I've been trying to make walking my main cardio, but I really struggle to get past 5-6k steps. It's not even physically tiring most of the time; it's more of a mental drain. Once I hit that point I get bored and start thinking "there's still so much left."
One big issue is my surroundings. I don't have a park or nice walking area nearby. The roads around me are always crowded, noisy, full of traffic and people, so walking never feels peaceful. It even makes me not want to step outside sometimes.
I also can't walk during the day because the heat where I live is insane, so I mostly try at night. Splitting the steps throughout the day isn't realistic for me either.
What would you do in this situation? Should I keep forcing myself to hit 10k, or is there another single cardio I can replace walking with completely?
I can literally hit 15k steps just inside my home!
A walking pad.
I usually hit around 8k just by going to school and my coaching classes.
Most people who log that many steps don't do it all at once. Their daily routine lets them rack up steps naturally. Small changes can make a big difference. For example, instead of taking a rickshaw, I walk to the metro station from college. My friends join me, so I don't even notice the distance.
> I just get bored and start thinking "there's still so much left."
Do you try doing a lot of steps together?
I break it up in my day. You also don't need to go outside. I just walk around my house, sometimes in one room for 5-7 min after every hour.
I do this in Bangalore traffic. Here are a few tricks that worked for me.
1. Early morning is the best time to walk.
2. Walk to buy things instead of relying on fast delivery.
3. Have a good audiobook. Even if you walk in the evening with heavy traffic, the audiobook keeps you occupied.
4. Don't try to walk all at once. Spread it throughout the day – like a 30-min walk after lunch, or walk to the gym/grocery store if it's 1-2 km away.
If you stick with it for at least 60-90 days it becomes a habit and you won't even notice it.
It's easier to just go out and buy things, then...
(https://i.ibb.co/zTPQckmx/f4gbr1guhq2h1.jpg)
Don't try to do all your steps in one go. Break them down.
Start early. Even a 15-20 min walk in the morning makes you feel good, and later you won't feel like you're starting from zero.
Walk for at least 10-15 min after each meal. It also helps control the blood-sugar spike.
Listen to music or a podcast you like to keep your mind off the chore. Before you know it you'll have walked a lot.
Get a walking pad. It's been a game-changer for me because I hate uneven, dirty roads and the lack of good parks makes walking harder than it should be.
I spread my steps throughout the day – some walking at home in the morning, cardio at the gym, then more walking at night. On busier days I do a 30-min run to make up for it. You can try running; it's great once you get past the initial dread.
I manage to clock around 12k steps daily.
I make sure that every 45 min while working I get up to hydrate – that also makes me need a bathroom break after a while. Those trips add up to about 2-3k steps just from water and toilet runs.
I start the day with a walk first thing in the morning. If I wake up around 6-6:30 am, the road in front of my house is relatively empty, so I get about 5k in the morning.
The same road is quiet around 9:30 pm and I finish another 4k after dinner.
I climb 8 floors in my office twice a day and come down twice as well. I walk a bit after lunch and after my evening coffee. All of that adds up to roughly 12k steps during the day.
I do 5k in the morning and the other 5k in the evening. It takes me about 2 hrs to finish 10k steps, covering roughly 9 km.
Like you, I don't have parks or walking tracks, so I walk on the roadside ♀️.
You said you get bored – I felt the same. So I started exploring my city on foot, which keeps me curious and lets me discover new neighbourhoods. It's fine to stop at a road crossing or slow down in a crowded area. No need to make walking complicated. You don't have to walk fast or nonstop.
I find walking very relaxing and therapeutic. Don't fixate on hitting the goal all at once. Listen to your body. Some days you'll manage 8k, other days 4k, and that's okay as long as you enjoy it and stay consistent.
P.S. Please don't try to do 10k steps in one go – it's hard on the knees, especially after 35.