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 love to walk, mostly with my dogs, but I love a good long walk with a good conversationalist and/or under a canopy of trees. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Streets cites an anthropological study that suggests a rhythmic pace, coordinated movement and a lack of eye contact make it easy for us to open up as we walk along with another person. I listened to the audiobook (yes, while walking), and once finished, I promptly got the kindle version to reference more easily and a hardcover version shipped off to my mother.

After reading this book, I’ll probably walk in the rain more, walk more errands, and walk while listening to the soundscape.

Each short chapter includes the type of walk to go on, the benefits from the activity and the science to back the reasoning. Under the name Annabel Streets, which she uses for her practical nonfiction, she is coauthor of The Age Well Project (Piatkus, May 2019).

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.I'll definitely be trying quite a few of these out myself, starting with meditation walks and walking backward. In her new book, 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science Of Walking For Wellness And Joy, One Week At A Time, Annabel Streets takes readers through 52 weeks of walks, which will inspire and encourage you to mix up how, when and where you walk, to get the most out of each step. She made a resolution to do as much as she could on foot, getting a dog and proper wet-weather gear for extra motivation. There is a chapter on breathing through your nose as you walk where the author seems to hint that this filters out coronaviruses due to a specific chemical that it released.

Or sing while you climb up hill, giving your mind something to concentrate on, and your breathing to become more regular.To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Annabel attempts to get you out of the rut of putting one foot in front of the other counting your steps. Her book has more than enough ideas for different walks for each week of the year and it’s packed with science to back up the benefits. It’s very good for reflection and contemplation but it’s also good just sometimes if you’ve had a bit of a day to calm you down and put things into perspective. The science also shows walking in a group or with a friend, even if just in your imagination, can help long distances or high mountains feel less intimidating, she says.

The weekly format means chapters are brief and to the point, and clear chapter titles make it an easy book to read either straight through or cherry-picking based on interest. 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! 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. The trick is to hold your chin parallel to the ground, push your shoulder blades down your back and roll your stomach slightly inwards as though tucking it under your rib cage.The chapters roughly coincide with annual weather conditions, colder at the beginning and end of the year, and some universally recognized events. This is quite a "light" book, although all the benefits presented are supported by scientific evidence. A decade ago, scientists discovered that loud noises stopped new neurons from forming in the brain, in the regions linked to memory and learning. This seems dangerous to assert, since most doctors agree a gap less mask on will help reduce the risk of contracting COVID.