Book Blog Walkers: Reading, Walking, and Cheering Each Other On
If you have been around the book blogging world for a while, you have probably bumped into the Book Blog Walkers. We are a friendly, scrappy little corner of the community, and I want to take a minute today to tell you what we are about, because we are always happy to welcome more walkers to the group.
What Is Book Blog Walkers?
Book Blog Walkers is exactly what it sounds like: a group of book bloggers who walk. We started as a casual weekly check-in among friends who wanted some accountability for getting our bodies moving while we spent so many hours sitting at our laptops writing reviews. Over time it has grown into a real community.
We are a virtual group, scattered across the country (and a few of us across oceans), but we cheer each other on every single week. The “walking” part is generous. We have members who hike, who run, who do treadmill miles in the basement during winter, who count laps around the grocery store, who push strollers, who walk dogs, who do Wii Fit, who garden, who chair-walk on hard pain days. If you are moving, you belong.
How It Works
Every Saturday, one of us hosts a check-in post. You drop your week’s mileage (or minutes, or whatever metric you like), share what you are listening to or reading while you move, and leave a comment cheering on the other walkers. That is it. No app to download, no fees, no rules about pace or distance.
Many of us listen to audiobooks while we walk, which makes Book Blog Walkers an unintentional audiobook recommendation engine. I have added more titles to my TBL (to be listened) list from this group than from any review blog, including my own.
Why It Works
I have been part of a lot of online fitness communities, and most of them fall apart because they are either too intense or too vague. Book Blog Walkers hits a sweet spot. The expectations are low (just show up when you can), the cheerleading is high, and the people are kind. Nobody is judging your mile count. Nobody cares if you took two weeks off because life happened. We are just glad when you come back.
The Reading Connection
The other thing I love is the way movement and reading intertwine in this group. We talk about which books got us through a long hike, which narrators paced perfectly with our morning walks, which audiobooks were so good we kept walking past our turnaround point. Reading and walking are both solo, contemplative activities, and somehow combining them with a community of friends makes both better.
Want to Join?
If you are a book blogger (or really, any kind of reader who hangs out online) and you want some accountability and cheerleading for moving your body, come find us. Check in once, see how it feels. We will be glad you did.