again . We need to salute their contributions . I think we only appreciate what we have when we do not have it . Walking , sometimes , can be relearned with intensive practice .
We can walk the world , literally . A few daring people have done it . Or we can explore on a smaller scale , new parks , new cities , the great outdoors . It can be full of adventure . Walking expands our experience , our possible journeys of the physical world . And an observation from my travels : obesity is not that common in the great cities of the world where people walk a lot .
My expansive review of scientific research into brain health centralises regular daily walking as the lifestyle choice to maintain neuronal integrity . No question ! Walking builds brain elasticity and resilience . Brisk walking of 150 minutes per week is the recommended quantity , in the absence of other forms of exercise , and quality to keep fit and enjoy the health benefits of exercise .
Walking builds heart health . In fact , some physicians now prescribe walking as the first medicine of choice to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms . It works , especially when performed with ( an ) other human being ( s ) or dog ( s ). And it is free . Walking with others is a wonderful social lubricant .
Many of the greatest writers of all time agree that walking – getting the body moving , the legs pumping , the arms swinging – generates cortical activity in creative thinking , nuance and imagery . Charles Dickens , for example , treated his chronic insomnia by walking the streets of London late into the night . His observations , on reflection , served as his profound research findings of the despicable slums and factories and child labour , that then wove its thread through his later novels : Oliver Twist , A Tale of Two Cities , A Christmas Carol …. Other influential novelists and philosophers all write about the utility of their daily walks – Virginia Woolf , Soren Kierkegaard , Immanuel Kant , Mark Twain , Friedrich Nietzsche , William Wordsworth , William Blake …
Walking sparks the creative juices : physical motion turns on the cognitive machine . When Steve Jobs needed to have a deep conversation with somebody , he invited them for a walk . As an incorrigible lifetime walker , I resonate with the British historian George Trevelyan who said : “ I have two doctors , my left leg and my right !”
Johnny , keep on walking !
Dr Jonathan Moch , a PPS member , is a trained physician and psychiatrist , having practised for almost four decades . He founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the famed Milpark Hospital , the only such clinic in Southern Africa . He has focused much of his research , writing and teaching on optimising brain health . Readers can
subscribe to his Letters From An African Psychiatrist .
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