South Africans can’t wait to get back onto their feet – The Wall Street Journal

South Africans are becoming nostalgic about walking. Even those who would on any good day not walk to the shops and prefer to see the world go by from a car window, want to start walking. It is a bit like voting; it is not something many people really cherish and sometimes forget to do, until it is taken away from them. And while there was a general acceptance that the lockdown imposed by the government is necessary; the decision not to allow people to walk or cycle is starting to grate, especially for parents who have to juggle working from home with teaching their own children. There is no outlet, no opportunity just to feel free for a moment. People miss walking and running on the beach, in the mountains and just down a safe suburban street. For those of us who are in lockdown in overseas countries; walking, running and cycling has become as important as breathing. We walk to the shops, take the dog for a walk and can cycle, and all of us have become as good as a school of fish as we synchronise our steps to keep our social distance. In the United Kingdom, where people don't tend to chat with strangers; we are talking to neighbours we have never met and everybody greet and smile at each other on their daily walk. The Wall Street Journal writes that walking is the movement that we have evolved for and "that movement through the world changes the dynamics of the brain itself". – Linda van Tilburg

Why walking matters – now more than ever

By Shane O'Mara

(The Wall Street Journal) – Why does walking make us feel good? We all know that a satisfying stroll changes our outlook. Perhaps we realise it all the more today, when so many of us are hunkered down and this simple activity is a challenge. But walking is especially important now, with gyms and team sports shut down. It's one of our few accessible forms of exercise but also one that is directly affected by stay-at-home orders. What we usually do automatically now takes serious intention.

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