When asked for advice on how to live a long, happy life, the second president of the United States, John Adams — who lived to 90 years old — had three main recommendations: marry well, eat a lot of chocolate and walk as much and as frequently as you possibly can.
I do respect John Adams; he had many important impacts and was right more often than he was wrong. When it comes to walking, though, I only recently realized how much I agree with him on its utmost importance to our lives.
Forget about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. When it comes to the hierarchy of my goals for the day, walking is the pinnacle — the thing I yearn for, but so rarely get to do. I have to focus on my homework, study for tests, memorize lines and try to get a good night’s sleep. There seems to be very little time in my high school life to stroll around the block. Then, a few weeks ago, my parents were unable to pick my brother and me up from the bus stop. We decided, both of us being enjoyers of the outdoors, to walk home.
The first thing I noticed was that I relaxed almost instantly. The constant, looming presence of homework momentarily disappeared. Walking made it impossible to multitask. I no longer had the responsibility of maximizing the productivity of this exact moment; the only thing I had to do was keep walking home.
It wasn’t only metaphorical freedom that was calming me down, however; walking releases endorphins in your body, which are chemicals that improve your mood. If you rewind evolution a bit in your mind, the human body is used to being in near-constant motion. It makes sense that the absence of that motion would feel wrong.
Those are the short-term physical benefits of walking. The long-term ones make walking even more worthwhile. Walking for a few hours each week has been shown to help prevent osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases and dementia. According to Harvard Medical School, walking can help ameliorate joint pain and lower your risk of getting sick. These are just a few of the many ways walking helps you live a longer, healthier and less painful life.
Frequent walking can also improve your brain health, making it easier for you to focus, remember and absorb information. Additionally, the more you walk, the more melatonin you produce, the chemical that keeps your circadian rhythm in check and helps you sleep at night. These factors also affect your mood, keeping you happier and less anxious. All of this is good for you and your ability to concentrate on whatever tasks you keep prioritizing over going on a walk. It is not either-or; walking is good for you and your productivity.
But couldn’t these points be true for any form of exercise? Well, in a way, yes. So what makes walking so uniquely important?
Exploring on foot reminds us we have agency. Dance, soccer and tennis are all forms of exercise that have many similar health benefits, but walking is the only one that can take you from one place to another. It isn’t exercise just for exercise’s sake — I can walk to the grocery store a mile from my house, or, if I really wanted to, all the way to a friend’s house. While cars, public transportation and even bikes are very useful ways to get around, walking reminds you that you are ultimately in control of your own life — it is yours to do with what you will. It’s also a wonderful way to get places without further polluting the environmental, which is a benefit to both you and nature.
Walking is also one of the only forms of energy that requires you to notice the world around you — not just the players on the other team or the other people in the gym, but the trees you’re walking next to and the wildlife you pass along the way. You have to look where you’re going, and that makes it difficult to ignore the world — and its problems.
Sitting inside all day, you might not notice or mind poor air quality or litter along the roads. While walking, you’re reminded that the world is yours, too. You are not a guest in it, and it is not disposable, which, hopefully, encourages you to protect it.
There’s no one way to stay healthy, to make yourself happy or to make sure you pay attention to the world. But of all our many options, I agree with John Adams: Walking is one of the best.
