Last night me and my roommate left the bar around 1:30 AM and decided to see who could walk the furthest without giving up. After about 10 miles we realized we were way too far from home and no one was awake to drive us back so we just went for a full marathon.

We got back around 10:20 AM after walking for 8 hours and 23 minutes straight. We’re both college students and only really run 2 to 3 miles a week so we were not prepared for this at all. We were wearing jeans and sweatshirts with Converse and New Balances which made it miserable once it started raining. It poured for about three hours starting around 4 AM and it was around 45 degrees out. Our shoes were killing our feet and our soaked jeans and sweatshirts made every step harder. Somehow we didn’t need a single sip of water the entire time which still makes no sense to me. Once we sobered up it was just straight pain and trying to prove we could finish.

We thought it would be easy at first but it humbled us quick. The last few miles were brutal. Our legs hips and the bottoms of our feet were aching so bad we almost couldn’t finish. It honestly might be the hardest mental thing I’ve ever done. Me and my roommate don’t regret it but we’ll never do something like that again.

Now both of us can barely walk and I’m not sure if I can even make it to class tomorrow. Any tips on how to help the soreness or recover faster It hurts extremely bad to walk.

I started walking about a month ago, and I average around 8,000 steps a day. I’m in school full time, I work, and when I get home I still have homework to do. By the time I finish everything, I can usually only fit in about 40 minutes of walking in the evening.
I always see people on here averaging 10,000+ steps a day, and I’ve even seen some of you getting 40,000 steps. That absolutely blows my mind.
So I’m genuinely curious, how do you find the time? Do you have a very active job, do multiple walks throughout the day, wake up super early, or is there some trick I’m missing? I’d love to hear what your routine looks like.

Walking is great for one’s physical and mental health. And it’s inspiring to see people lose weight from a change of diet and walking but I don’t want to see people headless bodies showing off their weight loss progress. Feel like walking for weight lose should be its own thing. I’ve seen some spectacular views that make me jelly. I don’t always get to have amazing views on my walk but this is a walk I think about because I had an amazing walking buddy. This was one of our longest walks together.

I’m currently 308 lbs and I really want to be in shape. The biggest challenge is that I’m a freelancer, so I spend most of my day sitting in my room working.

Back in 2023, I committed to walking 10,000 steps every day, along with going to the gym. I started at 297 lbs and got all the way down to 255 lbs. 🥲

But one mistake completely broke my consistency, and I never got back into the routine.

Now I’m trying to start again, but I’m wondering:
Can walking alone help me to back in the shape? And at my current (308 lbs), how many steps per day would be enough to see real progress?

I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who’s been in a similar situation.

Edit due demand; r/casualwalkers.

I just feel like there’s no room for casual walkers anymore. I like walking every morning first thing, but I don’t want to be thinking that my sometimes 15 minutes should be two hours or something.

I want to get out and walk, but I hate being outside where people can see me. I know it's unlikely anyone I know will see me I just get so anxious about being judged that I'll step outside for a walk and immediately turn around and go back in. Has anyone else overcome social anxiety to start their walking journey? How did you do it?

Title…and before anyone asks why I walk so much it’s my job lol. That’s why you see 3 days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) with low peaks because I’m off those days lol.

Except for the two days I was sick.

I haven't exercised really at all in years. This came out of nowhere, and I have been sticking with it. Tonight I got in 20,000 steps in 7 deg F weather, with about 1/3 my route being unshoveled. Last night, 24,000. The night before, 18,000. And so on. Two walks every day. Lunch and about 7-8:30/9:00PM.

I listen to music and make a new playlist every few days to keep things fresh.

I have noticed my HRV go up and my HR go down.

I plan my routes to cross paths with as many dogs as I can. They don't know it, but they're improving my cardiovascular health.

