It was great to be able to publish our first “letter to the editor” in this month’s edition of INstride. You’ll find it on page 10, along with a fitness tip submitted to myINstride.com by Julia Short. I bring these items up because one of our dreams for this magazine and its sister Web site is that readers will be extremely involved with the content we offer. As many of our stories these first six months have shown, wellness and fitness can be enhanced by the supportive people around you.

We have more examples of that in this month’s edition, including the story about the Walking Women of Brown County and our Fitness Inspiration, Melanie Castillo-Cullather. She talks a lot about the people who help her in the story on page 24.

A good place to find like-minded people to help you stay on the path to fitness is myINstride.com. Remember, it’s easy to sign up to join the community of more than 260 members.

We know fall and winter have their own challenges when it comes to eating well. This month, we offer some more healthful recipes for those weekend tailgate parties. During the next couple of months, turn to INstride for other suggestions about how to eat well as the holiday season descends.

As always, look to our calendar for events you can participate in and check out Spotted to see some of your friends and neighbors being active.

Bob Zaltsberg, editor