How I Walked Every Day in 2020

Scene: Building 2020 Dreams

I had a long list of cool, fun things I wanted to do in 2020, like planning a girls’ trip with my sisters-in-law or making a point to go to all my favorite sporting events. Obviously that lasted about, mmm, 73 days.

But! One goal I did set for myself was to walk a minimum of 30 minutes, every day, in 2020.

Let me tell you how I basically CRUSHED that goal.

Why I wanted to do this in the first place:

I have a long history of crippling anxiety, and I’ve found over the years that physical activity really helps me manage it better. That’s how I’ve stuck so diligently to my workout plan and schedule — I get the added benefit of seeing results while also getting a firmer grip on my anxious tendencies.

I noticed that taking a leisurely walk every once in a while really compounded that benefit. I would pop in a podcast and just stroll until the fresh air and time away from my stressors calmed me down.

Plus, walking is LITERALLY what we and our ancestors were designed to do, and you know how I feel about ancestral health! Yes, we live in a modern society with perks left and right, but many of these perks add to our convenience simply by making us put in less effort… and less effort doesn’t make us more resilient.

I wanted resilience.

I wanted to challenge myself (time commitment, anyone?).

I wanted to make something slightly inconvenient.

So I committed to embracing my human bipedal genes, hoping it would help me spend more time in nature, moving the way I was intended to.

Spoiler alert: I was right.

The year started out great — I was motivated, focused, and calm. And excited to tackle this challenge.

Plus, we were all still working on-site (remember those days?), so I was able to take a 15-minute walking lunch break with my coworkers every day. This helped set me up for success because by the time I got home, I only had to do a lap up and down my street to finish off the 30-minute requirement. I literally did this every Monday through Friday until we were sent home in March.

I’m thankful for this, though, however short the opportunity was — because it got my mind right and helped solidify the habit.

They say it takes 21 days to make a habit stick. (Or is it 60? The world may never know.)

For me, because I am too hard on myself, it normally only takes a few days. But these many work walks showed me I don’t have to be a psycho about getting it all done at once, and that I can enjoy it in the company of others.

Once I got home from work, I often went above the 15-minute remaining time and did 30 or 45 minutes, simply because the weather was absolutely stunning. If you’ve never bundled up and taken a quiet, serene walk in a nighttime snowfall, you’re missing out. Seriously. It was unlike anything I anticipated.

I came to appreciate the beautiful nature that is snow and low temps. As an added bonus — in the name of slightly inconveniencing myself and taking on a challenge — getting your ass outside when it’s freezing isn’t easy, but this daily cold exposure was AWESOME for my immune system. This is a process called hormesis, and it’s a great key to longevity.

After a while, my husband starting joining me.

As the weather improved throughout March and April, it was nice to spend that time together and get our dog out for some family exercise.

We spent this time asking each other about the best parts of our day, what house projects we could expand upon, and all the worldly happenings. In addition to being lovers and life partners, we are also best friends beyond measure, and this provided us the time to bounce ideas, insecurities, and struggles off one another.

Between both of us working overtime, keeping the household running, and all that lies in-between, it was a challenging year, but we found the time to continue being each other’s rock and sounding board… and these walks really supported that.

My workouts began getting “easier.”

Obviously this isn’t necessarily true — the workouts don’t get easier, WE get STRONGER. But it felt as though I was making huge strides in my endurance and power. Whether it was due to better focus, reduced stress, or improved physical functioning… it was a thing.

It motivated me to keep the streak alive and extend past the 30-minute minimum many times in the spring and early summer. It’s that momentum, baby!

I also leaned out quite a bit. Nobody’s ever going to complain about that. Lol

I was on a roll, feeling unstoppable — until the very first day I dropped the ball. Sunday, May 24th.

I literally don’t know what happened, but I was so busy, I honestly just forgot. I still managed to get a workout in, but walking somehow completely slipped my mind.

This annoyed me to no end. I know this is something I need to work on, but I’m a very dedicated person who usually leans too far toward perfectionism for her own good. The fact that there was now a blank spot — a gap — in my walking streak and commitment to myself drove me nuts.

I lamented about it on my Instagram stories — in fact, it might still be available under my Walks & Thoughts highlight if you want to check it out.

Little did I know I would go on to miss the mark for a total of 36 days in 2020. WTF!

Shit happens, yo.

Boat days where we were SO EXHAUSTED by the time we got home, that we just crashed on the couch for the entire night.

