The Walking Journey of Jean Beliveau

• Jean Béliveau once looked forward to spending the night in jail during his journey.

Béliveau's Journey

• Béliveau aimed to circumnavigate the globe on foot.
• This journey required him to sleep in tents, strangers' homes, and jails.
• One morning, as Béliveau was ready to leave a jail, the police chief was absent.
• Guards did not believe Béliveau's story.
• Béliveau would walk over 75,000 kilometers in total to complete his journey.

Health Benefits of Walking

• Adding even a modest amount of walking to your daily routine can dramatically improve your health.
• A single afternoon stroll can improve your mood and ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.
• Walking triggers the release of pain-relieving endorphins.
• Walking curbs the release of the stress hormone cortisol.
• Within weeks of increasing steps, the body adapts.
• Walking requires the coordination of many muscles in your legs, torso, and back.
• Increased energy demand remodels vessels around these muscles to deliver more oxygen.
• The heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood.
• These changes can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke within a few months.
• Walking places stress on bones, making them stronger by stimulating the absorption of calcium and minerals.
• Consistent walking can help retain bone density.
• Building a lifelong walking habit aids in weight management.
• Walking can reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes, numerous cancers, and dementia.
• Walking doesn’t require equipment and is accessible to people of varying ages and fitness levels.
• Any increase in steps per day can yield health benefits.
• Steps don't need to be taken continuously to have benefits.

Community Benefits of Walkability

• Steps are easily accumulated for those who live in walkable neighborhoods.
• Residents in walkable communities are often less reliant on vehicles.
• Reduced reliance on vehicles translates to improved air quality.
• Reduced reliance on vehicles reduces local greenhouse gas emissions.
• Residents of walkable communities reported feeling less loneliness and more life satisfaction.

Barriers to Walkability

• Many people don’t have access to safe, well-maintained places to stroll.
• Many cities and towns have been designed with driving in mind.
• State and local governments often prioritize funding for highways and roads over sidewalks and public parks.
• Routes to walkable spaces aren’t always pedestrian-friendly.
• In the US, residential and commercial areas are typically zoned separately and often only connected by busy roadways.

Examples of Improving Walkability

• In 2013, Vancouver opened the Comox-Helmcken Greenway.
• The Comox-Helmcken Greenway took a two-kilometer road and converted it into a walkable and bikeable space.
• After opening the greenway, people living nearby got more exercise.
• Daily car trips by nearby residents were reduced by 23%.
• Personal greenhouse gas emissions of nearby residents were cut by 21%.
• Bethel, Vermont improved walkability by adding painted crosswalks and curb extensions.