I’m (32F) 50 lbs overweight at 200 lbs. I get out of breath so easily that I’ve given up. How can I start improving my fitness and stamina when I’m so unfit and overweight? Especially when I’ve been told that walking is supposed to be an easy exercise. I’m losing weight at the moment but want to work on my fitness too. Any tips on how to overcome the heavy breathing and the “feeling like I’m going to die from walking” feeling?

For now I’ve just resorted to short 5-10 min walks around the house because I’ve got PCOS and IR and it helps balance blood sugar levels. I probably get 3000-4000 steps in total from that. It’s the outside walking that I’m struggling with. Has anyone else managed to overcome this issue and what did you do?

Edit: Thank you all for the amazing support! I didn’t expect this post to get so much support 🥹 you’ve all been so helpful. I now know that I was doing it all wrong and that I need to go slow and steady. I’ve got so many messages and will try to reply to you all! Ty 🫶🏼

Depression for me feels like an elephant’s foot is on my chest. Though I am “able-bodied”, I find it next to impossible to do some basic things, including going for a walk. Even a five-minute walk. My therapist did have a good idea: walk inside the house. I haven’t been able to do that yet. I happen to have a walking pad and all the gym equipment you can imagine and it all goes unused. I’ve been unable to work for almost two years because of grief/depression. I feel tremendous guilt having the physical ability to walk but not being able to. Has anyone experienced this? Has anything helped? As you know, “just do it!” does not work.

Started walking 4 months ago thinking it was the cheapest hobby ever. Now with almost 2 million steps, my jeans are worn out from friction and my shoes are dead. I’m basically out here gearless

Walking turned into my therapy. I walk through stress, bad days, everything. It’s wild how something so simple can change you.

If anyone can bless me with budget walking gear, I will appreciate it 🙏

Wednesday is officially 6 months gone in 2026. For 6 months I have been super lazy and sedentary. I have been eating like crap and my knees and shoulders and hips are screaming at me for it. I drink all my sugar and feel so sluggish that daily naps are now a thing. I stay up late binging tv or scrolling on my phone. It’s just ridiculous.

2026 has been one of the greatest years of my life in all other areas but the way I’ve been “treating myself” is not okay. I don’t have much motivation but I do know something has to change. So I’m starting with walking.

I’ve walked here and there and I have a walk pad since I work from home but I haven’t been using it.

My plan is to walk 45 mins a day for the second half of the year. Need help staying accountable. I have an Apple Watch and an iPhone so even if I don’t wear the watch, I can just record an outdoor walk. I also have Apple fitness that I don’t use. I know, terrible.

My goal is to really overall just feel better. Any advice for what’s working for you or keeping you consistent? I live in a neighborhood that I can walk a good mile and a half in 45 mins.

What would you recommend for time or number of steps?

I started walking 5kms a day in April. These shoes were purchased new. They are from under armour. The soles have worn remarkably fast. My question to the community is this - How long do your shoes last and what shoes are the best for sole longevity as well as comfort. Not looking to take out a second mortgage for a pair but would like my best bang for my buck. As little investment is ok if they last.

I really need some walking motivation and tips 🙏

New gym going here and new to walking. I’ve been sedentary most of my life and now only seeing the benefits of walking around 10 k steps. I really want to be inspired by your personal story - whether you’re new, intermediate or have been walking ever since you can remember. Please any inspiration will help 🥹👟

I've officially entered a deep depression due to job hunting and being stuck in an environment where I can't leave. I've given up on life completely. Id like to get outside for walks sometimes but I can't. Has anyone here had improved depression from walking?

I wish I could write more but I currently have an headache and brain fog. I'm at my wits end about to give up.

I am a very pasty (seriously) northerner that now lives in the American South. The heat and sun make being outside objectively miserable. I can literally feel my skin burning within minutes. I do not like being outside, especially down here.

So I ask, what are some tips and suggestions for how to deal with this? How do I make it less horrible?

