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

52 Ways to Walk is a short, user-friendly guide to attaining the full range of benefits that walking has to offer--physical, spiritual, and emotional--backed by the latest scientific research to inspire readers to develop a fulfilling walking lifestyle. We think we know how to walk. After all, walking is one of the very first skills we learn. But many of us are stuck in our walking routines, forever walking in the same place, in the same way, for the same time, with the same people. With its thought-provoking and evidence-backed weekly walk routine, 52 Ways to Walk will encourage everyone to improve how they walk, while also encouraging them to seek out new locations (many on their own doorsteps), new walking companions (our brains age better when we mix up our fellow walkers), new times of the day and night, and new skills to acquire while walking. Inspirational, backed by science, illuminated with human anecdote, and bolstered with how-to tips, 52 Ways to Walk will inspire, challenge, support, and encourage everyone to become more ambitious with their walking practice, revealing how walking may be the best-kept secret of the supremely healthy and happy, the creative and well-slept--those with the best posture and sharpest memories. Just about everything, it appears, can be improved and enhanced by clever and judicious walking. It turns out you actually can get more from life, one step at a time. Introduction How to Use This Book WEEK 1Walk in the Cold WEEK 2Improve Your Gait WEEK 3Walk, Smile, Greet, Repeat WEEK 4Just One Slow Walk WEEK 5Breathe As You Walk WEEK 6Take a Muddy Walk WEEK 7Take a Twelve-Minute Walk WEEK 8Walk With Vista Vision WEEK 9Take a Windy Walk WEEK 10Walk Within an Hour of Waking WEEK 11Take a City Smell Walk WEEK 12Walk in the Rain WEEK 13Take a Walk-Dance or a Dance-Walk WEEK 14Walk With Your Ears WEEK 15Walk Alone WEEK 16Pick Up Litter As You Walk WEEK 17Follow a River WEEK 18Walk With a Dog WEEK 19Amble Amid Trees WEEK 20Walk to Remember WEEK 21Exercise Your Curiosity Muscle – Walk a Ley Line WEEK 22Take a Silent Stroll WEEK 23Walk at Altitude WEEK 24Walk With a Map WEEK 25Walk With Purpose WEEK 26Walk in Sunshine WEEK 27Sing As You Stride WEEK 28Walk With a Picnic WEEK 29Walk Barefoot WEEK 30Walk With Ions WEEK 31Walk Beside the Sea WEEK 32Walk in Water WEEK 33Sketch As You Walk WEEK 34Walk Beneath a Full Moon WEEK 35Walk Like a Nomad WEEK 36Walk With a Pack WEEK 37Take a Foraging Walk WEEK 38Climb Hills WEEK 39Walk With Your Nose WEEK 40Walk Like a Pilgrim WEEK 41Walk to Get Lost WEEK 42Walk After Eating WEEK 43Walk With Others WEEK 44Seek Out the Sublime WEEK 45Work As You Walk WEEK 46Take a Night Walk WEEK 47Jump-Start Your Walk for Super-Strong Bones WEEK 48Walk Hungry WEEK 49Walk Backwards WEEK 50Walk in an Evergreen Forest (for a Good Night’s Sleep) WEEK 51Walking As Meditation WEEK 52Walk Deep and Seek Out Fractals Afterword Recommended Reading Acknowledgements Notes Note on the Author 'Fascinating ... C onnected both to old wisdom and new scientific frontiers of discovery ' Lauren Laverne _______ _________________ 'We can all learn something from 52 Ways to Walk. I know I can.' Michael Ball, BBC Radio 2 ________________________ 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 are all enhanced by how we walk. For instance: · Walking in cold weather burns extra fat and builds more muscle. · Walking alone strengthens our memories. · Walking in woodland helps us sleep. · And there's nothing more restorative than a romantic nighthike. Our choice of location, time, direction, duration, walking companion and gait, as well as the weather we opt to walk in, can transform our daily stroll. Here, Annabel Streets shares the thrill of 52 different ways to walk, explaining the latest science behind each one, and providing practical tips for making the most of your daily steps. 52 Ways to Walk is a revelatory and informative handbook for anyone stuck in a walking rut, curious about the lesser-known benefits of walking or merely in need of some on-foot novelty and adventure. ""Walking had become, once again, the great adventure of my life. But this time science could explain how and why". 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: Walking in cold weather burns extra fat and builds more muscle; Walking alone strengthens our memories; Walking in woodland helps us sleep; And there's nothing more restorative than a romantic nighthike; Our choice of location, time, direction, duration, walking companion and gait, as well as the weather we opt to walk in, can transform our daily stroll. Here, Annabel Streets shares the thrill of 52 walking styles, explaining the latest science behind each one, and providing practical tips for making the most of your daily steps. 52 Ways to Walk is a revelatory and informative handbook for anyone stuck in a walking rut, curious about the lesser-known benefits of walking or merely in need of some on-foot novelty and adventure. Beautifully designed and pocket-sized, 52 Ways to Walk is a love letter to walking"--Publisher's description