Why Walking Is Badass
How I went from 3,000 to 20,000 steps a day & the difference that made for weight loss
My very first “critical” comment on my weight loss page was this: “Great, another person pretending like walking does anything when it’s really just a calorie deficit doing all of the work.”
Before developing my walking habit (June 2024-February 2025), I had only done two things to lose weight: eat in a calorie deficit, and light lifting. During this window, I was losing an average of 2.67 lbs a month. Since beginning my walking journey in February 2025, I have lost an average of 4.5 lbs a month.
That’s an increase of almost 70%, all while still being a sustainable, slow, and healthy rate of weight loss.
My Walking Journey
On February 28, 2025, I saw a TikTok of a girl walking with her daughter doing a “color walk” (basically where you pick a color like blue, and then find blue objects during the walk).
Two things happened to me when I watched this video: the first is that I realized how enjoyable walking could be, and the second was how much I craved to easily do things like that with my daughters.
Within the hour, I had thrown on some ratty tennis shoes and driven to my local outdoor walking track. Although it was covered in snow and ice, I was alone, and it was quiet. Snowflakes fell gently all around me. I did one lap, shaking as I went, but it was quiet. And I felt a sort of peace I had been craving.
There was a slight incline at the end of the loop, and that was enough for me to call it quits after one lap. One ten minute walk and I was exhausted.
I got back in my car, slightly embarrassed that I could only do one lap, but weirdly already craving that feeling again. Something had sparked inside of me. I had never considered walking to be “adequate” exercise (I mean I wasn’t dripping sweat, lifting heavy weights, so how could it be that impactful?), but that 10-minute walk reshaped the way I saw walking. Walking could be a powerful tool, and I was going to use it.
I went back the next day, and the next. I started trying to increase my stamina on the treadmill during my early morning gym visits. Within two weeks, I made a goal (highly insane & inadvisable) to walk a marathon distance in one month, and decided April 5 would be the day I walk a marathon.
Now, what I did next is once again - inadvisable.
Because I decided to expand from 10 minutes of walking to a MARATHON in one month, training was intense and exhausting. I was increasing my daily average about 10,000 steps every week. I lost toenails, I got dozens of blisters. Looking back, while I’m incredibly proud of myself, I also wish I could have given myself 2-3 months and built up at a more comfortable pace (this is why when someone asks I ALWAYS say just start with 30 minutes of walking, and once that’s comfortable bump up another 30 minutes and so on).
When April 5 arrived, I had a full schedule planned. I made invitations for my friends and family with sign-ups for timeslots to walk with me. I saw so many people I love that day and it is one of my favorite memories, and I’m planning to do it again in 2026 (this time, with toenails intact).
While it was a beautiful day, it was a brutal recovery. It caused an ingrown toenail (which the doctor botched the procedure to fix it, so I’m still dealing with that toenail’s issues, yikes). I was bed-ridden for several days. My walking declined for a week after that while I recovered. AGAIN please build up over time, don’t be an idiot like yours truly.
But after I recovered, I was really excited to keep walking. I had lost 10 lbs in the process of my walking marathon training, but even more importantly, I found a passion for walking. That time to myself is cherished and important time. It grounds me. It makes me a more present mother. It helps me clear my thoughts. Sometimes it’s just entertainment (yes, I’ve listened to smut on my walks). But I haven’t stopped walking and almost every day I do 20,000 steps. By the end of 2025, I had walked over 5.5 million steps, all because I genuinely and truly love it.
Why Walking?
Walking is not only a powerful weight loss tool, it can also dramatically improve your life in other ways (it has for mine).
Improves heart health and lowers blood pressure
My VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise, went from a 22 to 34 (from poor to above average)
My resting heart rate went from 76 bpm to 63 bpm
Low impact & easy on your joints
Increases energy and reduces fatigue
Improves sleep quality and circadian rhythm
Supports longevity and lowers risk of chronic disease
Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
Improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control
Requires no equipment
Easy to keep up even while traveling
Generally accessible even if you’re out of shape
Easy to improve quickly
Burns calories
Aids in digestion
My Walking Schedule
My typical walking routine starts with an early morning gym walk. I walk starting at 4 am for 1.5-2 hours (12k-16k steps), then a 30 min lunch walk (3k), and a 40 min evening walk (4k). Normal house pacing typically gives me 1-2k. :)
If it helps to plan out your walks, typically most people get around 1,000 steps for every 10 minutes of walking.
My Top Tips For Walking
Build Slowly: Look at your current average and add ONE 30-minute walk (~3,000 steps). Once that increase feels comfortable, add another 30 minutes and so on.
Set Exciting Goals: While my marathon was rushed, it was still a very motivating and exciting goal. Finding goals that excite you can really push you to keep walking even when you don’t want to.
Get The Right Shoes: My favorite shoes are listed here in order. You don’t have to get these specific ones, but investing in better shoes is 100% worth it. It’s better for your feet, your back, and your stamina.
Outside Walking Photo Album: I created a photo album on my phone titled, “things I would have missed” where I drop photos of things I would have missed if I had stayed at home and not gone outside. It’s weirdly motivating.
Look Into Affordable Walking Tools: Especially for treadmill walking, I got a cheap scrolling ring so I can doom-scroll, flip pages on my Kindle app, or switch songs on Spotify, all without needing to hold my phone up with my hand. People also love the ring for switching songs while they run (I don’t run, so couldn’t tell you). I also got a cheap magnetic phone mount for the treadmill so I didn’t have to slouch while on the treadmill. To help strengthen my back, I got this weighted vest. I don’t wear it all the time; I only use it for my short walks.
Home Walking: If the weather sucks or you can’t leave the house, a walking pad could be a great option. If you don’t have a walking pad and don’t want to get one, I’ve heard great things about a YouTube channel dedicated to at-home walking routines called growwithjo.
Walk After You Eat: Walking does wonders for digestion. Also, when I have a carb-heavy meal and I feel tired and weighed down, walking always brings back my energy and wakes me up again. Ideally you’d walk for 20-30 minutes, but any walking is important.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO WALK 20,000 STEPS: I put that in all-caps because I’m saying it with my whole chest. The CDC recommends 6,000-8,000 a day. 20,000 isn’t a magic weight loss number. It’s just a number that I built up to that felt comfortable for me. When I tried to set a consistent goal higher than that, it felt like too much. You have to find the right number for you and there is zero - AND I MEAN ZERO - pressure from me to make 20,000 that number.
Final Thoughts
Walking can do wonders for your weight loss, but I love it even more for all the ways it improves the quality of my life. As a working parent, between the demands of meeting job responsibilities, making sure your home is in order, taking care of your kids, and the thousand other things we have to do in life, we are often left with little time for us. Walking can be an accessible and important outlet to actually do some deep personal reflection, and also experience some endorphins.
My daughter told me the other day, “I love walking with you mom, because it gives me energy and makes me happy.” I thought of how much more grounded, patient, and present I feel on the days I walk, and I realized that even when I did it alone, all this time I spent walking was actually time parenting.
I hope that you decide to take that 10-minute walk around a cold track today. It could change your life forever.
