Walking Counts
Walking is one of the simplest forms of movement available to us, which may be exactly why we sometimes underestimate it.
It doesn’t require a gym membership, a complicated plan, or a particular level of fitness before you’re allowed to begin. You can walk for ten minutes around your neighborhood. You can wander through the woods for an afternoon. You can walk slowly, quickly, uphill, beside a friend, behind an extremely enthusiastic little dog, or entirely by yourself.
It all counts.
The question here isn’t whether you’re walking enough to earn credit for it.
It’s simply:
What kind of walk would feel good today?
Walks Coming Soon
Looking for a walk to try right now?
Walking Is More Versatile Than We Give It Credit For
We tend to talk about walking as though it’s one activity. Go for a walk. But change the pace, terrain, incline, distance, or duration and you can create a very different experience without ever changing the basic movement.
A comfortable walk can simply get you moving on a day when you’ve been sitting too long. Pick up the pace and the effort changes. Add hills and your legs have more work to do. Walk farther and you’re asking your body to sustain that movement longer. Take the same walk onto a natural trail and roots, rocks, slopes, and uneven ground may ask you to pay considerably more attention to where and how you’re moving.
You can even use a walk as the framework for something else—stopping along the way for a few simple strength movements, taking it somewhere beautiful and turning it into an adventure, or slowing down enough that the walk becomes less about exercise and more about being outside.
The walk can change because what you need from it can change.
Some days you may want to challenge yourself. Some days you may want ten easy minutes around the block. Some days you may start with one plan and realize halfway through that your body has a different opinion. That’s useful information.
Walking doesn’t need to become harder and harder in order to keep counting. And every walk doesn’t need to accomplish the same thing.
Choose the walk that fits the day you’re actually having.
Before You Go
If today’s walk is taking you beyond the neighborhood and onto a trail, there are a few things worth knowing before you leave.
Before the Trail is our complete beginner-friendly guide to getting outside with more confidence. We’ll walk through choosing a trail that fits the outing you’re actually taking, footwear and weather, water and food, what belongs in your pack, navigation, changing conditions, wildlife, solo hiking, emergencies, knowing when to turn around, and leaving the trail worth coming back to.
You don’t need to become an expert before you step into the woods.
You just need to know enough for the trail you’re taking next.
