To take my six year old on a nightly walk?

[AddisonM]

I need to lose some weight. I’ve been struggling with undiagnosed depression and I’m trying to dig my way out. I have been following a friend on Facebook who has dropped three stone since January just by walking. She walks every single night for miles. She looks fab.

I used to run and go to the gym but I can’t seem to muster the energy or confidence right now. So maybe a long evening walk is the way forward.

My six year old daughter is a bit prone to laziness and doesn’t really do much exercise. She’s not keen on it and I find this a bit difficult to accept, tbh (I mean I get that she doesn’t like it but it’s important to be healthy and she has couch potato tendencies). I’m thinking about taking her with me on these walks. I don’t know how up for it she will be but she’s quite clingy with me just now so she may come along just to be with me. I thought it would be nice. We could chat. We walk to school every day and I quite enjoy it.

Husband not keen on the idea (he would be at home with three year old, who wouldn’t walk far enough). Says it’s up to me, but thinks it’s a bit dark and cold and that she wouldn’t enjoy it.

Has anyone else done this?

Gobsmacked that people make it seem like a walk at a 6 years old's pace is useless. It's better than sitting on the couch snacking. Would a faster paced walk or a run burn more calories? Well yes, but it's the fresh air, it's the extra steps and potential bonding that all work too. It's not a waste of time, but as I said earlier, you can't outrun your fork so useful to start eating healthier/a bit less or whatever it is you need to do as well as increasing exercise.

Try it and see! Good time to start as she’ll enjoy seeing the Christmas lights and you can make a game of spotting things. If she gets bored you can start going on your own (and probably go faster!) Good for you for wanting to get more active, hope it works out for you.

Even if it was raining, she's 6, she's not going to melt in the rain. I agree OP lots of lovely evenings on the East Coast, with the mention of Arthur's seat, I'm guessing you are Edinburgh way. 6 is still young enough to be jollied along and just told to get her coat etc on. A bit more difficult when they are 12

No such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes :o

I used to walk with my dad every evening to walk the dog. I have really fond memories of it- it was lovely to spend that time together

A lovely idea for you both.

A walk doesn’t have to be fast for weight loss, it just needs to happen. It needs to be fast if you want to count it as cardio.

It sounds ace! In years to come your DD will remember the night time walks in 2020.

Definitely go for it!

Some ridiculous comments here! Just give it a go and see - I take my dc out in the dark amd sometimes the rain if I think we would all benefit from some fresh air and endorphins! They normally go on scooters - more fun for them and I feel like I get more from it marching along to keep up! It's not a regular thing (though currently we're keeping a weekly count of Christmas lights so it is at the min) and sometimes they moan about going but they enjoy it when we're out! Our current Christmas light circuit is about 30mins and they are 7 and 5

Cold and dark are not reasons not to go out! I bring my three and four year old DDs for an hour walk every day no matter the weather - buy waterproof, thermal clothes and you're good to go.

It does both me and them good, they then sleep like logs too. Go for it OP.

I realise he's older, but my 11-year-old DS and I go for a walk after I put my toddler to bed at 6.30, whenever it's dry. He's out of the house longer now he's at secondary school and he loves the opportunity to chat about his day. We just walk around our neighbourhood and are usually out for around 40 minutes.

@Crystal90567

I think its awful idea. And very cruel. If you want your daughter to do an evening activity try football or ballet or swimming club or any organised club. I recommend you keep your dark cold wet dangerous walks to yourself. (Or start a class yourself eg Zumba) If police saw you taking a 6yo on a long night walk your be reported to SS. Id report it personally too.

Seriously? This is a wind up surely? Please say it is.

If not then you win the internet today for best hysterial nonsense over a simple walk. Op isnt suggesting walking down Leith docks at midnight! Its a walk round her local lamplit streets!

What if it was walking home from ballet or football would that make it somehow better?
Btw What exactly is so cruel about a walk?

Many people have to walk home with kids after picking them up from childcare are you saying they all need reporting to the police or SS?

My husband takes my 4 year old on a nightly walk (well a few times a week). She likes it as it’s proper time together and he gets the exercise (not much, but better than nothing). They go for about 40 mins x

Meant to say, they go between 6-7 so after her dinner but before bed (and after he has finished work)

YABU. It’s December and freezing. She is 6.

Stop projecting on to her that she’s “inclined to laziness”.

Go for a walk on your own if you have to- at that age she should be in bed by 7.30pm.

Walk her home from school, fine, but extra walks of an evening in winter? No. If you need company get some headphones and download a podcast.

Take her for walks or swimming (when pools reopen) on a weekend, or do a weekend bike ride.

Take her for a walk. My kids have always loved going for walks in the dark. My youngest often asks to do this and getting him to do any for of exercise in daylight is virtually impossible. Going for a walk never makes you feel worse.

This thread has made me laugh, some people won’t take their children out after dinner in the dark !!!

My 4,6 & 8 year olds go out in the evenings, in the summer my 6 year old came ‘running’ with me, in the winter though snowsuits on and out we go, at the moment it’s looking for Christmas lights, some evening fresh air before bed is really good, helps them feel sleepy .

[quote TowandaForever]@Northernlass99

How do you do 12,000 steps in an hour?!

That's more than walking briskly?![/quote]
Actually thinking about it @TowandaForever yes you are right, I do normally split between two walks and it probably takes about 1:40. I do walk quite fast. If you are walking to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and get some mental headspace you probably don't need to charge around like I do! But if you want to loose weight I think you probably need to get a good stride on.

OP Just go for it. Good walking boots and a fitbit might be good for Christmas. And good torch. DC and I used to do this when she was small. And on farm tracks round here she'd go by herself.

Lots of eight-year olds at our local running club on dark, cold winter nights. They seem to relish being outdoors.

I think it's a lovely habit to get into. I take it in turns to go out with whichever of my children are free of an evening. And at the moment it gets more magical every night with different houses putting their Christmas lights up.

Have a look at the NHS Active 10 app - it encourages you to get out for a brisk ten minute walk and tracks how many minutes you walk for, and how many of those minutes are brisk.

YABU. It’s December and freezing. She is 6

So? Assuming they go out dressed for the time of year she'll be fine.

@Crystal90567 please do report. Please let us know what they say

@Crystal90567

I think its awful idea. And very cruel. If you want your daughter to do an evening activity try football or ballet or swimming club or any organised club. I recommend you keep your dark cold wet dangerous walks to yourself. (Or start a class yourself eg Zumba) If police saw you taking a 6yo on a long night walk your be reported to SS. Id report it personally too.

Don't talk crap. This is the stupidest post I have ever seen on here. The police or SS would not bat an eyelid at a kid being out a walk in the eveing with a parent.

@Thelnebriati

The problem is that to lose weight by walking you have to walk fast and for long enough to break out into a sweat. If you lose weight your daughter will too, and she's smaller. It would also put a strain on her developing joints.

The drivel just keeps coming tonight. Bloody hell I don't think I have ever seen so much crap spouted on one thread before.