After weeks of wimpy walking, nursing a case of plantar fasciitis, trying not to go too far or too fast, supplementing the strolls with 20 minutes on the basement rowing machine, I’ve realized something I’ve known all along but recognize more clearly with each passing week.

And that is … I’m not just walking for my health.

Even a slow stroll stimulates thoughts and ideas more than the most energetic rowing session. When I’m rowing, all I think of is, when can I stop. When I’m walking, I never want to stop.

This link between mind and feet is something I’ve written about often, and I’m not the only one. A New Yorker article lists fact after fact about how and why we think more clearly and more creatively when we’re ambling along a city street or woodland trail.

So if I have to raise my heart rate on the erg, I’ll do it. But walking will remain — even if it’s just to the corner and back.