glowleaf on Nostr: I figured out a way to walk 10.000+ steps per day. At first it sounds like a lot but ...

I figured out a way to walk 10.000+ steps per day.

At first it sounds like a lot but it's really not. If you make it a habit then you can do it quite easily.

Persistence is the key, there are days when I'm not in the mood but I still force myself to go out for a quick 5k walk even late at night, which is more than most people do. And I average it out by doing 15k the next day. A habit takes about 2 weeks to form. And then it's a lot easier to maintain.

I listen to audiobooks or podcasts, or music sometimes. It depends. Sometimes I alternate an audiobook and some music to pump up my heart rate, other times I'm not in the mood and just listen to music while I think.

I make a few calls and also send some audio messages to my business partners. That helps pass the time.

The time investment can be significant, and that's one of the main reasons someone might quit. Of course some other high-intensity workout takes a shorter amount of time.

I found a park where I can walk around it without crossing the street. That's important so I can zone out without minding cars and just listen to a good audiobook. I feel that it helps a lot with getting lost in the story, time passes and steps happen a lot more easily.

I listen to books I like. Nonfiction audiobooks can get boring, but good fiction books with cliffhangers and so on can keep me there for hours.

A very important trick is to fool yourself into only listening to that audiobook during your walk. So you reinforce the dopamine rush of the walk with the dopamine rush you get from a good story. And I don't listen any more unless I go for a walk, so that makes me want to go on one. It's the little tricks that work on our lizard brain.

I managed to get some consistent 20k walks, which is a lot. But I was making the mistake of trying to get them all at once, and I was getting tired so I quit sometimes at around 12k. Now I take a short break and just sit on a bench every 7k steps. That way I can get to 21k when I push myself.

It's not just about the specific walking time. Adding in more steps throughout your day helps. Walk instead of taking the car if it's 10 minutes away. Walk around the block instead of a shortcut. Get up some stairs instead of taking the elevator.

I don't have any special wristband or Fitbit, I just use the Google fit app on my phone. I don't know if it's accurate or not, but setting a goal there in the settings and seeing the numbers helps. Sometimes I end up with 9.5k steps and just push myself to just walk two more blocks away just to complete the goal. Having measurable goals is the key.

I get really hungry afterwards, so I eat meat and salad or plenty of fruit. Or both. I hope to get a bit more specific in my meals in the future, but let's fix one habit at a time.

After a few months of doing this, I find myself walking somewhere that's 45 minutes away quite easily.