Trying Out TikTok’s Top Walking Trends
I’ll be completely honest here: TikTok terrifies me. Not because I’m afraid of teenagers showing off their dance moves (though, come to think of it, I might be) but because I know that the second I pull up that app, I will enter a black hole and come out three hours later. For this reason, I try to steer clear as much as possible.
Still, I have to give TikTok props for making walking cool. When I started walking regularly pre-COVID, Google searches for anything related to walking returned a whole lot of websites for the elderly. Now I get a bunch of heavily made-up girls in their 20s showing how skinny they are because they’ve personally discovered this brand-new amazing exercise: WALKING!
Suddenly, walking isn’t just a regular activity for frumpy soccer moms and your grandma. Walking is for hot girls! And while I’m long past the days of trying to be a hot girl, I can definitely appreciate this newfound interest in my workout of choice.
But let’s talk about these TikTok fads. Have you tried them?
Silent Walking
Silent walking is the practice of walking in pure silence: no talking, no music, no true crime podcasts. The idea is that by turning off the noise and distractions and tuning in to nature, you’ll find more peace and relaxation.
I love this idea—in theory. And I’ll admit that I’ve accidentally tried silent walking on occasion—usually after forgetting to pack my headphones or when they died right after I start walking. Really, there is something wonderful about it—something that makes you take more notice of the sights and smells and sounds around you.
I often think that I should do it more often, to allow myself to work through my thoughts while I walk. But I also know that my thoughts run a mile a minute—and they tend to go in all directions. So while I love the idea of a peaceful meditation walk, nothing is ever totally peaceful for a busy mom. Instead of communing with nature, I just end up worrying about our crazy schedule—about hockey gear and game day snacks and what I’m going to wear for my next race and the fact that I still haven’t called to schedule my mammogram. And the temptation is just too great to pull out my phone and making long lists of all of the things I’m freaking out about.
So, no. Silent walking is not for me.
Hot Girl Walk
Similarly, the Hot Girl Walk isn’t really my style. The Hot Girl Walk involves taking a four-mile walk—either on the treadmill or in nature—and focusing on just a few things:
– the things you’re grateful for
– your goals and how you’re going to achieve them
– and (obviously) how hot you are
As mentioned before, I am long past focusing on how hot I am (unless it’s 90 degrees outside and I forgot a water bottle). And, again, trying to get my scattered brain to focus calmly and peacefully on anything just doesn’t work.
So, no. I don’t Hot Girl Walk.
12-3-30
The 12-3-30 workout focuses less on mindfulness and more on a quick, tough, sweaty workout. This one requires a 30-minute walk on a treadmill that’s set to an incline of 12 and a speed of 3 mph. For full disclosure, my treadmill only goes up to 10, so I tried more of a 10-3-30.
This one is definitely a solid workout. You’re not going to spend these 30 minutes focusing on your hopes and dreams and goals—unless those hopes and dreams and goals involve getting through the workout and getting off the treadmill.
To be perfectly honest, though, this one isn’t terrible. Since I often tackle hills during my regular walks—and I already tend to do my treadmill workouts at a decent incline (though nowhere near 10) and a higher pace for a longer amount of time—this was a workout but not a killer. If you’re new to this whole walking thing, though, and you tend to avoid hills, this one is tough. It will kick your butt and leave you in a puddle of sweat. And if that’s your goal, that’s great.
Is this a workout that I’d do every once in a while, for some solid hill training? Sure. But would I happily build an entire workout plan around doing this every day? Not at all. For starters, walking on the treadmill is pretty boring. So even though I had Netflix playing during my 30 minutes, I still ended up doing a constant countdown. Also, I tend to be a quantity-over-quality kind of girl. I like getting in those miles and adding them up in my walking journal.
Again, this is a good workout for changing it up—for a tough workout in a short time. But if I had to build a daily routine out of this workout, I’d probably call it quits after a few days.
Instead…Coffee Mom Walks
Since none of these walking fads were quite my style, my friend Kate and I came up with our own fad: the Coffee Mom Walk. And then we proceeded to not post about it all over TikTok because we’re much too tired for all of that craziness.
So what’s a Coffee Mom Walk? It’s when you and a mom friend make a stop at the Dunkin drive-thru with your kid before meeting up at your favorite park. Your kids gobble down donuts before running off to play, and the moms take your big ol’ iced coffee and walk around the park together, sipping your drink, getting in those steps, and unloading all of the stress and silliness of your day.
This, my friends, is the walking fad for me. Not only is it fun for my kid—because she gets a donut and some time to play with a friend—but it’s also fun for me. I get to connect with a friend, talk out all of the crap that’s going on in my life, and laugh about the craziness of life with a husband and a kid and way too much on my schedule. And did I mention that there’s coffee?
Coffee Mom Walks may not be particularly strenuous. They probably won’t give me the rock-hard abs of a 22-year-old. And they won’t make me one with nature. But they are guaranteed to put a smile on my face again after a long day (week…month…year…decade) of being a mom. And, sometimes, that’s exactly what I need.
What about you? Have you tried the latest walking fads? Do you have a favorite? Or do you have your own, like I do? Let’s hear it!
