100 day walking challenge

About this 100 day walking challenge

Intensity level: beginner

Benefits: walking improves heart and circulatory health, as well as helping with weight control. It can also be beneficial to mental health, muscle tone and flexibility.

Safety: please read the general safety information here.

What you need: you need comfortable clothes, preferably with layers that you can remove. You should wear flat, comfortable shoes. You’ll need something to time your intervals with – either a stopwatch app on your phone or a fitness watch. You should also take a bottle of water with you.

Planning a route

Each day you’ll cover a different distance, so to keep route planning simple:

Plan a route that is about 1 mile/1.6 km. This should be long enough for all your walks.

Each day, walk along your route for half that day’s time and then turn around and come back. As you progress through the challenge, you will be travelling further along your route each day.

Walking indoors

You can also do this challenge on a treadmill. There are advantages to both indoor and outdoor walking.

Advantages of the treadmill

With a treadmill it’s easy to set your walking speed and keep your speed continuous. You don’t need to worry about route planning and, if you want the challenge of an uphill walk then it’s easy to increase the gradient. Timing your intervals is taken care of too. You also aren’t affected by bad weather.

Advantages of walking outside

On the other hand, the predictable conditions of the treadmill make it less of an all-over body challenge because you don’t have to cope with uneven surfaces and changes in direction. Walking in the street or park is also free of course, whereas gym membership or buying a home treadmill can be expensive. You’ll get the benefit of fresh outdoor air, which is good for mental as well as physical health.

See a treadmill buying guide here.