Mall Walking 101: Essential Tips for Beginners

There’s just nothing like taking a walk outside on a beautiful day.  A little bit of sunshine and fresh air can turn the worst day around.  Sometimes, though, the weather just doesn’t cooperate—and in order to prevent walking in a thunderstorm…or a blizzard…or a heat wave…you need to make other plans.  There are plenty of ways to get your steps in without walking outside—from treadmills to walk at home videos.  But as convenient as some of those options may be, sometimes you just need to get out of the house.  Fortunately, if you live in a relatively well-populated area, there’s a good chance that there’s a place not too far away where you can go for a walk without battling the elements: the mall.

For most of us, the idea of mall-walking brings back images of ‘80s moms strutting their way through the food court in the glory days of shopping malls.  Personally, I think of my dad, whose cardiologist sent him to walk at the mall every morning before work after he had a serious heart attack in the early ‘90s.  And I’ll admit that I needed to swallow my pride a bit before taking that first step as a mall-walker.

But you know what?  I love it.  I love that walking in the mall allows me to get out of the house for a walk when I’m feeling stir-crazy during those blustery winter days.  I love that I can check out the stores while strolling through the hallways.  I love taking the stairs for a little extra challenge.  I love the sights and the sounds and the smells.  I may not walk at my fastest pace in the mall (which is sometimes a strategy for me: I’ll go for a walk at the mall when I know my body needs a break), but I’m still putting in those miles—and getting some interesting scenery in the process.

Of course, there are the drawbacks.  Mall-walking means dealing with other people—including other people who are wandering aimlessly from store to store with little or no awareness of the people around them.  Also, while a mall generally has a larger loop than the track at the gym (and it’s more interesting than the track at your local school), it still means making a lot of loops—which can get repetitive and dull if you’re out for a long walk by yourself.  And it’ll thoroughly confuse most of your walking apps.  But it’s still a great way to get your steps in while enjoying a change of scenery. 

If you’re heading to the mall for your first mall-walking experience, though, keep in mind that there are some unspoken rules of mall-walking that will make things easier for you—and for the people around you.

Pretend You’re on the Trail

In general, treat your walk in the mall like a walk on the trail.  Stay to the right, and make sure there’s enough room for faster walkers to pass on the left.  Mall walkways are generally pretty wide, so even if you’re walking with a friend, you shouldn’t have to take up the entire path. 

Stay to Your Side

I know that this is difficult for some people (like a couple of my walking buddies), but try your best to walk in a relatively straight line.  If you’re weaving while you walk, there’s a good chance that there’s a faster walker behind you who’s trying to figure out how to pass you without getting into a collision.

Don’t Wander off the Path

Stick to a regular pattern.  The standard route tends to be counter-clockwise, but clockwise is fine, too.  If you run into a walker coming the other way, just stick to the right and smile as you pass each other (and again as you pass again…and again…and again).  You can choose to walk the entire footprint of the mall or just the inside parts (skipping the little alleys that branch off).  But please stick to something that makes sense.  Don’t walk down the middle of the hallways.  Don’t make random, haphazard loops of random parts of the mall and repeatedly cut other walkers off as you go—because it will make everyone around you crazy. 

Consider Mall-Walking Hours

Check your mall’s website for information about special mall-walking hours.  If possible, do your walking then.  During that time, it’s a lot more peaceful at the mall.  You’ll have less traffic to deal with—and fewer aimless wanderers—and you also won’t have to worry about being a nuisance to business owners and shoppers.

Consider the Businesses

If you’re walking during the mall’s regular open hours, be respectful of the businesses and their customers.  Don’t walk through shopping areas.  And give store entrances a little extra space, so shoppers can continue to come and go.

Stay Alert!

Also, just be aware that if you’re walking in the mall during shopping hours, you’ll face a whole lot of obstacles and challenges along the way—so you’ll need to be aware of your surroundings.  I know from lots and lots of experience that people who are shopping often aren’t paying attention to what’s going on around them—so that’s up to you.   They aren’t expecting someone to speed-walk right into them while they’re walking out of a store.  They will take up the entire walkway with their giggling teenage friends.  They’ll walk slowly and weave around as they stare at their phones.  So expect to bob and weave…and stop and go…and speed up and slow down accordingly.  If you’re prone to road rage, you’ll most likely experience mall-walking rage, too—so, as I mentioned earlier, you might want to stick to the special mall-walking hours.

Once you get the hang of this completely different walking experience, though, you might just love it as much as I do.  It provides a change of scenery—one that’s constantly changing its scenery, in fact.  It gives you a place to walk that’s bright and dry and temperature-controlled when it’s dark or rainy or snowy or hot or cold outside.  And (as long as you can stick to window shopping) it’s free, too.  It’s a great “trail” to add to your regular rotation.

Are you a mall walker?  What are your favorite things about walking at the mall?

Kristin

Kristin has been hitting the trail (or the treadmill) for a walk almost every day for the past several years, and she recently completed her first half marathon. She loves sunny fall days, cushy walking shoes, and coconut caramel iced coffee from Dunkin.

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