Joyce Shulman is the author of Walk Your Way to Better, a book which aims to help you to do exactly that. She kindly had a chat with me.
How did you discover the power of walking?
When I was sixteen, I came home from school one day in a terrible mood and my dad took one look at me and said “go for a walk and then we’ll talk.” I took his advice and vividly recall the way my mood had shifted by the time I got home 20 minutes later. Since then, walking has always been part of my personal practice.
How does walking help us?
Walking is a simple, but incredibly powerful practice. The research around all of the things walking does for us is truly remarkable. For our bodies, a regular walking practice reduces our risk of many diseases, from high blood pressure to dementia to several types of cancer. For our mood, walking has been shown to be an effective tool in the arsenal against depression and, as I often say, walking is a great antidote to a crappy day. And walking is good for our minds by improving our decision making, increasing our focus and fueling our creativity.
What does ‘better’ mean for you?
Oh, that’s such a good question — no one has asked me that. By better, I mean happier and working our way towards living a life that is more closely aligned with our true personal goals, priorities and purpose.
What has been the biggest ‘a ha’ moment you’ve had whilst walking?
I really can’t point to one “lightning bolt” moment. Walking is more of a process for me. A time in my day when I sort through what’s on my mind and untangle my thoughts.
What for you is the link between stories and walking?
I feel that we are all running so fast and doing so much that what’s missing for many of us is the chance to let our minds wander and process and percolate and create. It’s no surprise to me that the research shows a very significant increase in our ability to generate creative ideas following a walk. All of those things come together to make working and stories — whether creating stories or contemplating them — closely connected.