Today, I am delighted to participate in the blog tour to share Joyce Schulman’s book Walk Your Way to Better.
Have you ever wondered why you think more clearly when you engage in leisure-time physical activity, like walking? I know that when I walk my dogs every day, whether, for 20 minutes or 60, I seem to focus better on thoughts that perplex me. Often, I have thought of a solution to a problem simply by clearing my mind. I do admit to talking to myself a bit while walking, but any passerby might suspect I’m talking to the dogs.
If you walk regularly, no doubt you have solved some of the world’s problems by now.
Book Summary
This is a book about walking your way to better. Everywhere you turn, people, podcasts and gurus promise a simple path to the life you want. But few of them work. Why? Because simply reading the words is rarely enough to call your heart and mind to action. This book is different. Each section provides a thought-starter, insight or story. But I don’t want you to just read it. I want you to read a section and then lace up your sneakers and head out the door. Because while walking, your brain processes in a unique way, enabling you to recognize the things that are truly holding your back and the changes you actually need to make. You will literally Walk Your Way to Better. Along the way, you will forge a powerful connection between your mind and your body. And bonus — you’ll feel better and become fitter.
Publisher: Kibo Press
Walk Your Way to Better is available to purchase now on Amazon.com
Today Joyce shares an excerpt from her chapter, Walk #31 The Power of Yet
The “growth mindset” has swept the world of everything from parenting and education to professional development and preschool over the past several years.
The concept was first articulated — and the phrase first coined — by researcher Carol Dweck thirty years ago. Dweck had studied the behavior of thousands of children and discovered that those children who believed that they can get smarter were the ones who did the work to achieve more — which reinforced their belief that they could learn and achieve, which reinforced their willingness to do the work in a positive, self-perpetuating cycle. Conversely, those children who believed that their capabilities and talents were fixed and therefore limited were more likely to get frustrated and give up.
Putting it another way, having a growth mindset means believing that you have the power to learn, grow and improve at just about everything and research shows that simply holding that belief empowers you to learn, grow and improve.
Okay, sure, some people have more innate talent at some things than other things. If you are 4’ 11,” a career as a professional women’s basketball player is unlikely to be in your future and if, like me, you can’t carry a tune, opera is probably not where you will make your mark in the world.
But pretty much all skills can be developed, all things can be learned and — with enough desire, dedication, and grit — most things can be mastered.
This is awesome because evolution has wired a desire to lean into our DNA. That is clear from the little spark of joy we get when we master a new skill, learn a new trick, or accomplish a goal. And yet as adults, we often stop our journey. Perhaps it is because we were told as children that we were no good at something. Perhaps it is because we believe that, as adults, we are supposed to have the answers. Perhaps it is because we don’t dedicate time to learning and developing new skills.
Yet it is so essential to continue to grow and learn that research shows that people who continue to learn throughout their lives live longer. Yup, learning new skills throughout your life will literally prolong your life.
There is a simple way for you to begin to develop a growth mindset. Simply add the word “yet” to the end of any sentence or thought you have that begins with “I’m not good at ….” or “I can’t do…”
“I’m not good at cooking … yet.”
“I’m not good at writing … yet.”
“I’m not good at jumping rope … yet.”
Yet.
Who knew it could be so powerful?
My Review: 99 Inspiring Walks
Our bodies long for daily physical activity. Excuses aside, simply getting up and taking a walk is good for our bodies and minds. Author Joyce Schulman demonstrates the power of daily walks designed to inspire your life. Sharing her own experiences with weight, inactivity, and stress, Schulman began walking. As she walked, she realized she “processed big things, created my best ideas, managed my weight and well-being by putting one foot in front of the other.” Her book includes 99 walks with “thought-starters” that are meant to spark your own ideas to reflect on while walking. Her 99 walks are short, easy reads infused with her personal knowledge and research that will get you motivated to move.
Amazon Review
About the Author, Joyce Shulman
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.
Throughout her two decades as an entrepreneur, Joyce has guided SAHMs, teachers, and even MBAs to success. Joyce shares how moms need to “take care of mama bear” and avoid the “martyr mom syndrome.” Her experience in business and leading mompreneurs makes her a coveted speaker where she shares tactics for beating burnout, fueling creativity, goal crushing, how walking can fuel productivity and performance, and more.
Joyce received her Bachelor’s in Business Management from the University of Maryland and her Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from St. John’s University School of Law. After law school, she spent more than a dozen years as a New York City lawyer where her practice focused on complex commercial litigation.
A self-confessed idea junkie, in 1998, Joyce abandoned law firm life to liberate her entrepreneurial spirit and focus on the things that are most important to her: family, community and empowering women to chase their dreams.
Find Joyce online at:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/joyceshulman
https://twitter.com/joycershulman
https://www.instagram.com/joyce.r.shulman/
With gyms closed and many outdoor spaces limited or closed, there is no time like now to “walk your way to better!”
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I was notified by WordPress of my 7-year blogging anniversary on October 31, 2011. Seems like forever, but I didn’t start consistently blogging until September 2014. Image provided by WordPress.
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