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Original poster

A daily walk is so underestimated

163 replies

QwertyWitch · 23/08/2024 00:05

A daily walk is crucial to wellbeing (if physically able)
Emotional, physical and mental. It should be promoted more but many people don't realise the importance of it.
I wonder if people got scared off 10k steps a day but even 4K steps does a lot of good.
Should there be more promotion?

OP posts:
ThePoshUns · 25/09/2024 11:06

Yes the 10,000 steps can be daunting. Anything is better than nothing. 5,000 steps should be achievable for most people every day.

JLT24 · 25/09/2024 12:58

Needanewname42 · 25/09/2024 10:43

My lunch is already cut to 30mins to shorten my day to manage drop off and pick-up.

This thread is weeks old and it still riles me the judgy way that it's easy to fit FIVE walks into a week.
There's only 2 days in a weekend.

Nobody is saying being active isn't important but being active can also be hoovering the living room, cleaning the bathroom, sorting dinner, it's not all about going for a wholesome walk.

Show quote history

No it isn’t all about walking, house
work is a great form of exercise, as are two walks a week!!

You asked how are you meant to fit in 5 walks a week so I gave some ideas.

Other idea - Eat lunch at work (10 mins) then walk for 20 mins?

echt · 26/09/2024 00:03

ThePoshUns · 25/09/2024 11:06

Yes the 10,000 steps can be daunting. Anything is better than nothing. 5,000 steps should be achievable for most people every day.

A friend said to me that the steps counted for nothing unless they were deliberately planted firm footsteps at speed. Hmm A whole new level of putting people off. A special "not walking" then.

It reminded me of the dentist's poster in an episode of The Simpsons that read: Whatever you're doing, you're doing it wrong.

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Exercise & fitness Fitness
RechargeableGnu · 26/09/2024 02:06

I hate going for walks, I have terrible asthma and invariably end up struggling for breath.

Because of this, we purchased a treadmill and that has been a revelation. Just hopping on to get some steps in a few times a day has been great.

Added bonus is that I stay dry and warm!

SD1978 · 26/09/2024 02:23

I don't find any enjoyment in it all, it doesn't make me feel better, improve my mood or mind set, but I accept that it's necessary to stay active. I'm sure I'm not alone in when I see these posts about people missing it when they can't, having absolutely nothing in common with that feeling. I also think more people should be vocal about getting nothing positive emotionally/ mentally from excercise but doing it because we are cognitively aware that it has benefits only.

SecondFavouriteDinosaur · 26/09/2024 08:43

SD1978 · 26/09/2024 02:23

I don't find any enjoyment in it all, it doesn't make me feel better, improve my mood or mind set, but I accept that it's necessary to stay active. I'm sure I'm not alone in when I see these posts about people missing it when they can't, having absolutely nothing in common with that feeling. I also think more people should be vocal about getting nothing positive emotionally/ mentally from excercise but doing it because we are cognitively aware that it has benefits only.

Haha, this is how I feel about walking.
There are plenty of other types of exercise I enjoy, mainly strength training, but walking does absolutely nothing for my mood/mindset at all. At the end of a walk, I feel exactly the same as when I started.

SD1978 · 26/09/2024 08:57

@SecondFavouriteDinosaur - I actually despise all forms- genuinely have never found something that I 'feel' good doing- and definitely have no problem if I stop doing it- and this is after years of consistently doing some form of excecise- I'd give it all up tomorrow if it wasn't for the benefits I know I get, but no good feelings occur. I don't seem to be built for the endorphin rush that everyone talks about.

Pelvicpaininthebum · 12/02/2026 13:05

Needtocleanupdogsick · 23/08/2024 07:04

I will spare you from the details, but life has not been easy the past few years, and every day for quite a while, I was having some very dark thoughts.

Earlier this year, I went on a spontaneous walk in a park very local to me. I had never been to this park before and it has a 2 mile circuit to walk around.

I was absolutely amazed at the beauty and wildlife which was literally on my doorstep and went back the next day, and the next, and the next.

So, I am now walking the 2 mile circuit daily, getting fresh air and exercise, having brief exchanges with dog walkers and others out walking.

I have also met the most amazing 92 year old lady, she walks the route daily with splints on her legs and walking poles. Sometimes we share 15 mins or so on a bench to have a rest, or watch the world go by, she has told me that she has walked the circuit every day for 70 years. We have a similar sense of humour and have shared some real laughs which in itself has made me feel so much better.

Moving on, I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but that first spontaneous walk, has literally saved my life! I can’t imagine not going, I come home feeling uplifted, energised and appreciative of the nature that’s around us.

This is so lovely.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 12/02/2026 14:07

IMO the 10k steps was counter productive, in that many people will think, well, I’m never going to manage that, so it’s not worth bothering.
IIRC in his ‘one thing’ pieces of advice, Michael Mosley said that if everyone would walk for just 15 minutes a day, it’d make a big difference.

HarmoniousHumbug · 12/02/2026 14:18

I firmly believe that walking helped keep me sane after the death of my beloved Dc. I do about 20 miles a week, in a beautiful AONB, plugged into an audio book.

ThePoshUns · 12/02/2026 17:35

Sorry for your Ioss @HarmoniousHumbug.
I love to walk with a good audio book, and do at least 3 miles daily. This dreadful weather has really been getting me down though.

SilverGlitterBaubles · 15/02/2026 09:56

Putmeinsummer · 23/08/2024 00:16

Ok recently realised that walking without using my phone or listening to anything really helps my brain quieten down. I'd been walking a lot but listening to audiobooks and actually it was doing nothing for me.

I have found the same. I was using my walk to and from work to listen to podcasts to try and relax my brain. A few weeks ago my headphones broke so I just stopped listening and now find that just walking and doing nothing is much better for my brain. We all need to actually switch off mentally a lot more.

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