52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time

Product Information

I wonder if sometimes it’s about perception,” she says, about walking alone. “At home we know all the horror stories and all their locations, but when we’re elsewhere we don’t have that knowledge. We don’t know about the horrible things, so we think we’re safe. And nine times out of 10 we are. We look at women in the past who’ve done big journeys and think they’re intrepid or brave, but they also didn’t have daily news stories about what could go wrong.”

I wasn't sure what I was going to get with this book, although it shouldn't have been a surprise given the rather informative title, but it was so unexpectedly delightful! People who studied this in walking meetings found that people who moved are able to come up with more ideas, it’s almost as though the movement shakes your brain a bit and you start to make connections… through different parts of your memory, different parts of your brain that you don’t when you’re sitting down.”

How to Use the Book

Much like the author's father, I don't drive, so have naturally become a life-long walker. Good thing I love it really! Due to medical issues I've not been able to walk as much as I usually do these past few months (typically 5 miles in the morning and another 2 or so in the evening), and as I'm currently recovering from surgery, I'm not quite up for a brisk uphill climb in the rain just yet. But I did spend most of the time listening to this book pacing up and down my hallway/kitchen, and am so very much looking forward to being able to get out walking again very soon!

Motivation is a large aspect of this book, so Ms. Streets writes about walking in the rain, the mud, the wind and the snow. The best attire for foul weather walking, with sensible advice o how to be safe. The book is more nudging than pedantic and that is nice as many self- help books can be frankly a tad, no a lot bossy. Walking strengthens our bodies, calms our minds and lifts our spirits. But it does so much more than this. Our vision, hearing, respiration, sleep, cognition, memory, blood pressure, sense of smell and balance (to name a few) are all enhanced by how we walk. For instance: The rain [also] really shakes up all of the plants and the soil … and all these molecules start moving around within tree trunks and leaves, and these molecules are incredibly good for us … [they] are helping us feel more relaxed. As a young adult, Annabel bought her first car and enjoyed driving it around her little town. She also accepted a desk job. Soon she noticed changes in her body and wellness level. With hearing, I was fascinated to discover some of the science behind the sounds we hear so the most relaxing sound for most people is actually the sound of water … but the most uplifting sound is actually birdsong.”

Reviews

For Streets, it was a spark, a gleeful rekindling of an old love affair. “Walking had never seemed more beguiling or thrilling,” she writes in the book’s introduction. Her friends, and especially her family, didn’t catch the same vibe. It was wet. It was cold. It was boring. It was slow. It was just… walking. Walking had become, once again, the great adventure of my life. But this time science could explain how and why" I appreciate that the book contains a full year of weekly walks. And it inspires me to create other interesting walks as well.