Hello
@copilost .
In more usual times, whilst commuting to and from work, I was getting my walking in 2 or 3 walks a day. Usually, I would walk the 3 miles (about an hour) to work, walk home depending on time, what I was doing in the evening, blood sugar levels - I learned the hard way that I preferred to get home and eat a decent meal if under 7 when I left work then walk after I'd eaten and adjusted the insulin to allow for a walk. That 2/3 walks a day also worked better when I was going through a nasty patch of tendonitis which has been improved by this enforced stay at home and I've been building back up to my usual amounts this week. I've never been into working through pain, working on the theory pain needs to heal, but I didn't let pain stop me walking completely - just made sure I had good boots, good socks, followed advice about different exercises, and adjusted my expectations of myself.
I built up like that to regular longer walk days. It's rare for me to go for longer than 4 miles without some break to check bloods, adjust as need be, let the feet have a break, then carry on.
It's fair to say what holds me back from doing more than an hour at a time at the moment is the lack of toilets! I'm used to nipping into whichever supermarket or shopping centre I pass for the facilities, as almost all of my walking is urban, and am really not wanting to queue to go into the supermarkets just for a toilet break! (Even my nearest one where I am well known for doing that, buying a small drink or snack, then shooting off out again.). I am also a public transport user, and my walking regular routes all have planned bailout points. I do use public transport still when I have shopping to transport home, having walked to the shops so it's an essential trip, but don't use it if I'm just out for exercise.
It's also fair to point out I only do this because I enjoy it and it all has an excellent effect on my blood sugars/mental health/general physical health. If I stop enjoying walking more than moderate amounts a day at a moderate pace, or become obsessed with meeting the annual targets I set myself, (2020 - well, I'm just glad if I hit 10,000 steps a day at the moment rather than my usual more than double that!) then I take a break and do something else instead for a bit.