Ep 26: Boost Your Mood with Walking and Happy Brain Chemicals!

Ep 26: Boost Your Mood with Walking and Happy Brain Chemicals!

Author: Frank S. Ring August 4, 2025 Duration: 37:07
Boost your mood and stay consistent with your fitness goals—by working with your brain instead of against it. In Episode 26 of the Walking for Health and Fitness Podcast, host Frank Ring sits down with Dr. Loretta Breuning, bestselling author of Habits of a Happy Brain and founder of the Inner Mammal Institute. Together, they explore how your brain’s happy chemicals—dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins—are triggered by simple, daily actions like walking, social connection, novelty, and small wins. This conversation breaks down why we quit good habits (even when we feel better doing them) and gives you brain-based tools to make your walking habit stick for life. In this eye-opening episode, I sit down with Dr. Loretta Breuning, author of Habits of a Happy Brain and founder of the Inner Mammal Institute, to explore the real reason we fall off track—and how to retrain your brain to feel good about sticking with healthy habits like walking. Episode 26 – Walking for Health and Fitness PodcastHosted by Frank Ring You’ll learn:✅ How dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin & endorphins shape your daily behavior✅ Why motivation dips (and how to overcome it)✅ How walking can naturally trigger your brain’s “happy chemicals”✅ What to do when you're stuck in a stress or procrastination loop Whether you’re building a new walking habit or trying to get back on track—this episode gives you the brain-based tools to make it stick. 👣 Don’t miss this deep dive into the chemistry of consistency. Your next step might be your next breakthrough. --- 🎁 Learn more about Frank's latest book: Get the Walking Works Blueprint Preview + Free Music Track👉 https://www.walkingforhealthandfitness.com/walkingworksbookgiveaway Start your week off with a WIN!Walking Inspiration Newsletter: https://www.walkingforhealthandfitness.com/newsletter ---By Dr. Loretta Breuning: 📘 Habits of a Happy Brain By Dr. Loretta Breuning: https://amzn.to/3H6Yr20 🎁 Get a Free 5-Day Training Course: 👉 https://innermammalinstitute.org/happy-chemical-jumpstart/ 📘 Learn more from Dr. Breuning at InnerMammalInstitute.org --- 🎧 Listen, subscribe, and walk with us at:https://www.walkingforhealthandfitness.com Related Videos: Episode 21: How to Start a Walking Habit that Stickshttps://youtu.be/7dvWj6jTTwo Podcast 22: Step Your Way to Serenity: How Walking Transforms Health & Reduces Anxiety: https://youtu.be/4XH3WqTnJI4 Podcast 23: NEAT Reveals the Secret to Burning Fat Without Exercisehttps://youtu.be/QuubKDkY8Hg Podcast 24: Walking Saved My Life: A Prostate Cancer Survivor’s Journey and the Power of Early Detection: https://youtu.be/B-df9cy7a5Y Podcast 25: WALKING Consistency Hacks for Messy Life Moments | Walking for Health and Fitness: https://youtu.be/P0s0ylDzheU   #WalkingForHealth #LorettaBreuning #HabitsOfAHappyBrain #PodcastEpisode26 #BrainChemistry #WalkingPodcast #FitnessMotivation #InnerMammalInstitute #Dopamine #FrankRing

Frank Ring knows a thing or two about putting one foot in front of the other. After a debilitating back injury forced him into a painful, months-long recovery, he found his path to healing through the simple, profound act of walking. That personal journey evolved into a mission, leading to books, programs, and now the Walking for Health and Fitness podcast. This isn't about extreme workouts or unattainable goals; it's a practical, encouraging conversation for anyone who wants to feel better, move with less pain, and build sustainable fitness from the ground up. In each episode, Frank draws from his own experience and research to discuss topics like proper walking form, integrating movement into a busy day, setting realistic goals, and the mental clarity that comes with a consistent routine. You'll hear straightforward advice, listener questions, and motivational stories that remind you that every journey begins with a single step. The podcast serves as an audio companion to his broader work, offering actionable tips and a supportive voice to help you walk your way toward a more balanced, healthy life, no matter your starting point. Tune in for honest talk about making lasting change, where the focus is on consistency over intensity and progress is measured one peaceful, powerful stride at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Walking for Health and Fitness
Podcast Episodes
Why You Keep Quitting Walking After 50: The 3-Step Restart System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:12
Feeling like you keep quitting walking after 50? In Episode 47, Frank Ring shares the simple Reframe, Reduce, Repeat system to help you restart with a five-minute walk, rebuild confidence, and create a habit that lasts.…
No Gym Needed: Turn Your Walk Into a Full-Body Workout [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:48
In Episode 46, Frank S. Ring shares how to turn an ordinary walk into a full-body fitness experience by adding simple bodyweight exercises like pushups, squats, lunges, and planks. This April chapter of the Walking Inspi…
You’re Not Out of Shape — You’re Just Missing a Walking System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:35
You’re not out of shape — you may just be missing a walking system. In this episode, Frank Ring explains why motivation is not enough to keep you walking and how a simple 10-minute recovery walk can help you rebuild mome…
Why Walking Gives You More Time Than It Takes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:19
In this episode, Frank S. Ring shares why walking is not lost time — it is life-expanding time. You’ll learn how a simple walk can become thinking time, creativity time, prayer time, reflection time, learning time, and p…
Motivation Won’t Keep You Walking — Goals Will [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:43
In episode 42, Frank S. Ring shares the February goal-setting lesson from Walking Inspiration and explains how to turn a vague walking wish into a written goal that creates direction, confidence, and daily action.
Why You Can’t Stay Consistent With Walking (Your WHY Is the Problem) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:22
The real reason your walking habit isn’t sticking—and how to fix it Why is it so hard to stay consistent with walking—even when you know it’s good for you? In this episode of the Walking for Health and Fitness Podcast, w…