If you walk for exercise- how extreme are you.

[COcheesehead]

I am on my 123rd straight day of meeting all my Apple Watch goals. I alternate days between walking 7 miles and riding my spin bike or riding outdoors. I throw weight lifting into the mix too. So yes, I am obsessed. Yesterday it was 18 degrees out. The only thing that stops me is a travel day or being sick.

 

[Dawg52]

I generally walk about a 40 minute loop everyday.

Same here. I do mine on the golf course with my dog every morning. It's fast pace walking too as I let the mutt off leash. Some days I go to a trail at a park with a lake, just for a change of pace. When at my beach condo I ride a bike daily for about 1.5 hours. And walks with the dog too.

This time of the year with all the rain, I may not get as much exercise as I would like. My cardiologist suggested a minimum of 20-30 minutes a day 4-5 times a week. I easily get that. Throw in golf plus yard work and I think I get enough.

 

[mexexpat]

I walk for food! Live in a walkable area; I do 80% of my shopping on foot. We also walk to dinner nightly. I average 10 miles a week. When we visit friends/relatives in the 'burbs I am far less motivated to hoof it.

 

[becca]

I walk 5 miles every morning with 2 friends and have been doing so for several years. I have set a limit of not walking outside when it's below 20 degrees, snow or ice on walkways or pouring rain. On those days I hit the treadmill. Having walking partners is a real incentive to go out on the days when you don't really feel like it.

 

[misshathaway]

I walk every day in the afternoon down to the hardware store and back - 2 miles. I swim in the morning so the walk is just to get the blood flowing, since I spend way too much time sitting at the computer.

Yesterday was a mistake though. The sidewalks were icy. The bike lanes were OK but I don't like being that close to cars driven by people mostly looking down at their phones. Killed in pursuit of fitness!

Today it is currently 4 degrees. I'm out.

 

[jollystomper]

I hit the gym several times a week, on days I am not at the gym I try to walk at least 3 miles. I am not as hardy as many of you, once the temperature gets below freezing it is tough for me to go outside for a walk. On those days its the treadmill/elliptical at the gym, or frequently going up and down 2 flights of steps in the house.

DW and I also try to walk together several times of week - she likes the challenge of my fast pace, and it is a good together time for us to discuss things.

The more interesting the walk is for me, the easier it feels regardless of distance, so I try to mix up my path. between the local neighborhood, 3 different parks with walking/hiking/jogging paths, and 2 towns within a short drive, I can choose vary things so I do not get bored.

 

[MRG]

Try for 6 days in the gym every week. My normal is 3 days with DW 20 minutes on the treadmill and 40 minutes of weights. The other 3 days I jog on treadmills for 45-60 min. I normally do 20k weekly.

I had been running my heartrate up in the 160+ range. I've decided to go a little slower and keep it down under 140. Some of my bloodwork, hemoglobin and hematocrit, was running a little high so I'm trying not spending as much time deprived of O2. The altitude here doesn't help.

 

[Mango1956]

DH and I average 5 days a week, 4 miles each day. We walk up the hill on a road, so we get about 1200 ft elevation gain in 2 miles. Heavy rain cancels. We stay in shape for hiking this way.

 

[Ronstar]

Usually hike or walk 5-6 days a week. Hiking works nicely with my photography hobby. I’ve been hiking Arizona desert/mountain trails every other day this month, averaging 5-7 miles per hike with about 800’- 1500’ vertical ascent. Have done hikes in Arizona between 60° winters and 110° summers with plenty of water and a big hat.

My Illinois hikes are very flat, 5-7 miles, between -10° and 95°. Cold days are ok if no wind. I generally like hiking during the extremes, because the extremes bring out some interesting photo ops.

 

[Ronstar]

I try to walk everyday, rain or shine (I am shooting for ~10K steps a day). And when there is snow on the ground, there are always snowshoes...

Awesome photo! Looks like a great conditions for a walk.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I usually street walk twice a day for a few hours. It never gets too cold in LA, but I walk at the mall when it rains. This feels kind of cowardly - when working I commuted by bike, through heavy storms and once thru about 5 inches of accumulated hail -

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/13/national/freak-storm-leaves-los-angeles-under-a-foot-of-hail.html

"Two weeks after the most destructive wildfires in state history blackened the skies over Southern California, a freak storm deluged Los Angeles on Wednesday night and left some parts of the city covered with more than a foot of hail."

