I Started Walking Three Miles A Day and Here’s What Happened

Walking three miles a day offers a variety of health benefits to your body and mind. Unlike more intense exercise regiments, walking is a low impact exercise that can do wonders for muscle and bone strength while boosting your mood. 

Getting outdoors for a brisk 45-minute walk is a natural source of serotonin, the hormone released by your brain to reduce stress and regulate your mood. If you are looking to drop a few pounds, walking is an excellent way to get in shape. Whether you are a seasoned athlete or looking to start a regular exercise routine from square one, walking three miles a day will elevate your physical and mental wellness in multiple aspects. 

Can walking three miles a day really improve your health? 

American health experts answer in resounding affirmation, The American Heart Association says walking three miles a day improves cardiovascular health and reduces your risk of a heart attack or stroke by 40%. 

This low impact exercise will boost your mood and energy, improve your sleep and significantly relive stress, all of which contribute to your overall well-being. Getting your steps in also reduces your risk of developing dementia, depression and chronic diseases in later years. 

Let’s talk about serotonin. 

Your brain produces this hormone to regulate your mood and motivation. Walking three miles a day in the fresh air and sunshine activates serotonin production, which staves off anxiety, sleepless nights and improves executive function. 

You might think you don’t have time to squeeze in a 45 minute walk every day (a brisk three miles), but your overall ability to complete tasks will improve if you do. I started walking three miles each day when my two children were young. 

I worked full time, attended night school to complete my college degree and took care of kids and home every day. That three-mile daily walk became a crucial part of my day to help me keep all the wheels in motion.

Walk off those extra pounds. 

Walking is a reliable way to lose weight if you need to trim your waistline. After my kids were born, I carried an additional 20 pounds of stubborn baby weight. I started my walking routine with a neighbor, and the extra pounds shed in almost no time. 

Working up to three miles was a lot easier than I anticipated. We chatted while we walked, and our short trip around the block turned into a three mile stretch within a few weeks. 

In fact, a year later I trained for my first 5k race and then my first marathon. I’m not sure I could have accomplished everything I did during those early years of child rearing if I had not committed to those daily walks. 

Walk your way to recovery from injuries.

Years later, I was injured while training for a marathon and healing required me to take a break from running. I fell back into a daily walking routine that kept me grounded. Walking three miles a day helped my body heal while keeping me fit. 

Seasoned athletes may be hesitant to try such a low impact form of exercise, but the benefits are tried and true. I continued my daily walks when I was able to resume marathon training, because they were so good for my mental health. To this day I look forward to my daily walk with my dog. 

Walking three miles a day is an attainable goal for most people. If you have not exercised in awhile or are just starting out altogether, start with short, slow walks and gradually build time and intensity into your walk. You may even want to try a Peloton walking class, which is a great way to get started and stay motivated.

Where should you start?

Most people can complete a three mile walk at a brisk pace in 45 minutes, so it’s completely reasonable to start with 15-minute increments and build from there. Once you work up to 45 minutes, you should start tracking mileage. 

If it takes longer to complete three miles, don’t worry! You have a new goal to work on to get to your daily three. Once you are able to consistently complete walking three miles a day, you can work on getting your time to a solid 45 minutes. 

Track your progress by logging those daily steps and weekly mileage. 

If you have an iPhone, I recommend using the Health app to measure time and distance. You can track your walks daily and see how many miles you log each week. Map My Walk and Fitbit are free apps that work with either Android or Apple products that allow you to track your mileage walked each day. 

Once you establish a steady three mile per day routine, challenge yourself to tackle a faster pace and shave time off your daily walks. Cardiovascular health is most benefitted by steadily increasing the intensity of daily workouts. 

A brisk pace will become easier with time, and your muscles will strengthen to enable you to move faster for a longer period. Walking three miles a day will be a breeze before you know it, and it will start taking less time to complete once you establish a baseline fitness level that feels comfortable. 

Walking is a budget friendly exercise routine.

The best part of starting a walking routine is that it is a free workout. All you need are a pair of shoes and comfortable clothing. Whether you live in the city, the suburbs or a rural area, you have access to walking trails and pedestrian pathways. I always bring a few essentials when I head out, like a water bottle and my cell phone.

Practice safety when walking outside.

 If you are walking at night, be sure to wear visible colors and carry a flashlight if your cell device doesn’t have one. I strongly recommend carrying a cell phone when you head out for a walk. 

Once I tripped over my dog’s leash and sprained an ankle. I didn’t have my phone with me and had to flag down a fellow pedestrian to call home for help. I haven’t made that mistake twice!