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

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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. I have worn out many a pair of walking sandals in Brooklyn, New Paltz/upstate NY and all over Essex and London, England. From practical tips on improving one’s gait to exploring new areas without a map, Streets offers dozens of innovative ways to get anyone at any age or fitness level walking.

A delightfully original love letter to an activity humans were designed to do throughout the course of each day. 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. Things I liked about this book: So many ideas to think about walking in a new way and to keep the simple act of walking from being boring. I am a lifelong walker, having started very very early in life as I started school at age 4 and the school was about 12 blocks from my house and I had to walk that twice a day.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! Even as I was putting this on reserve at my local library, I strongly suspected that this was going to be one of those Buzzfeed-style listicles padded out into a full book, which I'm a real sucker for because I'm always holding out hope that the next one will be that rare exception and actually justify its page count; but alas, this turned out to be exactly what I suspected, a book that promises to provide creative and interesting ways to change up your daily walking habit every single week throughout a year, but then is filled with silly nonsense like, "Week 3: Take a walk while you smile at people! PLUS, it gave me new ways to explore the various benefits available through a diverse walking repertoire. So either this book needed another edit to not allow readers to misconstrue these chapters, or the readers are being lied to.

Reminding dog walkers to pick up poo should be unnecessary but, as we all know, some people do need telling. The book outlines 52 ways to walk, one for each week from January through to December, and all of which can be done by anyone, anywhere. There is a lot to motivate and invigorate a person, to maybe move from the couch to at least the end of the driveway, or block. I love going on walks, and this was a solid book about the science of why different kinds of walks (walks through nature, walks after it rains, walks in the morning, in the evening, etc) are good for you!It has numerous tips on how to walk in every kind of weather and the value of walking in the cold, wind, rain, snow, with poles, without them, nature walks, solitary walks, group walks, map walks, etc. Streets carefully breaks down the psychological and physical benefits of [walking], and makes a solid case that getting some movement in outside can help one “appreciate the exquisitely complicated and beautiful world we inhabit. 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.