Fitness fads come and go, so why not walk away from the pressure to count your daily steps? | Maddie Thomas

In February this year, the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that a brisk, 11-minute walk could save us from an early death. Six months later, a new study suggested at least 3,967 steps a day (at no specified pace) was what we needed. And now the 11-minute walk has been doubled, with 22 minutes becoming the magic number, this time to offset the effects of sitting.

Since the need to walk 10,000 daily steps a day took off, we have become fixated on how far we go. Anyone who has used a fitness tracker has felt a pang of frustration being a few steps off target at the end of the day. In February, a few of us in the office wished each other a nice 11-minute walk on the way to get coffee across the street, knowing full well that with a coffee shop so close, we’d hardly make a dent.

Can we not just enjoy walking?

As a teenager, walking was not my thing. Walking to the bus or down to the shops in my country town did not bring me joy. Now I walk every day for the sake of walking – intentionally and without fail.

During Covid lockdowns, walking became a saving grace for those with nowhere else to go. In those early months, I found plenty of new streets. I passed the same people every day. Rain, hail or shine, walking was the perfect excuse to get out of the house. Phone call? Quick stroll around the block. Need more milk? I volunteer. New audiobook to listen to? I’ll go for a walk.

For others, stopping to smell the roses didn’t cut it. Walking with no destination was a “joyless trudge”, not helped by often muddy British fields and nowhere to go but on another lap around the cemetery. (Hands up if you found yourself wandering in a cemetery at some point during the last four years.)

While some people did use extra time during lockdowns to get fit, inactivity also rose. In 2022, a survey found there were 1.3 million more inactive adults in Britain than before Covid and children’s exercise levels also declined.

But we should enjoy walking – and by extension any exercise – for more than the metrics. It is so much more than that.

It is a vehicle for difficult conversations and an opportunity to confide in others when you may not otherwise. It is a way to discover new things in your suburb, find new hobbies and is undoubtedly a stress reliever.

On walks with Guardian Australia, public figures have introduced us to their natural habitats where they are comfortable to talk about the past. Pub walks across the UK have traced the history of the countryside; whether picturesque or treacherous, they always deliver a drink at the end.

A 22-minute brisk walk is deemed to be the equivalent of heavy cleaning or, for a slightly more appealing alternative, a session of badminton. To walk 3,967 steps (about 30-40 minutes), north of England correspondent Robyn Vinter found she could reach the target just by moving around the house and adding two short walks outside, eventually exceeding it as she made her final steps on the way to bed.

But we can’t worry too much. Why ruin a good 21-minute walk by being disappointed that you didn’t quite reach 22? Next week the magic number could be 19 minutes, and with it you would then be well on your way to living longer.

You can almost certainly get out your door and maybe check the mail in one minute. Two or three may get you to the end of the street, and if you have time you could pat the neighbourhood cat as you pass. Five minutes and you’ll be on the road to nowhere, or wherever you choose. Just think what you could see if you keep going for those 17 extra minutes. If you’re not watching the clock, you may even lose track of time.