I've been seeing several fitness vlogs talking about how walking is one of the best cardio exercises that people should do more of. I actually used to laugh at those, thinking, "God, have people really become this lazy?" I mean, I get it, walking is a kind of cardio exercise if you walk long enough that your heart rate starts rising and start sweating, but how did fitness videos come from preaching running/sprinting, jump rope, HIIT, and other forms of cardio, to just simply taking a walk? It's a simple activity that shouldn't require much explaining.

Then it got me thinking...

If walking is really just another daily activity, then how come I'm not making at least five thousand steps every day, let alone the most popular ten thousand steps that content creators always talk about in their videos? I should be ashamed, calling people who choose walking as their cardio exercise lazy. In my defense, though, I have my own cardio exercise that I add to my workouts- Jumping/Skipping rope.

Thing is, I'm not doing it consistently after every workout. Plus, I started having gout flares(Okay, I'm not sure yet if it's gout because I haven't been to the doctor yet, but save it for later) that when they attack my foot, I've no choice but to rest for 2-3 weeks. Such a waste of time and progress(if there's any). Also, if not for that, I might've already jumped the "Running Era" bandwagon, too. But I don't know.

Although we're living in the running era(as the news and social media would quote it), fitness enthusiasts are also paying more attention to walking, some even arguing that it can actually burn more fat compared to running. As for how, I didn't dig deeper. I only care about the fact that both activities benefit the body when done regularly. And again, considering my feet injury, I'm currently left with no choice but to stick with walking, in the meantime.

So, going back to the question- Why can't I walk at least five thousand steps daily? As a freelancer who works at home, any reason I'd say would be nothing but an excuse. I could put on my shoes every morning and start walking, that simple. The problem?

Damn ugly environment.

There's an excuse, but a valid one, I swear. If it's not the annoying stray dogs, it's the puddles of water every few steps where I'd have to walk in the middle of traffic just to get through. I mentioned traffic, that's the next excuse. The lack of sidewalks really kills the mood to take a walk. You're moving along with cars, jeeps, tricycles, bicycles, etc., instead of having your own safe space on the side of the road.

Good thing is there's a new city hall that's just a 15-minute walk from my place, which is a good spot for doing leisure activities. Just taking a walk there is already exercise in itself. I told my wife I've been thinking we could have our daily walks there and.. we're working on it. We already did it once, actually. It was pretty cool. First time I've seen the new city hall up close, not that it mattered. What I really wanted to see more are the spaces around it where I can walk or run, if I can. They've also built a basketball court, volleyball court, and a badminton court just beside the hall, and it's pretty cool to see. (Not bad, Mayor.)

What I have to do now is plan my daily routine that should include taking a walk at the City Hall for at least an hour every day. I prefer doing it in the morning by myself, just leave my wife and kid, and our dog at home, but my wife would get mad since she also wants us to do it together in the afternoon, around 4 PM, when the sun isn't too hot anymore. Well, we'll figure it out.

One thing we'd always agree on, though, is taking a walk at Clark, Pampanga, regardless of the time. That place is paradise for us. There's Porch Cafe with chill ambience, good food, and, thankfully, good coffee. We'd have our meal there before starting our walking sesh at the Parade Grounds. I'd go there every day, if only it isn't over fifty kilometers away from home. At least we found ourselves a weekend activity. Our son and dog would stay at mom's since they both hate long walks.

We'd aim for five to seven thousand steps, probably up to 10k if we're in the mood or the sun isn't burning our asses. I found that it's more doable when you're walking in nature, compared to walking on a treadmill while staring at your phone or a wall. Nothing beats a cardio activity that doesn't feel like a cardio activity at all.

I think I really need to be more mindful of my daily steps. With so much technology making things more and more convenient, we've lost touch with a fundamental part of life, and replaced it with the deadly sedentary lifestyle. Now I get why so many fitness vloggers and content creators have become so passionate about walking. It makes sense after all.

You wanna get rid of that poor lifestyle? No need to go hardcore right off the bat. Start with the basic.

Take a walk.