 

[mh]

So far this month I’ve averaged just over 2 hours walking per day, and for the whole of 2018 I averaged just over 2 hours per day. This is an average as some days we hike 5 to 10 miles. Earlier this month we drove to visit my SIL just outside of Edinburgh and immediately after arriving went out for a 6 mile walk. Next day we drove out to a country park and hiked 8.4 miles, the following day 6 miles in the Pentlands.

Then we all drove back to our place and did a 5 mile hike in the hills behind our house. Next day we drove a few miles to the coast and hiked 7.5 miles down the coast from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay and caught a bus back to Whitby. Next day we walked about 3 miles in the town before taking SIL to the train station.

This week we did a 6 mile hike on the coast, and have been to the gym twice, and will go again tomorrow. The gym is a 0.75 mile walk from the house but by the time we add a walk to a coffee shop then home via a shop or 2 to pick up groceries it ends up being close to 3 miles. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at the gym we do a 1 hour exercise class consisting of Pilates, yoga and Thai Chi. Mondays and Fridays is weight training.

The coast down into Robin Hood’s bay is nice. I really enjoyed it. I know someone who has a vacation rental in RHB. I always threaten to go back there for a week or so.

 

[Ally]

I walk about 40 min a day briskly. I go in all types of weather. I’ve only once walked at the Mall when it was pouring rain and I hated it. I walk to listen to podcasts, for my heath, and to enjoy the changing weather.

 

[Katsmeow]

I do walk, but only in good weather outside. I don't tolerate heat or cold very well. We do have a treadmill for when the weather is bad. I find it boring though so we recently joined a municipal rec center with an indoor track which I love. Currently I am working to average 8000 steps a day. However, steps includes steps on the elliptical and recumbent bike.

I do strength training 4 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour. One thing that has helped me get a little more movement is I bought a Cubii under the desk elliptical. I have a large regular elliptical (actually an ascent trainer) but the Cubii helps me since I sit at a desk a lot.

 

[Aus_E_Expat]

I try to walk 12km a day, every day.

Problem is that it is so hot - usually need to start walking at about 5.30am when it is about 26 degrees Celsius and try to be finished by 7.30am before the sun starts to get too hot. The problem with the tropics.

 

[frank]

do you think all the exercise the people here do is necessary for fitness and good heath or do you do it to fill up a lot of your time? I excercise but only about a mile a day and then some strength training and workout class at the rec center twice a week.

 

[Philliefan33]

do you think all the exercise the people here do is necessary for fitness and good heath or do you do it to fill up a lot of your time? I excercise but only about a mile a day and then some strength training and workout class at the rec center twice a week.

I exercise for health and to get/stay in shape for my hobbies. I’m not just filling up my time, it’s something I enjoy.

For me, going out for a three hour bike ride is fun. Playing pickleball for three hours is fun. Paddling 12 miles of whitewater is fun. Doing yoga a couple of hours a week is necessary to keep somewhat limber to do the above.

I think you’ll find that most of us who exercise more than the average person are doing it because we like it, and how we feel as a result. I also enjoy reading and sewing, but if I spent all my time doing those sedentary hobbies I would feel antsy (until I eventually turned into a slug — then I’d probably feel fat and lazy).

 

[DayDreaming]

I'm impressed with how much some people here walk, and how regularly you do it!

Me - I guess I'm not so tough, and I'm only out when the weather is nice. I hike for the fun of it, not for the exercise value although that's a nice fringe benefit. If I feel that I've been lazy for too long a time, I'll go for a walk on the roads around my house.

I average about 500 miles / 200 hours hiking and walking per year.
I was pretty happy with those numbers until I saw some of the replies in this thread - my numbers average out to only 1.4 miles per day, or 1/2 hour per day - not so impressive when I look at it that way, but then hiking isn't the only exercise I get so I still think I'm doing well. But to answer the OP's question, I'm a wimp when it comes to exercising outdoors in bad weather.

