Beset by Worries? Walk 'Em Off

The article below was published in 1942 by Dale Carnegie.

Are you beset by worries? It is the exceptional man indeed who doesn't carry some worry and responsibility. Well, there's a way to dissipate those worries that I found in 'Hygeia' the official health magazine of the American Medical Association.

If you have worries preying on you, there is no better way to eliminate them than by the very simple method of walking them off. Yes, just plain old-fashioned one-foot-in-front-of-the-other walking. We're so accustomed to cars in America that we don't realize how much health there is in shoe-leather.

For the beginner, a mile is sufficient. The experienced walker can stand four times as much. Walkers find that by gradually increasing the scope of their walk at the rate of an additional half mile each week, they are soon able to look a five-mile hike in the face without wincing.

Walking expeditions should be made in the early morning if possible, just before breakfast. They stimulate the jaded appetite, and, after a few weeks a "toned-up" effect will be noticeable. Set the alarm clock at six or seven o'clock and start out firmly to cover the prescribed distance. The average person can finish a three of four mile walking tour in a little more than an hour at the most, which means that you will reach home in time for a satisfying breakfast, whatever you are served.

If it is impossible to walk in the early morning hours, the next best walking time is late afternoon, at four or five o'clock, when the sun is fading and its heat is no longer severe. Where you walk doesn't really matter. The important thing is to set yourself in motion at a regular time each day. Regular hours for the hike are essential until walking becomes a fixed habit, unbreakable and enjoyable.

Every Saturday or Sunday afternoon proves an excellent time for a family hiking occasion with the youngsters and the rest of the family journeying to a not too distant park or mountain. A picnic lunch packed on the back will add to the enjoyment of such weekend festivities. Boys and girls who learn to walk while young will not dread it with approaching manhood or womanhood. No matter how enthusiastic a sports fan your youngster is, he may be expected at first to shy away from anything as simple as walking - so don't be backward about inviting your younger members and their friends along for the day.

On your expeditions, you will notice many curiosities of nature, some new, others familiar, but all keeping your mind attentive and free of the daily wear and tear so common in our complex modern lives.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, probably the greatest philosopher America has produced, said: "I never got a worthwhile thought in my life except when walking."

So if you have a bag of worries on your back, just take them out for a walk. If you do, they may take wings and fly away.

The above article was published in 1942 by Dale Carnegie. You may also enjoy Five Anti-Worry Rules .

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