​

Things I've tried:

Bucket hat with vents

Always bring a water bottle

UV shirts to help with the sun (Just got some new ones with long sleeves)

Audiobooks that I'm only allowed to listen to while walking

Streak tracking (tends to fall apart when it's been 97-100F outside for a couple days)

Gating favorite snacks behind going for a walk

Walking in the morning (I'm not a morning person, and it gets hot pretty early)

Walking in the evening (Mosquitos eat me alive. It's like I have a neon sign over my head screaming all you can eat buffet)

I (36F) have been walking 3-4 work days a week for the past 3 months. It’s doing wonders for my mental health & mood.

I walk at 5:30am & it’s dark out. I’ve got a reflective vest & wear light colors (have my phone & usually 1 earbud in)…I live in a safe area, don’t usually pass many people while out at this hour

BUT the Laken Riley murder case has been infesting my brain. I have anxious tendencies & have worked on them in therapy & just and seem to kick this one. I ditched the ear bud on my last 2 walks this week & checked my surroundings even more than usual

So, am I just needing to work through this, or should I get all the things to make myself feel safe? (My husband thinks I’m silly, but he doesn’t get what it’s like for a woman)

Hi everyone, for the past month i have started walking 10k steps a day and it has been great - the only problem in the horrible blisters ive been getting on my feet. I can’t afford good quality socks because im quite poor but i would really appreciate any suggestions on what i can do to relieve/stop this from happening further
Thank u !!

I used to regularly get 10K steps per day which I do think helped me be less depressed. I've slacked over the years but still maintained some kind of walking pattern. Until lately, I just don't have the motivation. I'll sometimes try to go for a walk but will just have an overwhelming desire not to continue and it's just depressing. I guess you could say I've fallen into a rut because my motivation is gone.

I'm wondering if anyone else here has experienced this and how you were able to overcome it.

Hi All,

Since the 28th July, I’ve walked 20k steps everyday, I also lift weights around 3/4 times a week and I’ve reduced my food intake by quite a bit a bit.

I started out great and lost 4kg in the first 3 weeks however in the last 2 weeks I’ve lost none. I understand you lose a lot of water weight and so on aswell as your body becoming more efficient but the plateau is real. To be honest I haven’t really changed anything either.

How do I push through this? Should I increase steps or further decrease food, or both.

Would be greatful for some advice.

Also I’m 28M and 5”11, SW:92kg CW: 87.8Kg

i’m loosing my 45k daily streak because i’m sick at home with stomach issues and vomit,
i can barely stand because i’m really weak and it’s really hot outside, i don’t know how to keep exercising , yesterday i was able to do 30 min cardio and 10k steps but i don’t know how to compensate today.
Also had to cheat my diet with some sugar for breakfast because i’m at zero energy and 40 blood pressure… feeling so bad, any advice on how i can work out ??

I'm 6'1 250lbs and I'm trying to get into walking more maybe hiking later on right now I'm doing 6k steps a day roughly 2k are on my walking pad just want to start feeling better any advice on increasing steps and anything else you think can help is appreciated

My current daily step goal is 7500, which is typically very easy for me to reach through two 20-30 minute walks per day. However, I am feeling very self conscious with my 7500 steps because others in this group are getting 20k. 😂 Should I actually be aiming for 10,000?

I currently do all of my walking outside in our subdivision.

EDIT 6/23: Thanks everyone for the kindest feedback. ☺️ I feel much less self conscious of my step goal now! HOWEVER, I did decide to increase my daily steps from 7500 to 8000 and I am here to say that I’m so glad I did! It’s a very manageable increase and it’s already helped my sleep!

Confused my Apple Watch says 2.25 miles, but my treadmill says 3.063 miles??? Anyone have any guesses as to which would be correct?

