How Walking Everyday for a Year Changed Me

Do you find yourself being too sedentary, but you’re also overwhelmed at the prospect of sudden or extreme physical activity? Are you also short on funds to invest in a new hobby or in new equipment? Then keep reading to find out how walking everyday might just be the perfect solution for you.

A bit of backstory:

I was 28, working from home as a writer. I found myself underutilizing vast portions of my day, and was generally not very happy with my level of physical activity.

So, in an attempt to correct these feelings and improve some health along the way, I came up with a plan. This plan was simple by design, to help improve the chances for success. Go for a walk everyday.

I could achieve multiple goals by adhering to this plan:

• Practice diligence, which is a skill I have sorely lacked throughout my life.
• Get out into nature. I was spending multiple days without even stepping foot outside, a place which has historically brought me great joy.
• Get more exercise. I was spending most days sitting on various pieces of furniture while working on my writing.
• Enjoyment. I used to walk all the time in college to get to classes and work; it was often my favorite part of my day because of how calming and rejuvenating it could be.

Let’s take a minute to talk about walking everyday.

So why did I pick walking? It’s honestly pretty simple. I had everything I needed to start and I already knew how to do it. Unlike other physical activities, I didn’t need to go to a class or watch a video to get the hang of it. I could wear my everyday clothes and shoes because walking wasn’t going to get me sweaty, and it wasn’t high impact like running.

According to this article from Harvard Health, “To stay well, walk for 30 to 45 minutes nearly every day. Do it all at once or in chunks as short as five to 10 minutes. Aim for a brisk pace of three to four miles an hour, but remember that you’ll get plenty of benefit from strolling at a slower pace as long as you stick with it.”

Plus, and this part isn’t necessary for success, I wanted to put my Fitbit to good use. It might sound silly, but I was recently gifted a Fitbit and I was excited to try out its fun functions.

I had the plan and the goals, let’s get started!

Beginning the first of June, Hubby and I picked up a lunch of sushi, drove to one of our favorite local parks, had a picnic, and took a walk. And guess what? We had a lovely time!

The sushi was tasty, the temperature was in the low seventies (about 22 Celsius) with lots of sunshine. There was music playing over the speaker system of the outdoor stage. People were out with their dogs, and we literally got to stop and smell the flowers.

The thing that surprised me the most was how many more little details I noticed than usual.

• Some large ants came to investigate our meal.
• Teenagers practicing a dance routine in the grass.
• Little goslings running about.
• Birds were pecking at the ground.

All of this left me feeling energized and full of joy, plus this was only day one.

But walking everyday wasn’t always easy.

Usually, the walks were longer voyages, about thirty minutes, around the neighborhood or nearby parks. But over the following weeks, I would often forget to check the weather in the morning to plan out the best time to take my walk. As a result, this would leave me with walking in the rain or blistering heat as my only option for the rest of the day. Some days I would flat up forget about my walk until it was nearly dark out. A couple of times the walk was just to the mailbox and back, which is maybe a block total. Yet I always did it, I went walking everyday.

But I have a confession to make. This was only supposed to be a month long experiment.

So what changed?

• Did you want to prove that you could stick to it for a year?
• Were the results you were seeing that rewarding?
• You loved it so much you just kept going?

Yes to all of that, but more importantly:

We got a dog!

We adopted our little guy on the 21st of June from a local, non-profit rescue. He’s a little Boston terrier-mix. We named him Rüffus (roo-fuhs). If you’d like to learn more about Rüffus and our adoption journey, check out this post.

He looked a bit rough around the edges when we got him, but after some good love and care Rüffus quickly became the cutest member of our little family. On top of that, because our townhouse didn’t have a fenced in yard that meant we had to go on a walk every time he needed to go potty.

So that meant at least four to six walks everyday instead of a single walk of variable length. It was a big change.

What walking everyday with our dog looks like:

• 10-15 minute walk right when we wake up.
• 30-60 minute walk after Hubby leaves for work.
• 10-15 minute walk around lunchtime.
• 30-60 minute walk before Hubby comes home from work.
• 15-30 minute walk after supper as a family.
• 10-15 minute walk before bed.

Now, this was during ideal conditions. He would only go out begrudgingly when it rained. Also, during the blazing heat of summer or the frigid cold of winter, we would cut way back because it wasn’t safe for (wo)man or little beast outside. During those shorter walk times, I was double or tripling the amount of walking I had been doing on my own.

To be honest, that much walking was a shock to my system.

My feet and legs were throbbing in protest the morning after we got him. I could hardly believe how just walking could make me that sore. Fortunately, that went away quickly with multiple walks becoming the new norm.

During this time my Fitbit was regularly congratulating me on getting over 10,000 steps. Another bonus to this much walking is I got to know many more of my neighbors. When you’r out walking around that much, especially with a friendly little dog, people will just strike up conversations with you. If you’re an introvert and that sounds miserable to you, worry not. Most of the people we met, other than direct neighbors, just wanted to know about Rüffus and wouldn’t even ask my name.

One thing I noticed early on is that when you need to keep track of another being, it’s a lot harder to just casually observe the world around you as I was before.

The big things were still easy enough to see:

• Hearing the neighborhood kids playing make-believe.
• Smelling the crab-apple trees blossoming.
• Seeing a goose landing on the pond.

Smaller things began to go unnoticed:

• The trail of ants carrying crumbs from under a picnic table.
• The turtle silently sunbathing at the water’s edge.
• The hawk perched on the top of a tree.

I honestly didn’t mind that. The sheer increase in amount of time spent outside meant I was seeing and experiencing more than ever before. Plus I was getting outside more in winter and summer particularly than I had since college. Although one thing we noticed a lot more now were squirrels, mainly because a bark alarm would go off every time one was near.

So, what have I learned?

• I wish I would have done this sooner, but I’m beyond happy that I did it.
• Having another being depending on you to go on walks makes it so much easier to be diligent.
• My mood improved significantly by getting out into nature everyday.
• Walking everyday has made me more healthy without trying that hard.
• Supportive shoes are important.

Top ten tips to succeed at walking everyday:

1. Check the weather every morning to plan the best time(s) for your walk(s).
2. Wear comfortable and weather appropriate shoes and clothing.
3. Get a wide brimmed hat that fits snugly so it won’t blow away.
4. If you wear glasses, invest in prescription sunglasses.
5. Carry a water bottle if your walk is going to be longer than fifteen minutes.
6. If you’re into statistics, a Fitbit or other step tracker is very beneficial.
7. Go walking with a friend, or pet, to help hold yourself accountable.
8. Walking somewhere you really enjoy will make you want to walk longer.
9. Give yourself a little reward to help encourage you to go walking everyday.
10. Wear sunscreen.

Final thoughts.

I now crave these daily walks, and I probably look forward to them more than our dog. I am friends with more of our neighbors. I’m a happier and healthier human than I was before. And bonus, it didn’t cost me any extra money to achieve this. If you’ve ever wanted to implement a simple change that has big benefits, I highly recommend walking everyday.

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