Million-Step Month Challenge
What is a million-step month challenge? Simple really, walk / run 1,000,000 steps in a month. Many of you will be reading this, thinking to yourselves, why would somebody do that? Well for me, it was a combination of three factors, firstly, I had found myself demotivated when it came to exercise and wanted something to aim towards. Secondly, I needed a short-term project to sink my teeth into which was different from everything I was currently working on. Thirdly, I just wanted to know if I could. So this is where the million-step month was born, I knew it was physically possible for me to do, but it would require daily effort. It would also drastically increase time on my feet, which is an important aspect of my other distance training so it would help with that. More importantly, it was a short-term project that could be stopped at any point, be that injury or motivation.
However, the overarching purpose was movement and time with my thoughts. Exercise is important. How you achieve that can vary greatly, but it is important for our health. The NHS lists a bounty of reasons for both exercise and sitting less, so when you consider my job involves sitting down all day, and you factor in family health issues, it makes perfect sense that I should dedicate time to getting up and moving. This alone was my motivator for getting into running, it was an investment in my physical retirement. Beyond the physical benefits of exercise, I use my running and walking as time to think and process all that is going on in my life, and as my second reason for doing this challenge alluded to, I have a lot on my plate at the moment which was mentally tasking, so I wanted the time and space to manage that mental drain in a way that was productive and beneficial to my health. These are some of the factors that I have in mind when I talk to my clients about exercise, as exercise sends our brain signals to help us reduce stress and, if done outdoors, gives us time away from our daily stressors and even some exposure to nature. Obviously, everybody is different, and there is a long list of reasons to avoid strenuous activity for many people, but if you can get benefits from doing it and are privileged enough to have the time and space to do so, then definitely make the most of those opportunities in your own way.
Anyway, back to this ridiculous challenge. Before starting the challenge I checked my stats on fitness apps to see if it was feasible for me, I may do dumb stuff, but I do it from an informed place. The most steps I have ever managed in a month before this was September 2023 where I managed 526,009 steps, and that was only because I completed two ultra-marathons (50km/31miles) that month which significantly bumped up the average. My most steps in a single day, 78,550 steps, was also previously in September 2023, and not too surprisingly was one of my ultra-marathons. So time to do some maths to work out what this challenge would look like. At its core, it would involve maintaining an average of 32,258 steps a day, but also finding the energy and more importantly time to do it. So off I went without really planning much beyond that, what could possibly go wrong?
So What Went Wrong?
Well to avoid going into loads of detail, on day one I only managed 23,655 steps, then overcompensated the next day with 41,005 steps. I clearly needed a better plan. The trouble is that I didn't factor in the sheer amount of time that it takes to get a daily average of 32,258 steps. I get about 7000 to 8000 steps for about 5km (3.1miles) distance, so would need to walk / run 20km (12.43miles) roughly every day. Considering I wasn't going to wreck my body running essentially a half-marathon each day, I came up with the plan of a 2-hour (10km / 6.2miles) walk in the morning, and walk back from work (5km / 3.1miles) in the evening, and maybe a little walk during the day at some point if my normal daily walking around didn't make up the difference. Beyond that, the only issue I encountered was leg pain, soreness not concerning pain, around the second week, which made sense as I was upping my daily average steps by more than double with no rest days. This pain dissipated partway through week three.
So What Went Right?
After I overcame the shock to my system of being so very active all the time, I began to notice many more positives. I had a lot more time to work through the stressors of the job and other projects, so my mind was in a much better place. I found myself using the walks, especially in the mornings, to chat with family, and reconnect with people, which was nice. After the leg pain went away the walks felt much easier to start, and I fell into a rhythm with the walks which gave me a real sense of peace to be in, I wasn't thinking about it any more. A bonus of living in Sheffield meant I had a lot of time spent in nature, with a bonus of August being a nice month for weather, meaning I spotted a lot of wildlife, and spent time in nice places. Additionally, I found my appetite improved, this feels obvious but when I am stressed I lose interest in healthy foods and end up snacking on a lot of junk food without really thinking about it. So to have an interest in food again, and a want to eat healthy food was a nice change. Yet, the biggest difference I found was when I was at home and sat down doing things I felt much more engaged, less distracted, and more focused on what I was doing. This last change was not something I was expecting but upon reflection makes sense, the time I had to sit down had become limited, and my walks had given me time to think through all my distractions.
The stats and results
Yes, I managed to hit 1,000,000 steps in August, and I know some of you want to see numbers and stats etc because I sure do myself. Below is a graph with all the daily steps across the month, but here are some stand-alone details as well.
The fewest steps in a day was day one with 23,655 steps unless you count the last day after I had a million steps at 10,098 steps.
Most steps in a day was day thirteen with 41,329 steps, which was mostly walking, and wasn't the day I did my longest run.
Distances over the month were 83.02km (51.58miles) in week one (1st-4th), 140.14km (87.08miles) in week two (5th-11th), 146.05km (90.75miles) in week three (12th-18th), 156.96km (97.53miles) in week four (19th-25th), and because there are more than 28 days in a month, 74.59km (46.35miles) over the last week (26th-31st).
The total distance of 581.16km (361.12miles) across the whole month, of which 183.03km (113.73miles) were running.
A little over 50,000 calories burnt (according to Garmin).
I record 91 walks or runs, totalling 116 hours spent.
Total steps over all of August 1,013,367 steps.
A nice wee graph showing my varying steps across the month of August.
Final Thoughts
Doing this challenge brought me lots of positives, some of which were unexpected. Setting ourselves challenges (perhaps smaller ones) can be a massive yet simple change we can make in our lives. They can be something that feel like a challenge but has no negative impact if we do not achieve them in the end. Something that gets us doing something different, even better if it has a positive health impact at the same time. All this is especially true if you find yourself in a monotonous rhythm and want to change it up. Doing so helped to re-spark my motivation to get out and get moving, and since then I have found it much easier to get out for a run or walk, even when the weather has been wet or windy. Additionally, I have achieved something that few people have done, it's not world-changing, but it is my little accomplishment which makes me happy.
This all being said, you might be sat wondering whether you should do a million steps in a month? Short answer, no! It was a silly challenge, that could have caused me harm, especially considering how much it upped my average daily steps, and that it allowed for no days to rest. With that being said, hopefully, me being a bit of a plum sparks some motivation to devise your own challenge to change up your life in some little way that brings some joy or change.