Walking is the most accessible and beneficial form of exercise, or so everyone claims. What happens when you take it to an extreme? British YouTuber Jack Massey Welsh wanted to know. So he set himself the task of walking 35,000 steps a day—that is, 17 miles—over the course of a week. The results were a fascinating mix of physical transformation, unexpected challenges, and valuable lessons about the human body's limits.

For Welsh, this was an ambitious challenge not only physically but mentally. Before he started, he weighed himself, took measurements, and prepared by adding 150 grams of protein to his diet to preserve muscle mass. To safeguard his joints, he began taking glucosamine supplements.

His plan was simple, break the daily goal into two two-hour walks, which would amount to 35,000 steps per day. The first day seemed manageable, but the effects of this extreme activity quickly set in.

Day-by-Day Breakdown: From Muscle Burn to Joint Pain

Days 1–2: A Painful Start

The first day brought a mix of excitement and fatigue. Welsh remarked on the simplicity of “one step in front of the other.” However, by Day 2, he began to feel the physical toll. Aching muscles and sheer exhaustion made every step increasingly difficult.

Days 3–4: Adapting Muscles, New Challenges

By the third day, Welsh could see his muscles were adapting to the demand. However, joint pain had emerged as a new obstacle, accompanied by painful blisters on his feet. Walking became a test of endurance, with each step a reminder of his body's limits.

Days 5–7: The Final Stretch and Aftermath

As the week went by, the pressure was on. Sore ankles and black toenails, which indicate extreme foot injury, made it hard for Welsh to walk without taking pain medication. He was still able to complete the challenge with a feeling of great achievement.

What's Changed After 250,000 Steps?

At the end of the week, Welsh retook his measurements and was shocked at the changes. He had lost 2 pounds and noted that his body measurements were smaller all around, except for his thighs, which grew half a centimeter. This showed that walking is a great change agent even after a week.

However, the damage was done by the physical process. Days since the completion of the challenge found Welsh's ankles swollen, bringing home the potentially dire consequences to extreme exercise in the human form.

Welsh's adventure shows the risks and rewards of walking. Being on the extreme end is fun, but never overdo anything beyond what your body can stand. As for Welsh, more reasonable steps most people can reasonably achieve would range between 8,000 to 20,000 depending on their fitness.

The average steps that people walk is merely between 3,000 and 4,000 per day, a range of activity level described as sedentary. Although the 10,000 steps per day has become a highly popular goal without scientific basis, research shows more realistic and personalized targets depending on age. A review by Lancet showed that walking around 7,000 steps per day can increase life expectancy significantly for older adults. Younger adults benefit from walking only up to around 9,000 steps per day, indicating that exceeding this number does not offer any further benefits. These results highlight how the necessity is to set specific, reachable goals, rather than focusing on achieving some number.

It must not be about reaching a specific number, but about making movement a constant part of your day.

Why Walking is Considered Healthy?

Walking is not a cardio exercise only, but also maintains the muscles and health of the joints. More importantly, it helps the mind. A study at JAMA Internal Medicine reported walking as briskly as possible for 10 minutes each day will decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke but in addition add years to life.

From lessening the symptoms of anxiety and depression to increasing energy and concentration, walking is an all-rounded exercise with low risks and high rewards.

How to Increase Your Daily Step Count Easily

Adding more steps into your daily life does not have to be a big life change. Here's how:

• Take the stairs whenever possible.
• Park on the far end of parking lots.
• Hold meetings while walking
• Track your progress to motivate and set achievable targets
• Take regular 10 minute breaks at work to stretch and walk
• Tread around on the phone as well
• Go for a long walk after dinner to relax.

Jack Massey Welsh’s journey is a compelling reminder of walking’s transformative potential—and its risks when taken to extremes. While 35,000 steps daily is not practical for most people, setting moderate goals can yield significant health benefits.

Estimated Number of Deaths Prevented Through Increased Physical Activity Among US Adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2022

Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. The Lancet Public Health. 2022

Ankur Warikoo, entrepreneur, who has gained fame with his to-the-point practical and solution oriented videos on Instagram, recently talked about his fitness journey and diet routine which helped him achieve only 13 per cent body fat at the age of 45. "The exact method that got me 13 per cent at the age of 45. No steroids, no shortcuts, not AI. The 3T formula got me here, starting with the one most people skip," said Warikoo in his Instagram post.

What Are The 3Ts That Helped Ankur Warikoo Achieve Only 13 per cent fat at 45?

“The only way to lose fat is through a calorie deficit (consume fewer calories than you burn). Many track their calorie-out (how much they burn, through a smart watch or ring). But very few track their calorie-in (how much they eat),” he said.

This is why, T-1 is Track. This phase aims at tracking what you eat and keeping a check on your calorie intake.

Warikoo said that he brough his calorie intake to 1,600 to 1,800. He started with a 500 calorie deficit every day and continued till 7,500 every two weeks to lose 1 kg. Then repeated the same routine. He also increased his protein intake. In a deficit, you lose muscle and fat. Protein replenishes the muscle. Without it, you just end up skinny,” he said.

What His Diet Looked Like

9.30 am – 1 scoop whey protein, creatine, 1 walnut, 4 almonds, 4 cashews, 5-6 raisins

11 am – 200 grams paneer/tofu/tempeh/ or dal chilla. Rarely eggs

1 pm – Fruit

4 pm – 2 rotis (emmer wheat/jowar/soya bean) sabzi+ dal+ low fat yogurt

6.30 pm – 1 scoop whey protein with curd

“I didn’t cut out chhole bhature (my favourite). Had mithai – quite often. The goal wasn’t perfection. It was to reach the two-week deficit,” said Warikoo.