The dog days of summer where if I spent one more SECOND outside I might die.

Days of travel, obligations, and busyness that just didn’t allow for the spare time. (I realize this is more my own excuse-making, but still valid.)

There was a month or two of randomly missing walks that just felt like they were piling up, uncontrollably. My eyes weren’t on the prize, the state of the world was dragging me down, and I lost focus.

And then I broke my big toe. Sounds silly, right? Wrong.

I literally couldn’t walk. So what had happened was…

We have free weights and workout equipment in our basement, where I do my heavy lifting and intense cardio workouts. I started a new bulking program, and accidentally dropped a 25-pound weight plate directly onto my big toe.

I forgot what it felt like to have that kind of pain. It was brutal, and there was nothing anyone could do but give it time.

This perpetuated my cycle of guilt of already having missed so many walking days.

Yes, I realize that’s not a healthy state of mind. But that’s where I was at. I sulked for a hot minute. I’m human.

But instead of continuing to feel like I let myself down, I wrapped that bitch up, shoved it into my Crocs, and decided to do 30-minute bike rides every day until I could walk safely again.

This was a gamechanger! Not only did it spice things up after solely walking for almost eight months, but it was pain-free and a more intense workout — just what I needed to recharge. And hubs joined me for this, too!

After a few weeks I was able to walk normally without pain and re-committed to myself, for reals this time.

And the rest of the year went smoothly. I stayed committed, I picked up my pace, and I embraced all of what 2020 had left to offer.

Even on holidays. Even on 18-hour work days. Even when I tweaked my knee (again). Even after painful dental work, migraines, digestion troubles, traveling, hangovers, and period cramps. I did it.

The Results

You guys know by now that I’m a numbers person. So OBVIOUSLY I tracked how much time I spent walking each day.

The real trick was trying to determine my speed anecdotally.

Why not just track this too? Well, I no longer use a Fitbit or Apple Watch because it caused more anxiety than it solved — always pressuring me to get better sleep (which inevitably makes sleep more difficult), to get up and move (and sometimes that’s just not an option, but sitting is the new smoking so enter: anxiety), and so on.

I didn’t want to overestimate how fast I walked, because this would inaccurately give me more miles than were true.

I also didn’t want to undershoot it too much and not give myself the credit I earned.

I threw out the number of 3mph to my husband, who laughed and said he always had to complain and ask me to slow my roll on our walks (because I’m #perfectionist), and that it was probably closer to 3.3-3.4mph.

To settle somewhere in the middle — because between broken toes and weather constraints, there were some days I was forced to walk slower — I chose to start with 3.2mph.

I now realize — after tracking on an app so far in 2021 — that my average speed is anywhere from 3.3-3.5mph, so I am going to present the data from all angles:

Total minutes walked in 2020: 12,045

…which equates to 200.75 hours, or 200 hours and 45 minutes.

…which averages to 33 minutes per day, RIGHT ON TARGET for my goal!

At a pace of 3.2mph (my original guesstimate), this means I walked 642.4 miles.

If my pace was closer to 3.4mph (a my more reasonable speed), it’s 682.55 miles.

Let’s just, for shits and giggles, say it was an actual 3.5mph… then it’s702.63 miles!

So, essentially, I walked anywhere from 640 to 700 miles in 2020! Holy shit!

And even though there were 36 days that I either didn’t get the full 30 minutes or missed the walk entirely, the other days that I extended my time helped make up for this to allow me an average that was right on par for my goal.

The Takeaway

This is a self-experiment I will never forget. It tested my patience and time management, while also helping to define what was really important to me. It challenged me by inconveniencing me, by making me question myself, and — at times — being physically demanding.

I spent these 200 hours in quality time with my husband and family, learning from experts on podcasts, and watching my dog flourish.

I got to know dozens of neighbors better and become more familiar with — and comfortable in — my neighborhood.

I was able to enjoy lawn signs for birthdays and graduations, see everyone’s political spirit, and melt in the snowy Christmas lights.

For all the shit that was 2020, this goal helped me become a better person.

Do I plan to continue this and let the momentum ride? HELL YEAH I DO.

We’re nine days into 2021 and I haven’t dropped the ball yet. I’m aiming for better numbers this year and being able to spend these walks with more people and in different places.

Interested in picking up this habit? Stay tuned.

And in the meantime, drop a comment below or share this with someone who could benefit from it. Cheers to you, my friend!