February tends to arrive wrapped in talk of love. And after many thousands of kilometres on foot, Walking The Talk Foundation’s founder, Dale van Blerk, has learned that walking is a love letter you can send to yourself.
It’s a steady, repeatable way to improve mental health and bring people together around something that matters.
Sorry, St. Valentine, but strictly speaking, romantic love is really just a chemical reaction. Powerful, but simply chemistry nonetheless!
However, that’s something you can direct inwards too. Just like romantic love, a brisk walk nudges your heart rate up just enough to increase blood flow to your brain. And that small boost sets off a chain reaction that supports your mood, focus, and emotional balance.
“If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.”
When a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is in short supply, your mood and memory suffer. But you guessed it: walking stimulates BDNF and strengthens those connections.
Going for a walk releases endorphins and dopamine, taking the edge off stress and increasing motivation. At the same time, the level of your body’s main stress hormone, cortisol, drops.
What’s more, the rhythmic movement gives your busy mind something else to focus on, which is why worries often loosen their grip after fifteen or twenty minutes on foot.
When you walk regularly, these small effects add up to better emotional resilience, less anxiety, and a clearer head.
The benefits multiply when we walk together. Walking side by side makes conversation easier. There’s no pressure to perform or make eye contact. Neighbours who usually pass in cars start recognising one another. A nod becomes a chat. A chat becomes familiarity.
Organised walks – for school funds, community awareness, or simply company – amplify this. There’s a shared purpose in moving forward as a group. People encourage one another along the way, and this mutual support slowly weaves a stronger, more attentive community fabric.
This is why walking sits at the centre of Walking the Talk Foundation’s work.
Every walk creates connection. Every route creates conversation. And every shared step helps direct attention and resources to schools that need safer, better-equipped learning spaces. Schools like Gilletts Primary School who now have TOMI7 Interactive Whiteboard devices for their classrooms and an LED Touch Screen to bridge the resource divide.
“Walk towards the good in life and one day you will arrive.”
Be an inspiration for the nation!
Whether you are a learner, educator, parent, corporate partner, or community member, walking is an open invitation. No special skills required. Just a willingness to show up and move forward.
At Walking the Talk Foundation, progress happens one step at a time — and it happens fastest when those steps are taken together.
Inside WTTF’s mission to tackle South Africa’s learning poverty – especially for remedial learners – with EdTech at Galway Primary School, Germiston. World Day of Social Justice is observed on
February tends to arrive wrapped in talk of love. And after many thousands of kilometres on foot, Walking The Talk Foundation’s founder, Dale van Blerk, has learned that walking is
This International Day of Education (24 January 2026), Walking The Talk Foundation celebrates a transformative force in South African education: our Classrooms of the Future. By integrating thoughtful EdTech into