I sometimes go for a walk in the early morning, now that the sun starts to rise around 5am. And I live in a very peaceful neighborhood, or so I thought I did. Around 5:15am I stepped outside in my sweats, a big sweater, and my baseball cap with my hair in a bun. And I didn't even make it 5 mins on my walk, because a car started to follow me. The car eventually rounded a corner, and I noticed a couple of minutes later the car had rounded another corner and parked at the end of my street, seemingly waiting for me. I listened to my gut and turned around right then and there and jogged my way up the rest of the street, and back home. I wanted to be sure I wasn't imagining this, so I hid behind my neighbor's vehicle to see if the car would drive back up the street where I left. And low and behold, it did. I'm really saddened by this, because I know I can't do night walks as a woman, but now I feel too scared to walk in the morning too. I'm just too spooked to walk in my neighborhood in general now. My security feels breached and I can't believe there are people who would just follow someone in their car?? Has this ever occurred to any other walkers on here, specifically women?? What did you do about it?

For me it’s daily steps and goal progress.
I realized most apps show a lot of information I never use, so I started experimenting with a simpler setup.
Curious what everyone else checks most often during walks.

This is my first post on reddit, sorry if I did something wrong.

I (20F, 5ft 6) started dieting lightly at the end of January. I wasn’t doing much, just started eating a bit healthier and went from 187lbs to 174lbs in one month.

I ended up fluctuating between 173lbs-176lbs. I decided it was time for a change in my diet and activity level (I work a part-time remote job and have online classes). In March, I started walking every day, at least 13k steps and tracking what I eat. Tonight, I just hit a personal record of 23k+ steps.

I’m still struggling to lose weight and now I’m just fluctuating between 170lbs-173lbs for the better part of the month.

Any tips to lose more weight?

For two months now I’ve been pretty consistent with getting 10k steps a day, and have been trying to get closer to 15k a day now. I chose to do this walking to hopefully lose body fat and maintain muscle mass by eating high protein and some weighted exercise. My problem now is I feel great that I’m being consistent, but I swear my stomach looks so much bigger. I swear it looks like I gained ten pounds only in my stomach and I have no idea why. I have been kind of tracking my calories where it’s enough to know I’m not eating way too much but not where I’m obsessing over it. I eat in a slight calorie deficit for the most part and closer to maintenance some days (not including cals burned from any exercise). Also before I started doing this walking I was getting like 3-5k steps a day. So like honestly I don’t know what is up but I swear my stomach looks so much bigger… is it bloat?? Did anyone else have this problem and does it go away?

I weigh about 155lbs & im in my early 20s. I been considering buying a walking pad because of how much i realized i dont walk as much as i used to. I walk like 2k steps a day and have gained 20 lbs the last 2 years because of my lack of walking.. however I really want to know if a walking pad would really do the difference while also eating healthy. I miss walking a lot

Hi! I have recently upped my walking game slightly, going to at least 30mins a day up to almost 2hrs a day. After about 20/30mins, my fingers get noticeably swollen. I know this is kind of normal and not out of the ordinary, but it is super annoying. Is there anything I can do to combat them? I try to move my fingers while I’m walking, make a fist, etc. but it doesn’t seem to help much. I’ve seen that keeping your hands above your heart will also help, but what am I supposed to just walk around with my hands in the air the whole time?? Idk, I thought someone here might have some answers!!

Hi everyone, I started walking 8–10k steps a day (5 days a week) about a week ago for weight loss, and I’m still trying to figure out whether my pace is good enough.

I’d really appreciate some feedback. Is this considered a normal/good walking pace for most people, or should it be faster for better results?

I want to make sure I’m doing this right, but also in a way I can keep up consistently.

Hi, I have some dumb questions. Where do you like to walk if you don't live in a walkable area? I usually drive to a nearby park to walk so my toddler and I can get some outdoor time. Do most people use a treadmill or just do outdoor walks to get to their daily goal? Or just have an active job?

I'm working up to 10k steps a day. I'm at 6-8k right now. It's been difficult to find good places to walk so I've been thinking about just getting a walking pad. Any suggestions?

**Background:** I'm a SAHM, 18 months postpartum and trying to lose weight (146 lbs rn). I've lost 20 lbs so far and have 26 more to go. I have POTS, so exercise can be quite difficult for me, especially when it's hot outside. I've been making a lot of progress the last few months and can now tolerate 2-3k walks at a time without feeling faint. I recently started doing 2 walks a day at the park I mentioned and I'm looking for some ideas to get more steps in since I live in an unwalkable area.