With a mission to inspire more people to get outdoors and explore nature, Jennifer Walsh, an entrepreneur, speaker, writer, and podcast host, has been leading wellness walks for more than five years. As the founder of Walk with Walsh, she connects individuals to nature through walking. She recently collaborated with the editors at Prevention Magazine to write Walk Your Way Calm: A Guided Journal for Uncluttering Your Mind with Every Step. In it, she shares 101 of her favorite ways to walk. Not surprisingly, most of them are outdoors. Here, Walsh shares her love of walking and how it has become a transformative wellness practice in her life.
What does wellness mean to you?
Wellness to me is truly how we treat ourselves, how we feel in our bodies, and how we treat others. Everything we do is connected to our inner being.
What are your favorite things to do to maintain your personal wellbeing?
Spending time with friends and family tops my list to maintain my personal wellbeing. It certainly has been hard to do the past two years in New York City. I also love to try cooking new dishes for myself, which also became something new for myself during the pandemic. Cooking made me feel good.
Is there a specific fitness activity that you love and why?
My favorite activity is walking, and I love it so much that I wrote a book about it! I am actually a life-long runner of marathons and triathlons. When I moved back home to New York City (I’m from the Bronx) in 2010 to sell my first business, I began walking a lot in Central Park. I was ultimately doing it for my large dog (or so I thought). It wasn’t until her passing in 2015 that I realized how much I loved the act of simple walking and experiencing the space I was in. It was a brand-new practice for me compared to running or training for a triathlon. I began studying nature’s impact on the brain and have been in this field ever since. I also just recently came on board as an advisor for the Brain Health Initiative (a living lab based in Sarasota, FL) to further this work exploring the brain/nature connection both indoors and out.
What is your favorite healthy food, and do you have a favorite way of preparing it?
I love so many dishes, and truly, I just love food! I love salads, and there really isn’t just one way that I love more than another.
What is your favorite healthy beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), and do you have any insider tips for preparing it?
I love creating my own smoothies with one banana, a handful of blueberries, strawberries, a bit of kale, a pinch of turmeric, a carrot, and a little ginseng.
What is your greatest wellness achievement?
I have been in beauty and wellness for 25 years. I founded my first business, Beauty Bar, in 1998. I wanted to create an apothecary where people could come in and try out new niche brands. I was told by many people that it was the dumbest idea they had ever heard and that no one would leave a department store for unheard of beauty brands. I did it anyway and changed the way people shopped for beauty going forward. I sold skincare, makeup, haircare, and even ingestibles, which no one would buy at the time. Oh, how the world has changed since then. I think creating a unique space for people to come and experience beauty and wellness in a completely new way is my greatest achievement. I sold it in 2010, and Amazon now owns it.
What do you think is the most exciting wellness innovation you have recently discovered?
I have been studying the impact sound has on us in our daily lives. I am fascinated by what we hear and what happens to our bodies when we hear it. It is no surprise that nature sounds are the most calming to us. I play a fireplace on my TV through YouTube for hours a day while I am on the computer.
What is your idea of balanced healthy happiness?
I think it is all about finding joy in the smallest of moments. A laugh with a friend, a walk, enjoying a great meal. These small simple moments can bring joy and happiness.
What is your favorite place for a healthy vacation or escape?
I love going to the mountains any chance I get. I used to live a block off the ocean for 15 years in Florida, and now, I truly prefer colder climates and the top of a snowcapped mountain. I love to ski in Vail, CO, or Park City, UT. The past two years I have spent a lot of my time in upstate New York in the Catskills and have absolutely loved it. I do a ton of hiking and snowshoeing. I feel my best when it’s cold and I’m outdoors.
What is your go-to for de-stressing?
Walking anywhere in nature is the best anti-stress practice I have. I have been studying the impact of nature on the brain and the effects truly are incredible. Spending 15 to 20 minutes on a walk in nature is not only good for the body and heart but, most importantly, the brain.