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  • Published: 5 May 2026
  • ISBN: 9781802069037
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 352
Categories:

Walk

Your Life Depends On It




A myth-busting guide to one of the key pillars of health and longevity – walking – by the renowned foot health experts

Walking isn’t just a leisurely activity or a form of personal transportation. Its far-reaching benefits – not just for physical health, but for mental clarity and emotional well-being, creativity and social connection – make it a vital component of human existence, one that is as essential as breathing and sleeping.

In this book, world-renowned foot and gait specialist, Courtney Conley, and physiotherapist, Milica McDowell, transform our understanding of the importance of one of the simplest and most accessible forms of movement. Drawing on cutting-edge research, evolutionary biology and real-life stories from their practice, they show that walking is one of our most powerful and under-prescribed medicines: revealing why walking speed can predict overall health; how the risk of falls, which has a direct impact on longevity, can be measured by your foot health; and how even the shortest of walks can have profound healing effects.

Filled with practical advice, from simple tips to help with lower back pain, to customizable programs to enhance mobility and fitness, this book is an essential guide to transforming your physical – and mental – health, from the ground up.

  • Published: 5 May 2026
  • ISBN: 9781802069037
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 352
Categories:

About the authors

Courtney Conley

Courtney Conley is a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine who specializes in foot and gait issues. Her clients include everyone from professional athletes to people with complex health needs. She is the founder of Gait Happens, a leading global digital platform for foot health education.

Milica McDowell

Milica McDowell is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, an Exercise Physiologist and former faculty in Health and Human Performance at Montana State university. She has extensive experience developing continuing education for medical professionals and regularly delivers lectures on new technologies in physiotherapy and sports medicine.

Praise for Walk

[Courtney Conley] is extraordinarily skilled at researching the way our current behavior veers from our evolutionary past and she has the rare performative gift of translating those lessons into exciting, inspiring action plans

Christopher McDougall, author of <i> Born to Run </i>

Praise for Courtney Conley

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We were born to walk even more than to run, and, arguably, nothing is better for your health than regular walking. Read this informative book if you are trying to increase your step count and walk better!

Daniel Lieberman, author of <i> Exercised </i>

This book is a wake-up call in the best possible way. Courtney shows us that the foundation of our health, energy and longevity isn’t complicated, it just comes straight from our feet. Walk makes a compelling case that walking isn’t exercise, it’s essential, and she gives us practical steps to rebuild our foot strength back into our lives. If you want a longer, stronger, more joyful life, start here

Steven Bartlett, host, Diary of a CEO podcast

Modern health has forgotten something elemental: we are a bi-pedal walking species. This book restores walking to its rightful place not as exercise, but as a biological necessity. It reminds us that resilience, longevity, and agency begin at ground level, one step at a time

Galahad Clark, CEO & Co-Founder, Vivobarefoot

Interesting, thought-provoking, and practical... Walk is about much more than counting your steps — it’s about enriching your life

Adam Grant, author of Think Again