Is an hour walking commute too much?

[crochetmonkey74]

I've moved a bit further away from work but am missing walking there. My old walk was 20mins , New walk would be an hour each way. Is this a terrible idea?
On the way home, I would have the option of getting the bus after 20 minutes of the walk but the morning one wouldn't have this option. Anyone got an hour long walk to and from work? How do you find it?

4.2 miles each way every day? No, i wouldn't enjoy that. Especially with a laptop (my work one is quite heavy). No doubt it's good for you but you will also be quite tired every night. I walk about 5 miles a day and it gets repetitive and not that pleasant walking alongside commuter traffic jams. If you can vary your walk and avoid busy roads, it will be better.

That's a lot of walking - are you sure you want to be walking nearly 8.5 miles a day, everyday, on top of your normal working day? Especially in the mornings when you say you can't hop on a bus if it's lashing down rain, or you're exhausted or feeling under the weather?

I think it might be lovely on nice, bright spring/summer days, but miserable as anything in the winter months.

It would be too much for me. I probably could do it, but only out of necessity.

I used to have an hour's walking commute and absolutely loved it. Wish I could do it in my current job. It was great for my fitness levels and my mental health. Go for it!

Op has said she doesn’t want to cycle in but may drive.

I loved my hour walk commute
Very good for physical and mental health

An update for anyone interested: first day of walking today. Decided to listen to the advice on here about a halfway point, slightly misjudged it and it only took me 20 mins to walk to work. BUT this will be an excellent parking point for rainy/tired/late finish days. Have a different idea for another parking space to try tomorrow which is a bit further away. Its fine mizzle here so my hair is a bit frizzy but have brought my travel straighteners to keep in my desk. Was so lovely to be out in the fresh air , and I was walking through town so got a coffee on the way!

I do think the part way parking point is the way to go.

I really enjoy my half hour walk each way to work from the car park, but I know - from having tried it a few times - that the full hour plus each way, gets old,very quickly.

Also I imagine- but have no factual basis for this - that it's probably better for you to walk an hour each day, than 2 hours a couple of times a week.

This thread has inspired me to get off my bus two stops early which ought to give me a 20 minute walk.

Brilliant!

I think sometimes we make the thought of exercising too daunting.

Even on here people are recommending- with good intentions- special walking shoes and boots, and all sorts of special equipment for what is a fairly average dander.

Occasionally I've walked the 30 minutes into work and back in my ballet pumps. I am still alive.

Exercise is in many cases just about putting one foot in front of the other for more times than you are currently doing and even a 20 minute walk a day has mental and physical health benefits.

yeah , you know I was thinking this last night- if I drive to a city to shop I happily spend at least an hour a time walking around the shops/ museums etc - often longer in between coffee shop stops - I was making too much of a thing of it I think - it's only walking!

Absolutely correct about the overcomplicating things. One poster even suggested bringing tea/coffee and a snack. Most people (even young kids) can go an hour without having to eat something. It's just a walk, not a marathon, and it should be our default mode of transport if we want to remain healthy (physically and mentally).

An hour sounds reasonable enough to me. Think of all the benefits of improved fitness etc!

I like the idea of it being my default way of transport. I think I can definitely embed that.

I walk 45min each way to work, I could easily go on for another 15mins. It's great to have that built in exercise for the day. My job can be sedentary half the time so it's a great way to stretch my legs. I listen to podcasts and I really look forward to the walk. Just get a waterproof coat and walking boots. I change into different shoes when I get to work, just because I don't want my nice shoes getting worn out.

I used to have a long walk to work every day. Then I started getting a lift and put on over a stone in 6 weeks.

Yeah I agree with pp it’s important to just integrate walking into our routine. When I lived in London, and commuted to the office I was doing about 1-2 hours Monday to Friday then walking even more over the weekend attending social activities. I didn’t think of it as a big task, it was just the way I got from A to B. I didn’t realise until I put on weight a few years ago after my daily walking was massively reduced, that it was that which had maintained my 9 stone weight. It really makes a difference.

I would say though between all the walking and standing up for teaching/waitressing/retail work and often in shoes with little support , I did end up with plantar fasciitis about 6 years ago. I now wear trainers with good arch support and have special insoles for certain non-trainer shoes and it’s not came back.

People always say walking doesn't make a difference to your weight but it really, really does if you do it frequently enough. I generally walk more than 12, 000 steps a day. When I had a period of several months where I walked only 6000 steps a day (health reasons) I put on 12lbs!! I was eating the same or even less than before but I wasn't burning all those calories.
People may think walking doesn't affect their weight but if they suddenly stopped, the weight would pile on.

I've lost 4.5 stone on calorie defecit and 10k steps a day, but have got to a plateau now so I'm hoping more steps will shift it

Ridiculous.

I used to live an hour's walk from my work. It was fine, but quite a boring route along main roads. Eventually I cycled there, walked back, the next day I walked there and cycled back etc etc. It broke up the monotonous routine 🤣

An hour is my limit, personally. 40 minutes each way walking was the norm for me up until 2020. Unless it was torrential rain, then I drove. It's very good exercise. My DH finally got tired of being overweight and started weighing his food portions. Not only has he lost weight, he's got so much more energy now that he goes on early morning walks. He's maintaining his current weight that way aswell.

No. I used to do an hour's walking commute (each way) for 4 years.

Too much time for me. Probably good for you but will be awful in bad weather.

I wouldn't. Think of the weeks of miserable weather or constant rain. Or if you feel unwell. What's the plan then?