I've been a serious walker for years and I have already put into practice many of the author's suggestions. 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. In this entrancing book, Annabel Streets unravels the science as well as the soul behind the ways we walk. She does list out every study she uses in the back of the book, so you can draw your own conclusions. Annabel’s guide to the whys and hows of walking is now published as a paperback, so you can easily take it with you on your walking adventures!

Modern life has rendered walking an optional pursuit, but Streets makes a compelling, evidence-based case for the benefits of a daily stroll… A gift for walking enthusiasts as well as those who need a little nudge to put on their walking shoes, 52 Ways to Walk will render redundant all of the usual excuses by presenting creative, weather-conscious options for every type of walker. There is another chapter where the author notes she lost her sense of smell due to COVID but then later in the chapter tells us she went on "smell walks" with the aforementioned lost sense. 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. In our car-obsessed (and largely car-dependent) society, this book will make you think about the places you *could* actually be walking to, and all the benefits that come with it. I recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their daily walks or to start walking more than they currently do.

My main critique is I felt the "tips" section of each chapter definitely felt like the weakest part, it felt like the part the author spent the least amount of time on. 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.

PLUS, it gave me new ways to explore the various benefits available through a diverse walking repertoire. Walk slow, fast, at night, in the morning, after meals, alone, with a friend, in the rain, singing, meditating etc etc x 52.I do wonder how much we can take from a study of a group of 60 walkers (many of the studies referenced include less than 100 participants), but a lot of the things she claims make sense. I ramble/walk often and am currently completing the London Outer Orbital Pathway (LOOP), over 150 miles of walking (split into 24 sections) encircling London through its green belt. As a person who walks for both physical and mental health, rather than a particular destination, Annabel Streets' 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time is both an inspiration, and a revelation. I knew that walking made me feel better, especially during these super trying times, but I wasn't sure why, nor how I could make a walk around my neighborhood more interesting.