Nigel Jones - 9km by 9am

Shane O'Mara is a neuroscientist and author who is currently Professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College Dublin. When it comes to the ins and outs of our favourite activity there is simply no smarter man.
In this podcast we get to know more about Shane and his incredible book "In Praise of Walking". We talk in-depth about the value of walking, its influence on our history and its capacity to ensure our future personal and social survival and success.
A hymn to walking, the mechanical magic at the core of our humanity.

Shane O’Mara invites us to marvel at the benefits walking confers on our bodies and brains, and to appreciate the advantages of this uniquely human skill. From walking’s evolutionary origins, traced back millions of years to life forms on the ocean floor, to new findings from cutting-edge research, he reveals how the brain and nervous system give us the ability to balance, weave through a crowded city, and run our “inner GPS” system. Walking is good for our muscles and posture; it helps to protect and repair organs, and can slow or turn back the aging of our brains. With our minds in motion we think more creatively, our mood improves, and stress levels fall. Walking together to achieve a shared purpose is also a social glue that has contributed to our survival as a species.

As our lives become increasingly sedentary, O’Mara makes the case that we must start walking again―whether it’s up a mountain, down to the park, or simply to school and work. Shanes's book In Praise of Walking illuminates the joys, health benefits, and mechanics of walking, and reminds us to get out of our chairs and discover a happier, healthier, more creative self. To get a taster of all of this tune in to our podcast chat. It's a blinder!

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