I’m an avid reader of The Wall Street Journal, but I must admit that when it comes to the style and lifestyle articles, I’m not a good fit. WSJ is a mainstream newspaper published in New York City, and as such, many of the viewpoints of its authors are cosmopolitan. Each week, they feature a number of book reviews. That’s where I first learned of In Praise of Walking. I transitioned from running to walking nearly a decade ago. I never really liked running, but a recurrent case of IT Band Syndrome, and my reluctance to properly address it through physical therapy permanently ended my running days.

The thing is, I prefer walking. My review of the literature revealed that walking confers essentially the same level of health benefits as running, albeit taking slightly longer per exercise session. I was drawn in by the title of the book.

Written by the Irish brain researcher Shane O’Mara, the book takes a deep dive into the science of walking. Indeed, the subtitle, “A New Scientific Exploration” is as advertised. The author is a university professor, and clearly delights in all the deep science that proves the universal benefits that walking confers. The technical language and obsessive coverage of studies proved to be quite dry, partly contributing to the five months it took me to digest this relatively short book. It was more like attending a lecture or seminar than consuming the content for pleasure.

In between the scientific review, there was plenty of goodness sprinkled in. The point of the book was made: a regular habit of walking has deep and far-reaching positive benefits for the human body and person. O’Mara drives the point home most clearly and succinctly in the Afterward, though I wish he’d landed the plane sooner.

The core lesson of the book is this: walking enhances every aspect of our social, psychological and neural functioning. It is the simple, life-enhancing, health-building prescription we all need, one that we should take in regular doses, large and small, at a good pace, day in, day out, in nature and in our towns and cities. We need to make walking a natural, habitual part of our every day lives. Pound the pavement; get the wind in your face; let the light of day and street lamps of night dance on your eyes; feel the rain on your face; sense the ground beneath your feet; hear the sounds; talk — if only to yourself; relax into the rhythm of walking and let your mind wander, deliberate, contemplate; journey into your past, delve into your possible futures; or think of nothing at all. Although walking arises from our deep, evolutionary paths, it is our future too: for walking will do you all the good that you now know it does.

In the end, the heavy science makes this read a drag and beyond the scope of the casual reader.

Would I recommend: NO

ISBN: 978-0393652086