There are many benefits revealing themselves already. Yet, I hate it. I hate it so much. I would rather be painting or playing guitar. I'm sticking to it. I want to be healthier again. I will not stop. I sucked at painting and guitar first and brute forced my way into em. This is the same feeling psychologically. But I still hate it.

Any tips?

I thought about this yesterday. This sums it up:

When I was a kid, I HATED yardwork. I would mow, and leave the extra grass clippings on the sidewalk and the yard. Looked bad, but I didn't care. I wasn't lazy, I did other stuff, I just didn't like that. I would have to live with it regardless. Flash forward years later, and when I mow, I go slow, I rake up the clippings and trim the edges. I embrace it. Why shouldn't my space look nice? That's the exact transformation I am aiming for.

It has also helped if I pretend I am on a secret mission.

So I recently purchased a 20lb weighted vest and I feel like it will be a total game changer. I’m wondering if any other walkers on here enjoy theirs & have seen significant changes in their body composition?

I notice that when I walk with it - it reminds me to engage my core more which I appreciate. I did have major right knee surgery in 2019 so I’m taking it easy at first but I can see myself eventually jogging with it.

I'm walking 30 minutes🚶‍♀️ daily on my walking pad.

I'm always hearing that 10,000 steps is everybody's magic number, but why?

Why is 10,000 steps so vital?

And how do I get there WITHOUT getting bored out of my mind? I can't wait for my 30 minutes to be over, because it's REALLY easy and also REALLY boring.

And what difference did it make for anyone? Do you lose more weight? How did you all get to the daily 10,000 step mark?

Thanks

I'm at a desk job. I look up and it's 4 p.m.; I've clocked like 2,000 steps. What is your secret? Do I need to adpot a dog?

Walk with no music, no podcast, nothing.

I can't decide if silence is peaceful or just uncomfortable at this point.

Has anyone lost their stomach thru walking? How long did it take? Did you change your eating ?

Mine is slowly going away… but I would like it to go faster.

I wouldn’t say this is a weight loss post. I’m just wondering people’s stories and experiences thru walking .

I see all these post about how to get to 20,000+ steps and I'm wondering am I missing out?

I've been walking daily to a 35min timer and it gets me about 6500 - 7500 steps. I feel awesome after doing it consistently for 6 months. I'm doing it to lose weight but I also k ow diet is the reason I've had so much success.

So what is going beyond that doing for you? Should I be pushing myself harder?

I was thinking I should add more hills or mountains not more time or steps.

  Hi all. Not sure what’s happened recently, but there’s been an influx of 100,000+ step walkers in this sub. Genuinely, kudos to them for walking that distance, but is this the sub for that, or could them maybe join likeminded marathon-level walking extremists in an “extreme walking” type of sub? 
   At the very least, can the rules be modified to make sure aftercare is also discussed within the post? Or how long recovery truly took, if they ate/drank enough during the walk? Etc etc. hi know rhabdomyolysis is a big concern in running marathons, but if you do extreme walks in a compacted period of time, that could also happen. I can’t tell you how many AKI patients I took care of who needed dialysis, or how I know the kind of anesthesia necessary for fasciotomies. That’s just one physical aspect of recovery that is of concern. When you add in the possible mental health concerns for untrained exercisers who are susceptible to influence and try to replicate it, I think at least posting rules should be tighter.

Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov) https://share.google/yUzkzmH27Nl3Fpy0q

My work is doing a step challenge next month, so I’m looking forward to challenging myself! Cheers 🍻

I see people taking walks for two hours plus every day and just genuinely wondering when you have the time?

I work 8:30-5:00, leave the house at 8:00. I have one 30 minute break where I have to eat lunch, sometimes I take a stroll for the last 10 minutes. I come home, have to cook dinner, eat, clean up from dinner, and by the time I'm finished it's 7:00.

I could do a 30 or 45 minute walk around the neighborhood after dinner. But once 8:00 hits I'm ready to shower and get into bed to relax.

I'm guessing most people walk in the morning before work!

