If you could make one simple change to create better mental and physical health for yourself, wouldn’t that be something you would try? With all of the nutrition, health, and fitness advice we see constantly, there is one thing that can be so beneficial that is also pretty simple to implement: walking.
Walking is an amazing way to add movement to your life. It may seem simple, but walking has many benefits:
These are some of the things that Joyce Shulman dives into with her new book “Walk Your Way To Better: 99 Walks That Will Change Your Life”. Joyce found a love of walking when life threw her curveballs. She found peace and answers during her walks and she wrote this book to share them with others.
Joyce Shulman, founder and CEO of 99 Walks and Macaroni Kid reaches millions of moms each month with hyper-local and national e-newsletters and websites, social media content, video, and her Weekly Walk podcast. Having created a one-of-a-kind digital platform, she connects families to the wonders of their own communities and inspires women to chase their dreams and crush their goals.
Her most recent endeavor, 99 Walks, is on a mission to combat loneliness and improve fitness through the simple act of encouraging moms to walk together. Her mission? Nothing short of getting a million women walking.
In her book, there are 99 mini-chapters, or Walks, that she guides you through. Each has a story and inspiration and ends with a thought or question to contemplate on your walk that day.
The concept may be to read a chapter a day and then walk to think, but I found myself wanting to read one more section…then one more… I’m a sucker for real-life stories and getting those life lessons out of them. Plus I love a good deep question to get me thinking! 🙂
I was only 3 Walks into the book when I read something that really hit me personally and encompasses everything I share through this blog. Here’s an excerpt:
Sick is the new vacation for moms,” a therapist once told me. She’s absolutely right. We keep going until we break down. We keep pushing until our bodies have had enough. We say “yes” until our bodies say “no.” When we recover, we are so grateful to feel better that we immediately jump back into our lives with a vengeance to make up for the things we didn’t do while we were sick. We don’t’ learn the lesson.
How many times have you had this happen in your life? Mom life can be tough. It can be tiring. But our love for our kids & family is fierce so we do whatever it takes to help, support, and care for everyone.
…that is until we can’t. Until we become so exhausted that our bodies don’t work as they should. We get sick often, we have mood swings, we feel depressed, we lack energy.
*hint* This is your body telling you it’s time to SLOW DOWN.
Joyce continues in this chapter by saying:
So, if you are reading this book and thinking, I don’t have thirty minutes to walk and ponder important questions and begin to make changes in my life, let me be frank: yes, you do. Yes, it will mean making choices. Different choices. It might mean going outside when it is drizzling. It might mean making dinner in the crockpot. It might mean asking your partner to, well, be a partner and god down the fort while you take thirty minutes for yourself. … You can find thirty minutes in your day that you can claim to do something for your body, heart, mind, and spirit. So make it a priority.
It’s amazing what the power of a 30 minute walk can do for the mind, body, and spirit. I encourage you to make the time in your day for a walk. It might be hard at first, but over time you will start to crave that time to think. And with Joyce’s book, you’ll have lots to think about as you walk along.
You can find Joyce’s book “Walk Your Way To Better” here on Amazon.
And you can find Joyce here:
