Ready to Join the 10 Mile Walk Trend? Here's How Long It's Going to Take

Fact checked by Nick Blackmer

Key Takeaways

• Daily walks can be good for your mental or physical health, but walking long distances can pose certain health risks, and you should only try it after undergoing specific training.

• You shouldn’t try to walk long distances—such as 10 miles—if you’re recovering from an injury or if you don’t do strenuous workouts regularly.

• Before trying a 10-mile walk, you should warm up, eat a snack, and pack the right gear—such as sun protection and a way to call for help should you need assistance.

The Hot Girl Walk—founded by content creator Mia Lind in 2020—went viral for all the right reasons: Because of the trend, millions have started prioritizing daily walks to boost their physical and mental health.

Now, some are taking the trend to the extreme, walking 10 miles (or more) in a single day.

In general, making walks part of your routine is good for you, Shelby York, PT, DPT, OCS, a physical therapist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Verywell. That said, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before jumping on board the trend.

“I support the idea of getting outside and going for a walk; this is something that everyone should try to do as weather permits,” York said. “However, you need to be mindful of your current activity level. If you have been walking for one to two miles—[for example,] twice a week—it is not appropriate to jump to a 10-mile walk.”

Though there are benefits to exercising regularly, they do plateau at a certain point. “Walking 10 miles a day seems extreme,” Abby Langer, RD, a Toronto-based dietician, told Verywell. “There’s no health benefit to overdoing exercise, especially cardio.”

If you do try it out, it’s important to pack certain gear—like snacks, sunscreen, water, and more—especially if you plan to do large chunks of the walk at one time.

Related: Here’s How Long You Should Walk Every Day to Keep Your Heart Healthy

How Long Does It Take to Walk 10 Miles?

Several factors play into people’s walking speeds—including their height, health, and activity level—making it difficult to say how long it “should” take to walk 10 miles, experts said.

However, a brisk pace is about 3 miles per hour (20 minutes per mile). If you maintain this pace, you might be able to walk 10 miles in a little under three and a half hours, or 6 miles in two hours.

But walking 10 miles in one single stretch is not necessarily healthy or realistic, experts said, and it might benefit your mental and physical health to take a break after each one-hour stretch.

You’re going to want to pause each time you’re feeling overtired, York said. “If you were to break up the walk over the course of the day, you would give yourself a chance to rest in between,” she explained. This may allow you to do a longer walk than you had planned. “With the rest in between each walk, you may be able to walk farther throughout the day…Your body needs to have a proper recovery time after each long walk.”

In addition, you will likely need to stop for snack breaks. “For longer walks [that are] more than 45 to 60 minutes, it’s important to bring along some snacks to eat during the walk,” Alissa Rumsey, MS, RD, CDN, CSCS, founder of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness and the author of Unapologetic Eating, told Verywell. “Once your body depletes its glycogen stores—the stored form of carbohydrate in our bodies—you need to eat carbs during the walk to fuel your muscles.”

Related: Walking to Lose Weight: How to Make Your Steps Count

How to Build Up to a 10-Mile Walk

You shouldn’t set out to walk 10 miles if you haven’t been active in a while, experts said. “You would not go out and run a half marathon without training, therefore you should not go out and walk [a similar distance] without training,” York said.

As with any exercise, you need to build up to 10-mile walks rather than trying them out without any proper training. “I would recommend starting with lower mileage—one to two miles—a couple of times a week, and slowly build up from there,” York said. “You could consider adding a mile a week.”

If you don’t want to think about increasing distance, it might be more beneficial to measure your progress by time, starting with 20-minute walks and adding 10 to 15 minutes each week, York added.

By this standard, it might take you 10 weeks—or roughly two and a half months—to build up to a 10-mile walk.

Though 10-mile walks aren’t necessarily “dangerous,” York doesn’t recommend trying the challenge more than once a week. “Your body needs to have proper recovery time after each long walk,” she said.

Related: How Fast Do You Need to Walk For a Healthy Heart?

How to Prepare for a 10-Mile Walk

You shouldn’t participate in this trend if you’re recovering from any injury. “If you have any type of pain before starting the walk, I recommend getting the pain checked out by a physician or physical therapist before increasing your walking,” York said. “You would not want to progress your walking distance and risk hurting yourself if pain was already present.”

If you decide to go on a long-distance walk, warm up before you start. “This could include squats, calf raises, single leg raises, or bridges,” York said. “You want to make sure you warm up all of your muscles.”

Eating before you start a long walk will also help you stay energized. “You should make sure to eat a snack that includes easily digestible carbohydrates and a little protein and fat before setting out,” Rumsey said. “Try a banana with nut butter, yogurt with some granola, or crackers with cheese or hummus.”

Then, you should take stock of the gear you will need. In a light pack, you should make sure you have enough water and snacks. Water is especially important if you’re walking in warmer temperatures, Langer said, so if this is the case, you may want to pack a little extra.

In terms of what kinds of snacks to bring on the walk, “again, think simple carbohydrates,” Rumsey said. “Like a granola bar, crackers, pretzels, or drinkable yogurt.”

It’s also crucial to bring sunscreen and a hat or sunglasses to protect against sun exposure, as well as a charged cell phone in case you need to call someone for assistance, experts said.

You should wear shoes that you’ve enjoyed walking in during previous workouts. But if you start to develop blisters—or any other type of discomfort—you shouldn’t try to push through the pain.

“You should look out for a couple of different aches and pains as you begin to walk longer distances,” York said. “Some things to watch out for [are] foot pain, shin pain, knee pain, or hip pain. If you experience pain in any of these areas, consider touching base with a physical therapist or physician.”

Related: If Walking Is the Only Exercise You Do, Is That Enough to Stay Healthy?

How to Recover from a 10-Mile Walk

Eating enough calories and resting are crucial in recovering from a long walk; a 10-mile journey may burn 1,000 calories or more. “Diet can have a tremendous impact on your energy level,” Rumsey said. “Pairing protein with carbohydrates and some fat and eating constantly throughout the day can help to stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent fluctuating energy levels.”

You probably shouldn’t plan activities that will take a lot of energy after walking 10 miles. “You are building muscles as you increase your walking distance, and you should make sure you are properly recovering,” York said.

What This Means For You

Many are taking “hot girl walks” to the extreme by walking long distances—such as 10 miles or more—in a single day. These challenges do provide the benefit of getting in a lot of movement, but you shouldn’t try this more than one day a week, according to experts. Likewise, you shouldn’t try long-distance walks if you’re having any aches or pains, and it’s imperative to bring the right gear—such as water, sun protection, and snacks—before setting out.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.