The average person walks between 3,000 and 4,000 steps per day, which is roughly 1.5 to 2 miles daily. Over the course of a year, this adds up to approximately 550 to 730 miles walked by an individual. Actual mileage may vary based on lifestyle, occupation, and physical activity habits.
My total mileage walked in 72 years, based on this formula, would be 52,560 miles, but I believe I’m way above average, so the number should be more than double that. Subtracting the first five years of my life, I’d say I’ve easily walked over 100,000 miles in total, which may seem high, yet Toyota cars and trucks, when properly maintained, can reach well over 300,000 miles.
I’ve taken care of things by not running, which impacts knees, hips, thighs, ankles, and feet. Studies have shown that runners are much more likely to require hip and knee replacements in later life due to the repetitive stress these activities place on the joints.
Over time, the increased wear and tear can lead to joint degeneration, making surgical intervention more common among frequent runners. Several of my friends who were former runners have undergone this.
While running is often celebrated for its cardiovascular benefits, walking offers many of the same health advantages with less impact on the joints. Regular walking can improve heart health, help maintain a healthy weight, boost mood, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
For individuals looking to stay active without the increased risk of joint injury, walking provides an effective and sustainable alternative to running. It’s not as impressive to tell someone you walk for exercise as it is to run, yet when you reach 70, it doesn’t really matter what people think.
We keep an exercise bike and a treadmill in the house, and I use both sparingly, although in Alaska during winter, they both received a good workout. My old Schwinn Airyne had over 10,000 miles when it was retired. This new one is still under 1,000.
Rotary Park provides the best place to walk in Lake Havasu City during the summer months, though only in the morning hours before it gets too hot. Walmart is our next go-to place because it’s huge and air-conditioned. Joleen and I jokingly call it Walkmart. We’ve seen others walking there for exercise.
Three or four complete circuits around the store is sufficient, making for a good country mile. That’s a statement you don’t hear much anymore. A “country mile” is an informal phrase used to describe a distance that feels much longer than a standard mile, especially when traveling through rural or undeveloped areas.
The term often refers to the perception that distances in the countryside, where landmarks and reference points are fewer, seem to stretch farther than the same measured distance in a city or town. So, when someone says something is a “country mile” away, they usually mean it’s a lot farther than you might expect.
As long as I’m able to simply walk at a normal pace, I’m happy. So many seniors lose that ability and suffer immensely, and in some cases, never leave the house. When I’m hiking the trails around town and someone my same age goes whizzing by, I’m not impressed.
Given time, they’ll eventually be on the sidelines from too much strenuous activity, and I’ll pass them. I say that from a mechanic’s perspective after seeing old vehicles pushed to the limit and then breaking down.
Call me a “walkaholic” if you like. The joy I get from still being able to walk far outweighs most everything else at this point in my life. I hope I can continue walking until the very end!
I like to write junk... 