“Hi, I’m Nico! I walk every day for a year to stop being fat.” This Monday, it will be 200 times that this Vendéen will pronounce these words, facing the camera, as in every video he posts daily on the networks. On December 1st, this particular teacher mathematics has in fact decided to put on his sneakers to take around 10,000 steps per day. A major challenge for the one who had “let himself go well” since the distant weight training sessions at the gym… “Walking changed my life,” confides the 33-year-old young man, who shares his experience on his Tiktok account at nearly 60,000 subscribers. I had reached the point where I could no longer play with my children, out of breath after 10 seconds, it was humiliating… This weekend at the beach, I ran for several minutes without any problem! »
Like him, more and more anonymous people would devote at least an hour a day to this strange challenge of around 7.5 km. In Haut-Var, for example, Pascale will soon arrive halfway. “With mom’s life, professional life, the pounds had set in,” reports this 51-year-old woman. His Instagram account, which was initially supposed to be a personal logbook, today brings together more than 17,000 subscribers. “I wanted to take care of myself again, to see if I was capable of it… After the enthusiasm of the first ten days, I realized that even if it was simple to put in place, it was not going to work be so easy. It takes a lot of determination and organization. But also be well shod, because pain can quickly occur! »
A “fight with yourself”
While several studies demonstrate the importance of regularity in sports practice, how can we succeed in finding the motivation, and especially the time? When she works, Pascale has managed to combine business with pleasure: this administrative assistant parks her car far from her office and completes the journey on foot, despite a steep climb that awaits her in the evening. Nicolas goes out every day around 9 a.m. before moving on with his day. And when it rains? ” I have a walking mat which allows me to move forward on my projects at the same time, indicates the entrepreneur. But I prefer to go out. In fact, I convinced myself that I had no choice. It’s certain that without my community, caring but waiting for me around the corner, it would have been easier to say to myself “come on, I’ll stop”. This is great, some people have gotten into it too. »
Listening to them, what seemed like a constraint has today become an automatism, even a need. And if both report having had some pain in the soles of their feet, this “fight with oneself” takes place a lot in the head. When they are feeling sluggish, they can also think about the results that already seem to be there, helped by extra attention paid to their diet. In addition to having lost “10 kg” in six months, Nicolas (130 kg at the start of the challenge) has, for example, found “a much better heart rate at rest”. The same goes for Pascale, who is “angry with the scales” but who has seen her body become slimmer, so much so that she has had to change clothing sizes.
A good habit to perpetuate
Overall, their mental health also improved as a result of walking in nature, mostly alone. But… we’re not bored, are we? “I let myself wander, I think about everything and nothing like when you’re in the shower,” replies Nicolas. It’s my moment, and everyone can have it. We all have half an hour in the evening that we spend hanging out! » Because thirty minutes of activity, moderate to intense, is in fact the official recommendation given by the Ministry of Health. For those who would also like to get started, there is no need to set the bar at 10,000 steps.
“We’re not going to say that it’s not good, but it’s almost too high a threshold,” confirms Maël Dec, project manager at the National Observatory of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle. For someone who is starting to move again, 6,000 is already very good: it allows you to get back into the habit of walking, and above all to increase your chances of it lasting, which is the most important thing. By gradually increasing the number of daily steps, we will see benefits appear such as weight loss, increased cardiorespiratory capacity, reduced risk of chronic diseases… but also better bone health or improved well-being. . »
So many positive points which make Nicolas and Pascale say that they will not stop walking anytime soon. And we should perhaps get up from our sofa a little more often.