how walking can solve 99 of your problems
new problems, old solutions
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So far this year, I’ve walked 2,938,017 steps. That’s 14,616 per day. Not bad. But this post isn’t to boast or compare step counts. It’s to share how long walks changed my life.
You might think I’m being melodramatic. I’m not. Walking has single-handedly changed how I approach life, both physically and mentally.
At one point, my days blurred together: wake up, clients, eat, clients, train, clients, sleep, repeat. There was no pause. Even sleep felt like another task just to survive the next day. Walking changed that.
My days no longer feel like one long run-on sentence because walks now give them punctuation. They create breaks. Space. Walking gives me clarity and perspective. It’s the one thing in my day that doesn’t feel like work. It’s my moving meditation. There’s something about the beat of “left, right, left, right” that’s rhythmic and calming.
Now, my days are built around long walks (usually an hour or less, unless it’s the weekend). I start every morning with a walk with my dog, we change routes, but I usually aim for two miles.
I spend this time contemplating, planning, dreaming, praying, creating — even writing, in my head. I do my best to stay off my phone, and I almost always leave headphones behind.
This walk grounds me. Life moves fast, especially when you’re constantly looking through the lens’ of social media. But this ritual slows things down. My breath. My thoughts. Everything but my steps.
The rest of the day, I fit in walks between clients. During these, I allow music, podcasts, phone calls, even some scrolling. I’m less strict as long as I’m moving. Originally, these walks were just to hit a step goal. Now I realize most of my ideas come during these stretches, too.
There’s something about being outside, observing. If you’re like me, you can’t mindlessly scroll on your phone while walking, especially not in the city. A certain level of attentiveness is required, even for something as low-stakes as walking. That attentiveness centers you. It gives you a brief escape from your worries. In those moments, it becomes clear that your purpose is bigger than the anxieties of the day.
I’ve shared countless times the physical benefits of “maxxing out on steps,” “walking obsessively,” and “hitting 10k by 10 a.m.” From a body composition perspective, walking is the easiest, most accessible way to achieve — and maintain — a lean physique. Pair it with fasting, sure. But walking is what lets you eat a little more without feeling like you’re restricting yourself. It puts you in a high energy flux state, the best state if you want to lose fat and actually keep it off.
Don’t take my word for it though, test it for yourself. For the next week, start your mornings with a 20 minute walk. Leave your phone behind, if you can.