My Brisk Walking Story: Successes, Personal Setbacks, and Growth

Let’s be honest, who wants to get up and move on a weekend or early morning?

Most of us use the time to get additional sleep or spend time doing another activity. 

Walking seems tedious. Personally, I put the activity at the bottom of my list.

As a 38-year-old obese male, I prefer weekends where I wake up, get my coffee, and obsess over the latest movies and series on Netflix. 

In the afternoon and evening, I spend time with my family, eat dinner, and go to sleep. 

This is my routine: minimal physical activity aside from going to the mall to shop.

So what changed? I’d like to be clear. The catalyst for change came gradually, compounded by various factors:

The ultimate reality check came when I received the results of my annual medical exam: high cholesterol levels and a warning about the increased risk of diabetes and heart complications due to inaction. 

I needed to make a change and find a solution to prevent future problems. 

But I wanted a change that would last, not just an activity 

I would give up after a few weeks or months. 

That's when I stumbled upon brisk walking.

My path to brisk walking happened by chance. I remember searching YouTube with the prompt: ‘exercises for beginners’. 

My goal was to find a way to start with anything, whether it be jogging, weight training, or yoga. 

I was overwhelmed by the amount of content available with creators trying to push why theirs was better. 

Then I stumbled on a YouTubers who advocate walking to jumpstart your fitness journey.

While watching, the themes of easy-to-start, beginner-friendly, and low-intensity resonated with me. 

I realized that this leads to less resistance and opens up a path to progression.

After immersing myself in different videos about the topic, I decided to give brisk walking a try. 

For beginners, brisk walking is an activity where you exert additional effort in your steps. 

Mel Robbins shares a funny yet practical take on brisk walking. I’m paraphrasing here:

That sense of urgency allows you to exert a bit more effort in your pace. 

So in July 2022, I tried brisk walking. 

I made a conscious effort to walk with effort for a set amount of time either through a treadmill or on concrete pavement.

From July 2022 to March 2023, I made an effort to lose weight. 

Part of the activity included brisk walking daily for 30 to 45 minutes. 

Interestingly, my corporate job also promoted a weight loss contest for employees last September 2023. This event further increased my motivation to shed weight. 

However, I now regret not recording my progress properly

Data remains scattered on different papers, applications, and platforms. 

Despite the lack of organization, the outcomes of my journey are:

While the weight loss and compliments were good, I find the last bullet the most valuable. 

I realized that even at 36 years old, significant progress is possible. 

I was happy and proud of my success. I allowed my efforts to do the talking, and the walking. 🫡🫡

My newfound confidence, however, was short-lived. 

I started to take actions that broke my habit. 

I became complacent by skipping my routine and making bad decisions. 

The weight loss competition also ended in March 2023 hence no more external motivation to continue shedding weight. 

These outcomes led me to these realizations:

In the succeeding months, my actions towards brisk walking became erratic. 

I’d do the activity when I had the inspiration. 

But after two to three days, I’d revert to my old, lazy self. I lacked the drive and consistency. 

I did not have a purpose for my brisk walks.

At the start of the year, I wanted to be in better shape before my 38th birthday in July 2024.

I did not want to spiral back to my previous self where I had no control over my diet and happiness. 

But I delayed again with various excuses and personal circumstances. 

After my birthday, I began again. I wanted to start going back to the grind and experience the struggle. Interestingly, that’s easier said than done. 

I’m going to detail my realizations and insights in the upcoming newsletters.

The past two years taught me a lot about my behavior when it comes to challenges. 

I realized that my overall purpose for brisk walking will continue to evolve and change over time. 

My objectives should adjust as well to retain focus and consistency. 

Now, I’m moving forward with brisk walking again. 

This time, I’ll be improving on past mistakes and collating and organizing  the necessary data to document my progress. 

I now have a bigger purpose: my experiments hopefully inspires beginners to find their path to self-improvement through brisk walking.

Thank you for taking the time to read Brisk Walking Collective. I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions! Feel free to share them in the comments section.

In future articles, I’ll share my personal journey and other related content. I aim to keep this newsletter free, and I appreciate any support you can offer.

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