Walking for exercise is good for the body. Gratitude is good for the soul. GirlTrek, the largest health movement for Black women in the country, is bringing walking and gratitude together this month to help women live their healthiest lives.
GirlTrek is encouraging their 80,000 members nationwide to walk with gratitude for 40 days. In the 40-Day Gratitude Trek, members continue their daily habit of walking in their neighborhoods for at least 30 minutes a day, but also incorporate sending thank you notes, emails, text messages, etc. to deserving people. The expressions of gratitude brighten someone’s day and help members focus on living with a grateful heart.
READ MORE: HOW TO BE MORE GRATEFUL
The Gratitude Trek ends on the day after Thanksgiving—what the founders are calling “Blue Friday,” after the “superhero blue” color they encourage members to wear as they walk.
“Each day we walk, we take stock of our lives, slow down and count our blessings,” GirlTrek founders T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison say. “After our walk, we write a heartfelt thank you letter or #GratitudeGram to anyone who is making the world better.”
Not only do these actions help keep members physically healthy, Dixon and Garrison share that the gratitude challenge has emotional benefits, as well.
“Through a daily commitment to express to others how much they mean to us, we are able to heal our wounds, transcend our pain, to put aside ego and pride and to celebrate and share our light with others,” they say.
