10,000 Steps a Day in L.A.: 52 Walking Adventures

by Paul Haddad

10,000 Steps a Day in 52 Walking Adventures is for urban adventurers with a passion for healthy living who are also hungry to explore L.A.’s hidden, unsung, and sometimes quirky side. This unique guidebook provides everything readers need to venture out and tackle the city’s 500 square miles.The book is based on a concept that first took hold in Japan-that if people walked 10,000 steps each day, they would burn 20 percent of their caloric intake through that activity alone. Now an ingrained part of the American lifestyle, the 10,000 steps phenomenon is taking the country by storm; it is now a recognized daily goal by a number of major insurance companies like Kaiser Permanente and health institutes such as the World Health Organization, the U.S. Center for Disease Control, the U.S. Surgeon General, and the American Heart Foundation.In this first-ever book to explore the 10,000 steps concept in the City of Angels, these walks take readers through the terrain that makes Los Angeles the envy of many a metropolis-beaches, mountains, rivers, and reservoirs, not to mention the nation’s largest urban park, Griffith Park-all while immersing them in the city’s history and lore, offbeat locales, and popular landmarks.10,000 Steps a Day in L.A. promises three 10,000 steps in each walk, a blueprint for doing it each weekend of the year (52 walks equals a year’s worth of weekends), and a sense of fun and discovery about L.A. that will only make the 10,000 steps goal that much easier to attain. Readers need bring only their feet-pedometers optional.

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2015

About the author

Paul Haddad is the author of several books about his native Los Angeles, including the L.A. Times Bestseller "Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles," "Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles," and "High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania: A Fan’s History of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Glory Years (1977-1981)." His book "10,000 Steps a Day in L.A.: 57 Walking Adventures," also an L.A. Times Bestseller, has published two editions. As a writer and contributor, his work has appeared in such media as the L.A. Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, The Times (UK), LAist, ESPN, NPR, and HuffPo. He is also the author of three novels. An MFA graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Haddad has been nominated for multiple Emmys as a documentary producer.

Reviews

[Mollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoy a good walking book. I have several for Los Angeles and, when I saw this one, I had to have it. It reads really well, but it doesn't tell you much. For instance, most walking books rate the difficulty of the walk, local lore, what to look out for, how long the walk should take. This doesn't do that. As a matter of fact, we took a walk today and got so miserably lost due to lack of relevant directions that we had to be rescued by a Good Samaritan before we and our dogs got heat stroke. I'd be wary of this book if you don't have a good GPS tracker on your phone and a lot of time to wander around.

[Susan Card · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is something you use over time. The first adventure was great

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great because it combines things I love...walking, Los Angeles, history and trivia...and provides a map, parking recommendations and directions in a fun, breezy tone. I’ve lived my whole life in LA and this book has shown me wonderful parts of the city I have never seen.