That’s my #1 advice for anyone trying to improve their health and fitness.
If you want to lose weight, walk more. If you want to improve your cardiovascular health, walk more. If you want to be able to eat more, walk more.
Walk. Walk. Walk.
That’s been my mantra for many years. Years in which I’ve religiously taken 10k steps daily — even if this is an arbitrary number born of a Japanese marketing campaign.
Walking is my preferred form of cardio, as it strengthens your heart and legs, helps you burn more calories — allowing you to eat more — and lifts your mood. Research from Harvard shows that walking helps cater to depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health issues, going as far as stalling the use of antidepressant drugs.
Incredible.
Still… Does this mean that walking more is always a worthwhile goal?
This question prompted me to increase my daily steps for four weeks, from 10k to 20k on average. As life is unexpected, I didn’t want to have a rigid daily goal. Instead, I simply ensured my average step count surpassed 20k. And wouldn’t you know it? I made it to 23k steps for five weeks.
From June 19th to July 23rd, I walked double my usual amount.
In this post, I’ll share my experience week-by-week, offer helpful tips for anyone hoping to walk more, and unveil my results. Most importantly, I’ll answer the question that inspired this challenge: Is it worth it?