malcarlson Dana can be found at @wwdanaisdetermined Other daily walkers have used #walk20in20 hashtag, but that's likely to change in 2021! Gretchen Rubin Information Happier With Gretchen Rubin (podcast) The Happiness Project (book) Better Than Before (book) The Four Tendencies (book) Outer Order, Inner Calm (book) Warming gloves (will cover gear more in future episodes) Down mittens Ski Gloves with Thinsulate Heated gloves DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
Dec 9, 2020 • 35min
48. Cooking in a Pandemic: Kitchen Mindset Upgrade with Karen of Healthy Gluten-Free Family
Cooking during COVID makes us more flexible cooks, and we benefit from home-cooked meals to support our health. We dish on strategies for stress-free meals, and Karen shares her tips for shopping for veggies. I talk about my family's favorite 2020 DIY go-to dinner -- you'll walk away from this episode inspired to plan and prep your next delicious, doable meal! LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) Where to Find Karen: Healthy Gluten-Free Family website Healthy Gluten-Free Family on Instagram Healthy Gluten-Free Family on Facebook Healthy Gluten-Free Family on Pinterest About Celiac Disease About non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
Dec 2, 2020 • 34min
47: Tips and Tricks for Making Cooking Manageable with Karen from Healthy Gluten-Free Family
Are you overwhelmed by cooking? So many of us are. My guest today helps us break down the kitchen overwhelm with some very doable strategies for making cooking more manageable, and tastier as well! Let's dig in with Karen from Healthy Gluten-Free Family! LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) Where to Find Karen: Healthy Gluten-Free Family website Healthy Gluten-Free Family on Instagram Healthy Gluten-Free Family on Facebook Healthy Gluten-Free Family on Pinterest DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
Nov 25, 2020 • 38min
46: Diet Soda, Love of Learning, + Gratitude for Health Care Workers
Should I quit drinking diet soda? And if so, how??? What gets Carolyn up in the morning, and the power of our gratitude practice, especially for health care workers. LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) DIET SODAS AND ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS Do Sweet Drinks Have Anything to Do With Dementia? foodpolitics.com Just How Bad is Diet Soda For You? clevelandclinic.org 21 Healthy, Low-Sugar Soda Alternatives That Make It Easy to Quit Color, eatthis.com Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Diet Soda By Itself May Not Cause Weight Gain, Study Says, But Combining With Carbs Can, cnn.com Measuring Artificial Sweeteners Toxicity Using a Bioluminescent Bacterial Panel, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Artificial Sweeteners: Sugar-Free, But at What Cost? health.harvard.edu Diet Soda Intake and Risk of Incident Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, diabetesjournals.org Coca-Cola Discontinues TaB Diet Soda in the US, beveragedaily.com Stickk app Habitica app Pact app – (not recommended) LOVE OF LEARNING Character Strengths, VIACharacter.org Science of Well-Being (Yale) class, coursera.org GRATITUDE AND HEALTH CARE WORKERS Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Robert Emmons Improving Mental Health in Health Care Practitioners: Randomized Controlled Trial of a Gratitude Intervention, researchgate.net Improving Mental Health in Health Care Practitioners: Randomized Controlled Trial of a Gratitude Intervention, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
Nov 18, 2020 • 34min
45. Our Daily Lives: Embracing + Elevating the Ordinary
Can we shift our mindset around those pesky everyday tasks of life? Or change the way we do them so they are more fun? We might not ever embrace the ordinary daily rituals with the vim and vigor of Carolyn's dog, Coby, but it's worth a shot, right? LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) "Approaching Life With a Beginner's Mind," zenhabits.com Whistle (While You Work It) – song to work by! App for Gamifying Tasks "The Joy of Housework: Finding Focus, Meaning and Gratitude in Daily Chores," thesimpleswan.com "Blessings For Everyday Situations," pjlibrary.org "Shtisel" on Netflix Mezuzah, wikipedia.org Habit Tracker Examples: Here, Here and Here Happier Podcast/Gretchen Rubin -- Episode with Chef Carla Hall The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
Nov 11, 2020 • 32min
44. 5 Paths to Wellness: Food, Movement, Stress Reduction, Sleep and Connection
