I Walked 9k Steps For 18 Days Here’s What Happened
Ditching my sedentary lifestyle was life-changing?
I have lived a sedentary lifestyle for a good part of my life. Thus, I developed serious health issues. Sure, I’d exercise and practice yoga but for rest of the day, I’d just sit.
After getting the wake-up call last year when my screen time was at an all-time high, I decided to live an active lifestyle. It’s been 180+ days into a daily regimen of morning and evening walks. Recently I started tracking my steps too. So here are the benefits I saw!
Facing The Fear
It was hard to face the fear — how am I gonna hit 10k steps? I have always been sedentary, so I was quite worried about this. My mind would keep telling me, “You won’t be able to do this”, and the rest of the time I would keep doubting myself. But I engulfed my fears and doubts. I started walking every day.
Defeating The Mind
The mind and social media are such great sources of noise. The moment you are alone, it haunts you with future worries and past regrets. I worked hard to quiet the monkey mind. It still throws hella doubts and fears in front of me. One such was “How will I be able to do this?”
But the day I started working towards it, I hit my 10k goal. I was happy and started believing — it is doable.
Losing Weight
Due to the lockdown, my weight went up. But when my shoulders and heels started hurting, I decided to walk every day. 20 months later I lost a considerable amount of fat. My main goal was not to lose weight and that’s why I’m dazzled to see the results. It was to make sure I’m not living a sedentary lifestyle.
Burning 400kcal is no joke. I lost 8kgs. Everybody noticed and they kept staring at me, wondering how I lost a visible amount of fat. Even my aunt started asking me for weight loss tips.
Better Digestion
In your teenage years, your metabolism is working excellently. You get over whatever junk you eat. But the older you get, the more you lose digestive capacity. And when I became an adult, I lost this superpower.
I couldn’t figure out the issue. But after researching and experimenting a lot, I realized I finally needed to move my body nore. The days when I hit my 10k goal, my digestion gets better. But the days I miss out on it, I’m bound to face the repercussions.
So move your body, to help digest your food better. Because:
It’s not what you eat but what you can digest — Ayurvedic scriptures.
The Unexpected Reality
On social media, people tell you Glittery and Glamorous things — how you could improve, what you could look like. When you try those things, it’s all a disappointment. Can you relate?
We have to strive for realism instead. Test our bodies. For someone who spent her entire life sitting in one place, it was annoying to realize how slow I was at first. But I’d sleep peacefully (and quite early) after hitting my goals and to-dos. I’m not being a motivational speaker here, but it’s quite satisfying to be able to work on your goals and achieve them. The trick is to get started instead of looking for outside inspiration.
Overcoming The Lazy Creature In Me
And oh boy! It took time and work to overcome my laziness. Because I somehow started hating my younger version who was damn lazy. Yes, she would play basketball, kho-kho, and badminton, practice yoga, and walk in the mornings and evenings… but I knew there was still something missing, it was this.
So yes, setting scary goals does help you shed off the unwanted parts and become your best self. It gives you a true kind of self-love.
Boost Mental Health
Your brain, skull, and hair don’t get enough of the nutrients you eat when you’re stuck in a sedentary lifestyle — imagine a sort of gravitational pull working against you. But walking for even 1 hour circulates blood to the corners of your body, nourishing your brain cells and hair follicles. This does wonders for your physical health, but it’s even better for your mental health. If you’re depressed or stuck in a rut, this could be the change you need.
Connecting With Nature
A walk in nature is all you need to shut the monkey mind that’s addicted to technology. It gets those creative juices flowing, and gives you better circulation, digestion, and mental health. It’s a must-have if you are a creative person. I have also discovered that morning walks are extremely peaceful. Try it! You might learn something about yourself.
Spending Some Quality Time With My Parents
While my morning walks are me-time, my evening walks are a chance to spend time with mom. It’s a way to pay attention to each other despite our busy schedules.
The Only Downsides:
- I’m someone who gets up and gets to work. With a bunch of good habits packed up in my mornings, I find less energy to focus on my actual work. So, while morning walks are refreshing, I’m yet to make peace with not doing the most important tasks right first thing in the morning.
- In the past, I wouldn’t leave my house much, and at first, I found it difficult to adjust to the weird things people do. From guys giving comments, to everyone turning back to stare at me, I had to adjust to a lot of unwanted attention. I tend to retreat into my room as soon as I hit my 10k targets. I still can’t deal with a bunch of people staring at me.
Final Thoughts
So this was my experience of walking 10k steps for 13 days and 9k steps for 18 days. In total, I’ve been tracking my steps for a month now. Before this, I’d walk in the morning and evening. No matter how refreshing and healthy these walks are, part of me still misses sitting on my bed and reading books all day. But I want to keep trying this for a while.
Have you tried tracking your steps? If so, I’d love to know your experiences too in the comments below.
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— Shailja