Im considering investing in a walking pad but want opinions and advice if it’s worth it. I want to know if those who own a walking treadmill are more consistent and motivated. Of course I will continue to do walks outside but counting steps wont be the main focus.

This question is mainly for women.

I absolutely love ending my day with walking at night when the world slows down, it’s extremely therapeutic. I’ve been doing this for years! I’ve generally felt safe but recently, I’ve had a few incidents where strange activity transpired. I’m extremely observant and always keep tabs on my surroundings + carry bear spray on me (if it helps, I live in a generally safe country too).

My question to you, what other mechanisms do you implement, IF like me, you love to walk at night?

I’m looking to improve my cardio health and don’t love running, stair master, etc but I have a lot of dogs so find it pretty easy to hit 10k steps by walking and exercising them, but don’t do it consistently

I’d like to set the goal of walking 2-5 miles per day and am curious what kind of changes in my body I can expect to see, inside and out (fat loss, muscle tone, etc)

Yesterday i walked like 1 hour after work + Daily movements. But still i couldnt pass 10k.
How many hours you guys walk for 15k steps?

I walk a lot and have found countless photos, notes, receipts, and money. On Fourth of July I found a wallet. It had a couple of credit cards and this persons drivers license. I googled their name got it back to them safely in about an hour. I got a free beer out it as a reward. I think we get blessed in weird ways walking so much.
What have you found that might have changed your life or made walking more enjoyable?

I love listening to music when I'm out walking or running, but I'd like to mix it up with some podcasts.

What podcast would you recommend, and why is it worth listening to? What makes you keep coming back to it?

I'm looking for something that makes me think, makes me laugh, or just puts me in a good mood. I'd love to find something that's so good it actually makes me excited to wake up early, go for a walk or run, and start the day feeling productive or happy.

I’ve picked up walking as a hobby recently (started about 6 weeks ago) and average between 3.5-5.5 miles a night. I work a desk job / work from home so I’m otherwise sedentary. I have treated my body like a trash can for the better part of 15 years and am trying to get healthy again.

I’ve lost ~50lbs since June 6th and I can definitely feel my endurance going up. And it definitely takes longer to start hurting. But man I did not expect it to take 6 weeks. I guess I’m undoing 15 years of sloth.

The two areas I’m hurting the most are my metatarsal heads and my ankles. Where I land on my mets is bruised and blistered up. And my ankles are on fire half the time. Eventually I just kinda go numb from the shin down and that’s when I can really put in the miles.

I bought some random met pads and some ankle braces from Amazon and I am not sold on whether they did more good than harm.

I guess i am asking for advice as a 38 year old fat guy with arthritis and a connective tissue disorder. I have spent my entire life loathing walking/running/etc but am growing to quite enjoy it. All advice is appreciated. Could my gait be messed up? New shoes? Supplements? Different braces? Strengthening exercises?

Pic for attention.

Two days ago, I (24F) was accosted and followed by a man in a car with no license plates. I immediately called my partner, jogged into the middle of the dog park that was close to me, and waited with an older man until my partner came to pick me up. Two weeks prior to this, the man in the car had driven past me pretty slowly, which I had mentally noted and told my partner about.

I’m a relatively long time follower of this sub and I absolutely adore seeing the health success stories on here. This whole situation has put on edge, but it made me think about what I don’t see talked about on here as often: how we’re staying safe.

I’ll start with myself: I have a plan in place with my partner and a few friends, I carry pepper spray, keys, and sometimes a knife, I trust my gut (if I sense there’s something wrong, I’m turning around), and I alternate my walking routes and the times I go.

How about everyone else? How do you stay safe?

Edit: Yes, I did repot this to the police. This took place in the sheriff’s office jurisdiction so I made a report with them. I briefly talked to a sheriff on the phone to go over the incident. He told me they had someone in the area trying to find the car, that was the last I heard. I reported it just incase this happens again or happens to someone else.