 

[Chuckanut]

Can anybody recommend a good, cheap, step counter? A small, simple and accurate step counter is all I need.

Edited to add: Under $20 would be nice.

 

[COcheesehead]

Can anybody recommend a good, cheap, step counter? A small, simple and accurate step counter is all I need.

Buy a low end, basic Fitbit. I think its called the Flex, but if you get hooked you'll soon want one that does more. I had 2 Fitbits and then eventually an Apple Watch.

 

[lucky penny]

do you think all the exercise the people here do is necessary for fitness and good heath or do you do it to fill up a lot of your time? I excercise but only about a mile a day and then some strength training and workout class at the rec center twice a week.

I really enjoy some activities, but yes, I make an effort to walk a lot for health reasons and because it makes me feel better, especially as I get older. When I see people for whom it's tough to walk an extra block or two or climb a couple of flights of stairs, it does make me want to keep moving.

Any amount of exercise every day is good & probably more than most people do. And if it's something you enjoy, you're more likely to keep doing it.

"Walking 10,000 steps every day" doesn't mean a daily 5-mile hike, for me anyway. Sometimes I can get there with normal daily activities, though not often. Typical daily activity for me can account for about 2 or 3000 steps, & efforts to add extra steps here & there can add a few thousand more; then a sustained walk puts me over the total. On most days that's a 20-40 minute walk, sometimes longer just because it feels good. It's almost a game to get there.

 

[MRG]

do you think all the exercise the people here do is necessary for fitness and good heath or do you do it to fill up a lot of your time? I excercise but only about a mile a day and then some strength training and workout class at the rec center twice a week.

I never exercised before retiring and it showed. Many of the posters here were extremely motivating.

DW and I started by changing our diet, lost a combined 110 pounds and then started to exercise(first walking) and later going to the gym.

I was able to drop 9 meds(including180 opioids every month), DW dropped 4. I feel absolutely fantastic. I never thought I'd enjoy going to a gym but I do. I always thought a runner's high was a myth. Seems like a while into a jog a big smile breaks out, don't know why. I like how exercise makes me feel.

 

[lucky penny]

I never exercised before retiring and it showed. Many of the posters here were extremely motivating.

DW and I started by changing our diet, lost a combined 110 pounds and then started to exercise(first walking) and later going to the gym.

I was able to drop 9 meds(including180 opioids every month), DW dropped 4. I feel absolutely fantastic. I never thought I'd enjoy going to a gym but I do. I always thought a runner's high was a myth. Seems like a while into a jog a big smile breaks out, don't know why. I like how exercise makes me feel.

FANTASTIC!!! What a wonderful accomplishment for both of you.

That "high" is real. I have no athletic ability at all but started jogging a long time ago, did some races & absolutely loved it. Then I stopped running regularly, mostly out of laziness. Now I try to do a long, slow jog once a week and I'm slower than some (or many) walkers, but I still "feel like a runner" & love that feeling. There are local races that welcome runners at any level & there's one I do every year just because I can -- you get a T-shirt & medal, people cheer you & of course I'm smiling.

 

[Chuckanut]

I never exercised before retiring and it showed. Many of the posters here were extremely motivating.

DW and I started by changing our diet, lost a combined 110 pounds and then started to exercise(first walking) and later going to the gym.

I was able to drop 9 meds(including180 opioids every month), DW dropped 4. I feel absolutely fantastic. I never thought I'd enjoy going to a gym but I do. I always thought a runner's high was a myth. Seems like a while into a jog a big smile breaks out, don't know why. I like how exercise makes me feel.

One of the reasons for taking early retirement was and still is taking care of myself. I exercise more and eat better food.

 

[fh2000]

DW and I go to our local mall and walk around inside each day. She walks about 10,000 steps. I walk faster so I zip zap around her and make about 12,000 steps.

At night, after some TV, I follow along aerobic exercises on youtube and she follows a Pilates exercise. We try to keep our BMI below 25.

We have a 12 day cruise coming up and totally expecting gaining few pounds after that. That will give us the motivation to do the daily routine again.