As an overly anxious college first year student, I find myself wishing I had more time for activities and somehow also less time to sit around waiting to get to my next class ridiculously early. 

During the summer, I was prone to stress-induced pacing around my neighborhood to relieve some of the pent up energy I had stored up from being a retired three-sport athlete. 

It wasn’t until my therapist recommended 30 minute walks every day that I began to remember hearing about the new “health” fad hitting teenagers’ social media platforms: the hot girl walk. 

Many might assume with a title as forward as “hot girl walk,” you might be getting into some sort of severely intense workout routine. 

However, Mia Lind, TikToker, college student and the official “Hot Girl” behind the trend told her TikTok audience through a video on her page, “The biggest transformations are the ones that start internally.”

The Mayo Clinic released an article about the importance of taking walks in relation to anxiety and depression. In the article titled “Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms” about the importance of taking walks in relation to anxiety and depression. 

The clinic speaks on the chemicals that can be released in your brain to help ease the feelings of mental illness, including endorphins — the  “natural cannabis-like brain chemicals (endogenous cannabinoids).”

After hearing about its social, emotional and physical benefits, I wondered if the next step was to try it out myself. I scheduled a walk for the next day (Friday).

The Hot Girl Walk I took was an easy find, Putnam Park on the UWEC campus. To be fair, it was not very long. I planned on it being around 30 minutes, and ended up becoming very distracted by the ducks by the creek (they are so cute and definitely in love).

I will say that time spent outside gave me both a rosy glow from the chilly temps and a positive outlook from the fresh air. 

I would definitely recommend this walk to anyone on campus who needs to get out of their heads for a little while without making the trek to somewhere that requires transport. 

This also allowed me some much needed time to think clearly. Getting out in the fresh air gave me a new perspective on some of the more stressful situations in my day-to-day life. 

I think the term “Hot Girl Walk” can get a little confusing to some as it seems to be signaling out only those who identify as women. Many people have renamed this fad, from “silly little walk” or “hot couple walk” all the way to the “fugly hag stroll.” 

The gist of it is: the act of walking, even just for a little while, is a great way to boost moods. To conclude this ramble of an article, I would say that hot girl walks are 100% worth it and I would recommend anyone take one, regardless of your gender.

Brandel can be reached at [email protected].