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How to Walk (12 miles a day)

walkingtheworld.substack.com

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Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#31

Post by mwint »

pugworthy wrote: post #9
gandalfff wrote: post #4

I've thought about incorporating such long walks into my lifestyle but I'm not certain the benefits add up. Definitely a fun idea though!

Last year I used the CityStrides website to track and walk every street in my town. All told about 385 miles or so. Some changes I've noticed since doing this are listed below. Not that they are earth shattering, but just a few things I've observed. * My resting heart rate fell by about 5 BPM. * I can now run and walk in my dreams and rarely have the "legs in molasses" thing (if you know what I mean). * I now wear tr…

> I can now run and walk in my dreams and rarely have the "legs in molasses" thing

I know exactly what you mean. That’s fascinating that it went away with more walking; maybe the brain is now better able to “simulate” walking?

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#32

Post by rootusrootus »

ketanmaheshwari wrote: post #15
ArtWomb wrote: post #6

I'd love to have this freedom. As well as a nice cabin up in the Green Mountains of Vermont to explore. But 12mi a day, and you're basically a professional hiker for a living when you include prep time and post prandial hot tub soaks for recovery ;)

Hey I understand the spirit of your message but you don't really have to be a professional hiker. The OP says it takes three and a half hours to walk 12 miles but could be easily squeezed to 3 hours. Then, it could be split. Half of this could be done in the morning and the other half in the evening. I would kindly urge you to consider this and give walking a fair try. It made a lot of positive change in my life. Bes…

> could be easily squeezed to 3 hours

The fraction of the population that can sustain a 4 mph pace comfortably for three hours is probably small. That's a pretty good clip. 2.5 to 3 mph is much more realistic.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#33

Post by rootusrootus »

balaji1 wrote: post #26

Great article hashing out the details of implementing regular long walks as a habit. However, it would be cool if there was a way to get paid for walking. That would motivate a lot more people, even if it is minimal pay. Walk-to-earn crypto game anyone?

Figure out how to convince coworkers to schedule all meetings during a specific 3 hour window each day, perhaps.

On my walks I regularly see a guy who seems to either be doing exactly that, or he just has meetings all day. I've never gone past him when he wasn't chatting away on a phone meeting.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#34

Post by windowsrookie »

ArtWomb wrote: post #6

I'd love to have this freedom. As well as a nice cabin up in the Green Mountains of Vermont to explore. But 12mi a day, and you're basically a professional hiker for a living when you include prep time and post prandial hot tub soaks for recovery ;)

You're already talking yourself out of walking and you haven't even started. ;)

12 miles is totally doable, but start with less because you'll injure yourself if you don't walk at all now. Even just 15 minutes of walking is great.

I am more of a bicyclist and luckily there are many trails around me. (I don't like riding on the streets) On a nice summer day I can easily spend 3 hours riding. If you work a full time 9-5, there is still plenty of time in the morning or evening to get a few hours of exercise in . (I should take my own advice here!)

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#35

Post by wmeredith »

balaji1 wrote: post #26

Great article hashing out the details of implementing regular long walks as a habit. However, it would be cool if there was a way to get paid for walking. That would motivate a lot more people, even if it is minimal pay. Walk-to-earn crypto game anyone?

Not outright payment, but there have been many efforts over the years to capture walking energy. One example I found after a quick search: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30816255

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#36

Post by timerol »

I find the anti-backpack mindset interesting, because I started urban walking after getting wilderness backpacking experience. I can't imagine walking around without a daypack, and I often bring it with me even when it's empty. On my morning commute today it held a Kindle, a spare set of headphones, and a plastic bag for when I buy more groceries than can fit in the pack. I'm probably not going to use any of those before I get home, though.

Backpacks are magic for longer trips. Food, water, coffee, all go in. Unsure about the weather? Layers layers layers, all in the pack. I also use LL Bean's PrimaLoft Packaway (I own two, one black and one orange), and have a shell for rainy/snowy weather. Unless it's both cold and rainy, one of the two goes in the backpack.

I've also never worried much about pocket preferences on my shorts and pants. I instead care about pockets on my packs. My current big pack is an Osprey Exos 58 (but the newer version doesn't have hip belt pockets or a shoulder strap pocket), and my daypack is an REI Flash 22 (with easily accessible side pockets, and a top pocket that you can reach with an awkward shoulder movement).

Edit: The big floppy hat comment was absolutely spot-on

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#37

Post by woliveirajr »

kevingadd wrote: post #10

During my time as a producer at a game studio, the office was located in a little business park surrounded by grass and rivers and small lakes, with lots of wildlife and some hiking trails. We had a tradition of going out on walks every day before/after lunch, usually a couple loops around the park. I made a point of going every time because I found that lots of conversations would happen naturally during the walk an…

Sometimes getting out of the loop and going to a coffee, to a walk, or anything that just makes you leave the building but keep talking with coleagues can make wonders for productivity.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#38

Post by comprev »

windowsrookie wrote: post #34
ArtWomb wrote: post #6

I'd love to have this freedom. As well as a nice cabin up in the Green Mountains of Vermont to explore. But 12mi a day, and you're basically a professional hiker for a living when you include prep time and post prandial hot tub soaks for recovery ;)

You're already talking yourself out of walking and you haven't even started. ;) 12 miles is totally doable, but start with less because you'll injure yourself if you don't walk at all now. Even just 15 minutes of walking is great. I am more of a bicyclist and luckily there are many trails around me. (I don't like riding on the streets) On a nice summer day I can easily spend 3 hours riding. If you work a full time 9-…

I'm a cyclist too and in the recent good weather I've averaged about 50km per day (split into morning/evening rides) during the week and usually a 70-80km ride one weekend day. Making the most of the weather while it lasts!

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#39

Post by mr_november »

balaji1 wrote: post #26

Great article hashing out the details of implementing regular long walks as a habit. However, it would be cool if there was a way to get paid for walking. That would motivate a lot more people, even if it is minimal pay. Walk-to-earn crypto game anyone?

Check out https://www.stepn.com/

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#40

Post by bmj »

timerol wrote: post #36

I find the anti-backpack mindset interesting, because I started urban walking after getting wilderness backpacking experience. I can't imagine walking around without a daypack, and I often bring it with me even when it's empty. On my morning commute today it held a Kindle, a spare set of headphones, and a plastic bag for when I buy more groceries than can fit in the pack. I'm probably not going to use any of those be…

I cannot deal when a backpack when the temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, for the very reason Arnade gives -- a sweaty back. I've been using a Nittany Mountain Works fanny pack on bike rides recently (the larger model will carry A5 notebooks, which is plenty big for my non-work commuting since I'm remote full time now). I guess I will still deal with a sweaty lower back, but that's better than my entire back.

That said, I agree with you -- I could imagine walking (or riding) with stuff in my pockets.

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