We break down fundamental wellness into categories, and have at them! Your mindset may be shifted as we talk healthy low-hanging fruit! Plus, I have a couple of slots for coaching on my schedule – reach out with any inquiries, or just to chat! LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) A Day to Wellness The line-up of speakers Email me at wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com if you're interested in buying the whole day of talks Coaching My website is being revamped, and I had wanted it done before I offered these two coaching slots up. But the holidays are coming, and many people have urgent issues they want to address, so simply reach out via wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com to discuss your interest – obviously, there is NO/ZERO/ZILCH obligation! DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
Nov 4, 2020 • 43min
43. The Case for Cooking (a bit!) + Resilience and Curiosity
We chat about some reasons why we might consider cooking a bit more than we do. And then we tackle resilience and relying on our strengths to keep on keeping on! LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) A CASE FOR COOKING Cooked, Michael Pollan Catching FIre: How Cooking Made Us Human, Richard Wrangham Why Are Humans Different Than Other Apes? It's the Cooking, Stupid, nyt.com Food Extrusion, wikipedia.org Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up, usda.gov American's Eating Patterns and Time Spent on Food, usda.gov Trends in US Home Food Preparation and Consumption, 1965/1966-2008/2008, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Kiss the Ground - documentary website Dust Bowl 2.0: Rising Great Plains Dust Levels Stir Concerns, sciencemag. com RESILIENCE AND CURIOSITY Breathing techniques 4-7-8 Breathing Technique Box Breathing 4-4-4-4 Good News Network Some Good News YouTube Series - John Krasinksi High School Student with Autism (Amazing) Basketball Video Are You a Curious Person? Why You May Also Be More Resilient, psychologytoday.com Eight Questions That Can Help You Survive Election Stress, greatergood.berkeley.edu The Impact of Gratitude on Depression and Anxiety, researchgate.net DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
Oct 28, 2020 • 40min
42. Calories 101: To Count or Not to Count?
Counting calories come to mind to many when the conversation turns to health and weight loss. But what are they really? And do we need to focus on them, or is worrying about calories a waste of time and energy? We'll dig in there, and we'll also spend a few minutes talking about a new documentary, and its optimistic message. LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) CALORIES 101 Why Calories Don't Matter, drhyman.com Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes. The Caldor Pocket Calorie Counter Book(let) of My Youth, or something pretty close! New Scientific Study: Calories Matter, paleomom.com Feel the Burn: How Do Scientists Count Calories? blogs.scientificamerican.com Do Dieticians Accurately Report Their Food Intake? weightology.net Estimating Food Portions. Influence of unit number, meal type and energy density, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Effects of a low carbohydrate diet on energy expenditure during weight loss maintenance: randomized trial, bmj.com Low-Carb Diets May Work By Boosting Calorie Burn, webmd.com Episode 32 - Wellness While Walking with guest Dr. Elizabeh Boham, Part 1 Episode 33 - Wellness While Walking with guest Dr. Elizabeh Boham, Part 2 KISS THE GROUND DOCUMENTARY Kiss the Ground movie website Dust Bowl 2.0? Rising Great Plains Dust Levels Stir Concerns, sciencemag.org DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
Oct 21, 2020 • 33min
41. Departing Our Comfort Zones + Making New Friends
Approaching life with curiosity and a growth mindset is correlated with wellbeing and life satisfaction. Those are the facts, but guest Terri from the Mixing Up Midlife podcast brings those ideas to life! Our conversation touches on departing from our comfort zones and making new friends. Join our chat! LET'S TALK THE WALK! Wellness While Walking Facebook page Wellness While Walking on Instagram Wellness While Walking on Twitter Wellness While Walking website for show notes and other information wellnesswhilewalking@gmail.com RESOURCES AND SOURCES (some links may be affiliate links) Mixing Up Midlife podcast website Mixing Up Midlife on Apple Podcasts Mixing Up Midlife Instagram Mixing Up Midlife Facebook Terri on The Vessel, NYC Terri talked about being photographed in front of The Vessel, a building in New York City Terri said it looked like a gyro, but the internet seems to think it looks like shawarma DISCLAIMER Neither I nor most of my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking. Thanks for listening to Wellness While Walking, a walking podcast.
