I Walked Everywhere I Needed to Go for a Week—Here’s What Happened

Like a lot of Americans surrounding the pandemic, my life has shifted in the past few years. Anyone who spent years living in urban areas and then retreated to greener pastures knows what it’s like to suddenly appreciate the ease of being able to load things into the car and drive home.

A January 2023 Forbes report suggested that around 20 million Americans relocated between 2019 and 2021, and many were making the shift from densely populated cities to wider open spaces. With so many of us having relocated from major cities, it’s worth remembering that walking can still be a brilliant way to get around.

Walking is a great way to incorporate the health-improving benefits of exercise into our daily routines, plus it doesn’t require any equipment or memberships. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that each week, adults get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity (or an equivalent combination) plus two days of muscle-strengthening exercises. The guidelines say that aerobic activity should be spread throughout the week and that everyone should be active for at least 60 minutes each day.

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