The Second T is for Training

Warikoo's training schedule looked like this:

Tennis – 6 days a week, 1 hour (cardio sorted)

Weights – 6 days a week, 45 minutes

Every day: 2 exercises * 3 body parts = 6 exercises

10-12 reps

3 sets

“Didn’t get bored,” he shared.

The 3rd T stands for Transformation

He said he tracked his daily weight and weekly measurements to document his transformation and the progress he had been making. He said that he also "sent pictures to my trainer for accountability. Ate mostly the same meals. Boring works," he said.

What Do Experts Say?

Experts have noted that a diet, especially like Warikoo's which is mostly vegetarian, excels in sustainability. Furthermore, his diet was balanced with protein, macros from dal, tofu and Greek yogurt. He also did resistance training to preserve lean mass which is a common mid-age related condition that could lead to sarcopenia.

Experts also point out that while tracking weight and measures are great notifiers of tracking health, one should understand that losing weight is not everything. This is why getting blood work at frequent intervals could tell you more than your dropping weight.

Mobility and independence are two things that keep people healthy, however, with age, as bones weaken and muscle is lost, elderly become more dependent. This condition is called sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss. India is finally focusing on this and have now new guidelines to warn people against it.

The Geriatric Society of India released country's first 'Indian Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Sarcopenia'. These guidelines are a combination of recommendations by experts across multiple specialties, including geriatric medicine, orthopedics, endocrinology, physiotherapy and nutrition. These guidelines aim to help doctors detect and treat muscle loss early. The aim is to not let elderly compromise with their independence.

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What Is Sarcopenia?

Sarcopenia literally translates to 'loss of flesh'. Medically, it refers to gradual decline in muscle mass, strength and physical function with aging. While it is often overlooked, it is also the major reason for many fractures and hospitalizations of older adults, and sometimes, even death.

India is expected to have around 319 million people aged over 60 by 2050, which is one-fifth of the population. It could be concerning as they are at risk of sarcopenia. Studies have also shown that the number has increased from 8-18 per cent to 25-40 per cent adults, especially hospitalization cases. Experts point out that those with chronic diseases like diabetes are at a higher risk.

What Are The First Indian Guidelines On Muscle Loss or Sarcopenia?

Dr OP Sharma, who led guidelines said that muscle health is most important for healthy aging. "Strength preserves dignity. Early detection saves independence," he said. Dr Sharma also noted that the sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition and chronic illnesses are accelerating this condition among seniors.

The guidelines also advise doctors to look for warning signs in patients, which include weak grip strength, slower walking speed, or difficulty getting up from a chair. There are also screening tools like SARC-F questionnaire, which could help identify those at risk.

Also Read: Is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) A Boon To Women's Health During Menopause? | Women's Day Special

The ray of hope here is that sarcopenia could be prevented or slowed that too with simple lifestyle changes.

What Lifestyle Changes Could Prevent Sarcopenia?

• Strength training exercises
• Adequate protein consumption
• Correcting deficiency including vitamin D and calcium

Doctors are also advising to eat a balanced diet, which includes protein, fats, green vegetables, and pulses. Dr Raju Vaishya of Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said, "India is a sarcopenic nation". He pointed that everyone needs to be aware about muscle health, however this awareness remains low in the country.

Dr Randeep Guleria said the guidelines aim to brings muscle health into routine medical care. "They bridge science with clinical wisdom, making sarcopenia visible in everyday practice."

A new Nature Human Behaviour (2026) study suggests that single-session psychological exercises lasting less than 10 minutes can lead to measurable decreases in depression symptoms even one month later.

Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the world. Every year, hundreds of millions of people suffer from depression, and many are unable to get therapy because of cost, stigma and the dearth of mental-health professionals.

Symptoms include excessive sadness, depression often includes fatigue, changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating and feelings of hopelessness. Treatment requires professional guidance for diagnosis and management.

A 10-Minute Intervention With Lasting Effects

All the brief interventions took less than 10 minutes to complete and were designed to teach practical coping skills that are commonly used in psychotherapy. Some exercises helped participants to reframe negative thoughts, while others focused on motivation, goal-setting or making sense of things by helping others. Participants completed surveys measuring their well-being immediately after the session and again one month later.

The results were striking: while many exercises boosted motivation and hope immediately, two interventions - Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal and Finding Focus - showed measurable reductions in depression symptoms even after a month. On average, participants experienced about a four percent greater reduction in depression scores compared with the control group.

Although the improvement may appear small, researchers note that brief, scalable interventions could reach millions of people who currently lack access to mental-health care as they can be completed in a few minutes and delivered online, these exercises may allow people to take initial steps toward better mental health, especially those waiting for professional help or unwilling to ask for help.

The scientists also stressed that these activities are not intended to substitute for therapy, but should be seen as readily available tools to help with emotional health.

Exercise and Mental Health: A Growing Body of Evidence

Previous research also shows that a quick burst of activity can make you feel better from other research too. A British Journal of Health Psychology 2024 study found that just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice significantly improved well-being and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety among more than 1,200 participants from 91 countries.

Similarly, the US National Institutes of Health (2019) reviews suggest that the physical activity itself may help improve mood and depressive symptoms, strengthening the relationship between movement and mental health.

Collectively, these findings suggest that even small doses of mental or physical activity may lead to psychological benefits.

A Small Step That Can Make a Difference

Depression can make people feel trapped and out of control. The good news of the new research is that it suggests that big changes aren’t always necessary to move forward.

Sometimes, doing a small task, like spending 10 minutes learning a new coping skill or doing a quick mental exercise, is enough to change the way you think and gradually improve mood.

As researchers investigate these brief interventions, one thing is becoming clear: when it comes to mental health, few minutes matter more than we think.