The good walker is always the graceful, easy walker. He stands erect,
but not stiffly. His shoulders are well thrown back. He keeps his
mouth closed, except when talking, and he breathes and exhales through
his nostrils as the wise God meant him to do. His clothes fit him
loosely and comfortably. He steps naturally, and without a trying
stride, or a short step mincing gait, as if he wore hobbles. He walks
by lifting his feet and not by raising his shoulders. And he wears
shoes or other foot gear that do not breed corns or bunions.

Unless in a great hurry the walk, even the brisk walk, should never
exceed three miles an hour; good heel and toe walkers have made forty
miles without fatigue in ten hours, but this power comes only after
long practice.

Walking is the very best, as it is the very cheapest, form of
exercise, and it is best enjoyed on a country road with a cheerful
companion.

Remember in all your exercising that good health is the one great
object. Suppress all ambition to be merely strong. Many brutes are
stronger than many of the strongest men, and many strong men have gone
to pieces where lighter but more enduring men have come through the
ordeal fresh and unharmed. This I have often noted in war times, when
soldiers were called on to make a forced march over trying roads and
in a downpour of rain.

Endurance is the great thing to strive for. The man who lasts is the
man who wins. Therefore, in your walks, particularly when you are
learning to walk well, like an Indian or a soldier, never try to do
more than can be done without making too great a demand on your bodily