Stepping out for National Walking Month

Walking is one of those things many of us take for granted – but scientifically speaking, it’s a bit of a wonder-drug. As devotees from Charles Dickens to Steve Jobs have long known, it aids creativity, memory and mood. “Ideas come unsummoned, while out walking in the woods,” said Beethoven. Even just a short stroll boosts a flow of blood to the brain, as cortisol drops, endorphins rise, and everything feels a bit more manageable. It’s also great for weight loss, as everyone from Rebel Wilson to Oprah Winfrey can attest. So, in honour of National Walking Month, here are five ways to build more of it into your day – no Lycra required.

Walking for physical and mental health

If you’re after a more sustainable form of exercise, walking is a ‘shoe-in’. Comedian David Mitchell originally started walking every day to help with his longstanding sciatica and back problems – and while his back improved, he famously shed some excess weight too. (This writer can testify to this, having reversed my own Type 2 diabetes in 2020 by doing exactly the same, alongside eating healthily, for a few months.) 

Meanwhile, a 2024 review of 75 studies found walking significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety – regardless of whether people walked indoors or outdoors. As Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard advised a depressed family member in 1847: “Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”

Walking meetings

Walking meetings are exactly what they sound like: swapping the boardroom for the pavement or park. And a 2014 Stanford University study suggests this side-by-side brainstorming (and team bonding) boosts creativity by up to 60%, by activating “divergent thinking”. Practitioners suggest keeping it short, about 20–30 minutes, with two or three people max. Routes should also be simple, relatively quiet, and ideally loop back to the starting point. Steve Jobs was a known advocate – and favoured “long walks” for more serious talks with designers around Apple’s campus, to spark ideas. 

Catching up on podcasts

Which brings us neatly to another reason to keep walking. Podcasts, audiobooks and music have a way of making time – and miles – melt away. Whether it’s politics, comedy, history or something more meditative, it turns walking into something you look forward to rather than something that feels like work. Before you know it, 45 minutes has flown by, hitting that sweet spot for mood and creativity boosts. Just remember to keep one ear on the world around you – traffic, cyclists, reality – while Edwin Starr and the Proclaimers act as your walking coaches.

Volunteer dog walking

If you want your daily walk to help others too, the Cinnamon Trust is a brilliant place to start. Founded in 1985, the charity matches volunteers with older or seriously ill people who can’t manage their dog walks themselves – and it now has over 17,000 volunteers nationwide. It’s simple enough: you take a dog out once or a few times a week, depending on what works. You need to be over 18, there’s no rigid time commitment, and walks are really tailored to the dog, anything from a gentle stroll to more energetic laps of the park. You can even bring your own dog along: one dog per hand, to be on the safe side. The dogs will love you for it too.

Find out more about National Walking Month.

Ali Catterall is an award-winning writer, journalist and filmmaker whose writing has featured in the Guardian, Time Out, GQ, Film4, Word magazine and the Big Issue, among many others. Ali is also the writer and director of the 2023 film Scala!!!

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