20,000 Steps a Day Challenge: Week 3 Update

Week 3 Snapshot

• Days completed: 21- and counting!
• Daily goal: 20,000 steps
• Approximate distance: 9–10 miles per day
• Average walking time: About 3 hours
• Best motivation: Finding good shows and movies to watch!
• Hardest part: Realizing there has been no measurable progress on the scale… and that reaching 20,000 steps takes real intention every single day.
• Catch up on my Week 1 and Week 2 updates. See my final Week 4 thoughts!

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Walking 20,000 Steps a Day Challenge: Daily Thoughts

Day 15: I made the mistake of getting on the scale today.

This challenge was never supposed to be about losing weight, but I foolishly thought, “Hey, it has only been two weeks, but I’ve consistently walked more than twice my previous daily average. Surely something has changed, right?”

Nope.

I have one of those smart scales that estimates body fat percentage, water weight, and several other measurements. According to the scale, nothing has changed. Nothing.

Granted, I haven’t been especially restrictive with my diet. I make an honest effort to eat a decent amount of protein and fiber most of the time, but I don’t diligently track everything. Clearly, I may be eating more than I realize.

Again, weight loss was not the purpose of this challenge. Still, it is incredibly frustrating to feel like you are making a genuine effort to do something healthy, feel like you are improving, and then have nothing measurable to confirm it.

That does not mean the improvements I feel are imaginary. I have generally felt better mentally over the past two weeks, and that is huge. It is absolutely worth something.

At the halfway point, however, I am starting to question whether walking 20,000 steps a day is sustainable. Or, more accurately, whether it is worth the amount of time and effort required to reach that number.

I’m not going to lie: once this challenge is over, I don’t think I will continue trying to walk 20,000 steps every day. I still want to prove to myself that I can finish the full 30 days, though.

I also think reaching 10,000 steps a day will feel significantly easier once this is over, so there’s that!

Day 16: I’ll tell you a secret: I am thankful I posted about this challenge publicly because, if I hadn’t, I probably would have given up this week.

I knew today would be challenging. I got up early to do some online and in-person birthday shopping for my daughter, and then we had plans to go out of town for the day. We wouldn’t be home until after midnight, which meant there would be no opportunity to “finish my steps later.”

I would have loved to take a nap.

I also wanted to sit at my computer for hours because I had a long list of things I wanted and needed to work on.

Instead, I completed a task and then walked for a while. I worked for an hour or two and then walked some more. Unlike last week, when the steps seemed to fly by in the thousands, today they felt like they were creeping upward 100 steps at a time.

When we reached our destination, I still had 2,000 steps left. So I walked laps around the yard until I finally reached 20,000.

Although I didn’t feel particularly enthusiastic about the challenge for most of the day, hitting that number felt amazing. I spent nearly seven hours in the car, completed a little work, and still reached my goal.

It wasn’t easy, but I did it.

Day 17: As much as I would have loved to sleep in and recover from my late night, I couldn’t. I hoped to walk outside before the temperature got too hot, but I had errands to run and that didn’t happen either. I didn’t begin any intentional walking until the afternoon.

As I have mentioned before, I am realizing how much intention it takes to fit in this many steps. Something has to give – sleep, work, chores, family time, or something else.

Today, I was especially thankful that I splurged for my birthday earlier this year and bought a robotic vacuum and mop. After thinking about buying one for years, I finally did it, and now I wish I had bought one sooner.

While I spend hours walking, it takes care of the floors for me. It is such a relief to finish walking and realize the floors are already clean!

Now, it could be argued that I would get a decent number of steps by vacuuming and mopping the floors myself. That is true.

However, walking outside, reading, or watching a show is far more enjoyable. We’re also not going to discuss how much more frequently my floors get mopped this way!

Day 18: It was another difficult day. You would think this would be getting easier by now.

Well, 10,000 steps feels fairly easy now, so I suppose that is the silver lining.

Reaching 20,000 steps is still a challenge. It is still something I have to consciously and actively work toward throughout the entire day.

I took one of the dogs for a short walk. I parked as far away as possible while running errands. I completed several rounds on the walking pad while talking to a friend, listening to a podcast, listening to an audiobook, and watching Netflix.

I was tired today. I didn’t take a nap, but I did rest for about half an hour, which was nice.

Once I reach 18,000 steps, the final 2,000 don’t seem quite as difficult. Getting to 18,000, however, is still very much a challenge.

Day 19: Today didn’t feel quite as challenging, although reaching my goal still required active effort.

I walked outside a couple of times, which was nice. My husband and I also took a 30-minute walk after he got home from work. Having someone to talk to definitely makes the time pass faster.

I have noticed that I feel more guilty sitting at my computer, even when I am working, if I haven’t already reached my step goal.

I wish I could be the kind of person who wakes up before sunrise and completes most of her steps early in the morning, but that is not the season of life I’m in right now. That’s okay. I value my sleep far too much!

Day 20: I found more movies to watch today, and that helped tremendously. So did scrolling on TikTok while walking, as did walking laps around my house when I was a little bored.

I have also decided that my Brooks shoes are more comfortable for extended walking than my Nikes. That surprised me because my Nikes are newer and seem to have more padding in the soles.

Before this challenge, I had never needed to analyze my shoes this closely. Whatever pair I put on usually worked just fine. It is interesting that, after walking this many miles, I can now clearly feel the difference between them.

Friday, Day 21: Today, movies got me through again.

There was no elaborate strategy… just a slow, steady pace and a good movie. Some days, that is enough.

Week 3 Takeaways: Is Walking 20,000 Steps a Day Worth It?

After three full weeks of walking 20,000 steps a day, I can confidently say that it has gotten easier, but it has not become easy.

Reaching 10,000 steps now feels completely manageable, which is probably one of the biggest benefits I will take away from this challenge. Twenty thousand steps, however, still requires several hours of intentional effort every day. It does not simply happen because I am moving around more or parking farther away at the store.

This week also reminded me that progress is not always measurable on a scale. I may not have seen the physical changes I hoped to see, but I have felt better mentally, spent a little more time outside, listened to more audiobooks and podcasts, and proven that I can follow through even on difficult days.

At the same time, I am becoming more realistic about what I want my routine to look like after this challenge ends. Walking is absolutely something I want to continue prioritizing, but 20,000 steps every day may not be the best long-term use of my time.

For now, I have one week left – and I am determined to finish what I started.

Have you ever tried increasing your daily step goal? I would love to know what number feels both challenging and sustainable for you.

Week 3 Stats

Current streak: 21 days

Daily average steps: 20,594

Highest day: Friday 21,217 steps

Lowest day: Monday 20,310 steps

Average miles: 9.60 per day

Continue following the challenge: Read my Week 1 update and Week 2 update, and see my final Week 4 results and overall thoughts after completing 30 days.

Don’t forget to download my free 30-Day Walking Challenge Tracker to stay motivated and follow along as I continue sharing weekly updates.  Click below to save this post and share it with your fitness friends.