Mandy Oaklander | September 09, 2026

I remember my high-step-count era. At the time, I didn’t even realize I was in it. Living in New York City, walking was baked into daily life. It’s probably what I miss most about city living.

Out here in the suburbs, I can go days without cracking 5,000 steps. Most of the movement I get now is intentional.

But there’s fresh hope for people like me. Today, my colleague Veronique Greenwood covered a new study finding that you can still get the big health benefits of walking if you’re stuck around that 5,000-step mark—as long as you step lively. One expert told Veronique the trick to figuring out if you’re walking quickly enough.

TODAY’S TOPICS

A lousy school surprise
Get to know your grandparents
Rest in mushrooms

QUICK CHAT

Lice lessons

Did you know that September is National Head Lice Prevention Month in the U.S.? I didn’t, until a head lice outbreak at my toddler’s school last week prompted me to learn more about how to spot, prevent and treat infestations.

For my new piece out today, I chatted with Dr. April Armstrong, chief of dermatology at University of California Los Angeles, to learn about the pesky parasites. – Dominique Mosbergen, Health Correspondent

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Oxford Scientific—Getty Images

Is there a time of year when we tend to see an increase in head lice cases?

Head lice can occur throughout the year, but cases are often noticed more frequently in late summer and early fall, when children return to school and resume close-contact activities. Summer camps and sleepovers can also facilitate transmission.

How do you prevent getting head lice?

There is no completely reliable way to prevent head lice, especially among young children who naturally play in close contact. The most effective step is to limit direct head-to-head or hair-to-hair contact when lice are known to be circulating. Children should also avoid sharing combs, brushes, hair accessories, hats, helmets, and towels, although transmission through objects is much less common than direct contact.

If you get head lice once, are you more susceptible to getting it again?

A previous infestation does not appear to make someone biologically more susceptible to head lice, but it also does not produce reliable immunity. Anyone who has close head-to-head contact with an infested person can acquire lice again.

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TIME TO TALK

12 questions you’ll be glad you asked your grandparents

Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Giulio Fornasar—Getty Images)

You may know your grandparents’ familiar stories by heart. But the right question can introduce you to the mischievous kid, uncertain young adult, or courageous person they were long before you knew them. It might also help you understand who they are right now.

Ask about the small stuff

“What was your childhood like?” is an enormous question. Zoom in instead: “Tell me about the dinner table in the house where you grew up.” Ask what counted as a shocking waste of money, how they once got into trouble, or what object they’ve kept since childhood. The ordinary details often reveal the most. You may finally learn why your mom refuses to pay for shipping—or discover a family story nobody thought to tell.

Let it become a real conversation

Don’t cling too tightly to a prepared list. Ask follow-up questions, answer some of them yourself, and eventually turn the interview around: “If you could ask me anything right now, what would you want to know?” Ask about the present, too: “What are you still figuring out?”Grandparents don’t stop changing simply because they become grandparents.

The goal isn’t to collect a perfect oral history. It’s to become curious about each other—and have the conversation while you still can. —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness

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WHAT WE’RE READING

Would you want to be buried in a mushroom coffin? Jack Larkin at the Guardian reports on an unusual, fast-composting alternative to a traditional casket.
An Ohio coffee shop is serving a “Stay” latte, where part of the proceeds go to a suicide-prevention organization. Brianna Weaver at 13abc shares the shop owner’s deeply personal story behind it.
A hospital in Troy, N.Y., decided to close its birthing center—the last in the area. So politicians, Planned Parenthood, the Catholic diocese, and others united to save it, Noam N. Levey writes for KFF Health News.

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