'Hot girl walk' – the TikTok trend boosting moods and fitness

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TikTok's "hot girl walk" is one of the latest trends that has many lacing up their sneakers boosting their fitness and their self-esteem.  

The social media trend was created by a USC student named Mia Lind who is also known on TikTok as @exactlyliketheothergirls. She explained on her TikTok post that the "hot girl walk" involves walking 2-4 miles a day for nearly an hour and can include listening to uplifting music or podcasts. While doing the "hot girl walk," you mainly think about three things. They include:  

• What you are grateful for? 
• Your goals and steps needed to achieve them. 
• Remind yourself of your personal beauty.

Young fitness woman running in the city street. (iStock)

On her social media post, the self-proclaimed creator of the "hot girl walk," said, "The challenge is not about losing weight but about you achieving your goals." In a video explanation on her Instagram post, Mia explained that before beginning one’s hot girl walk journey, the individual needs to write down three goals: personal, professional, and social – and check the status on these goals every 2 weeks.  

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The Instagram influencer even created a spreadsheet where you are not counting calories but actually tracking the days you walked and your goals. There is even a "hot girl walk" Spotify playlist one can listen to while they engage in their journey.   

Lind’s followers use a hashtag, #hotgirlwalk, to post photos of their walking journeys, which are typically done 3-5 days a week with some rest days. The Instagram trendsetter also suggested limiting drinking to social situations and promoted acts of kindness to others and to yourself.   

The University of Southern California student told one media outlet that she was looking for a form of exercise during COVID pandemic that she "didn’t dread" and liked the meditative element that coincides with going for long walks.  According to media reports, Lind said walking was not viewed strongly as a form of exercise so she decided to rebrand it as a "hot girl walk," shared it on social media and it went global. She now has over 136 million views on TikTok and her followers range from college to middle-aged women.  

A warm spring morning in Utah. The University of Southern California student told one media outlet that she was looking for a form of exercise during COVID pandemic that she "didn’t dread" and liked the meditative element that coincides with going for long walks.   (iStock)

One of Lind’s TikTok followers, Giovanna Amodio, told Fox News that she began doing the hot girl walk while at college during the pandemic and said "I would 100 % say it boosts self-esteem." Amodio shared with Fox News that she began walking during the quarantine as a way of getting out of the house and seeing others in a safe way. When she began following the hot girl trend she said, "It developed into a way to help clear your head, have some alone time, listen to inspirational podcasts, and keep you in shape."  

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Studies have shown that walking can foster a positive affect even when participants are not even focused on the actual activity.  

Dr. DJ Moran, PhD, is an Associate professor at Touro University in New York, and commented on the TikTok trend to Fox News. "This trend shows the remarkable power of social media and hashtags to support a healthy trend.  It’s fantastic that hot girl walks encourage more people to exercise and work on self-improvement. I’m really glad to hear more young adults are taking walks and doing it more frequently, especially while engaging in gratitude and self-reflection." 

A woman goes for a morning run. Dr. DJ Moran, PhD, notes that "It’s fantastic that Hot Girl Walks encourage more people to exercise and work on self-improvement. "I’m really glad to hear more young adults are taking walks and doing it more frequently, especially while engaging in gratitude and self-reflection."  (Fox News)

Moran, however, said, "I am a bit concerned that they are encouraged to think about how hot they are… As long as this is about self-improvement, great!  If it is about self-aggrandizing, I’m not so thrilled." 

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Tamar Amitay is a physical therapist at Thrive Integrated Physical Therapy in New York City. Amitay told Fox News that this latest walking trend might have positive physical benefits. "Several studies have concluded that walking reduces arthritis relate pain. Walking protects the joints of the lower extremity, especially the hips and knees by lubricating them and strengthening the muscles that support these joints," Amitay said.  

Amitay said walking could also help promote heart health, prevent weight gain, and reduce the risk for cancer and chronic disease. Physical therapists told Fox News that if you do begin a walking program it is important to wear comfortable supportive sneakers and to stay hydrated.