#StetWalk!

I spend a lot of time sitting at a desk. And I’m not alone.

According to recent numbers from Statistics Canada, 81.6 % of Canadians over the age of 15 who are employed in full-time work are sedentary for 68.9% of their day¹.

In other words, we sit. A lot.

A daily walking habit is one of the easiest ways to enjoy the mental and physical health benefits of exercise and fresh air, but it can be hard to find the time–and the motivation–to get outside. Especially living in Toronto…in winter.

Find Tanya on Twitter @editortanya
Photo credit: Twitter

In 2019, Massachusetts-based editor and translator Tanya Gold (@editortanya on Instagram and Twitter) took to social media to say that she had fallen out of her habit of taking a daily walk and to ask if anyone else was also struggling. She put out a call asking for ways that we could motivate each other to get outside for a walk–and hold each other accountable.

The answer? #StetWalk! The writing and editing community soon lit up with photos and hashtags, and it became very clear that Tanya was not the only one who wanted to get outside more!

Before long, the hashtag was popping up on social media feeds across North America–and around the world!

Fast forward to today and the #StetWalk hashtag has been used on Instagram more than 5,000 times!

But wait. Why #StetWalk? How did the #StetWalk hashtag come about?

In an interview with Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty, Tanya’s friend and fellow editor Heather Saunders (@H_E_Saunders on Twitter) explains, “I brainstormed a tag with the goal that it’d be fun, memorable, and related to editing. But most of all, I wanted it to be cheerful so it would be fun to post. I liked the playfulness of #StetWalk because it combines a term that means ‘let it stand’ with doing anything but standing still—walking, running, even simply getting outside for a minute.”

So how do you go for a #StetWalk?

First, check out the #StetWalk hashtag on Instagram and Twitter and feel the inspiration take hold! Then, put on a pair of comfy shoes (or boots if you live in Toronto and it’s February) and get outside! On your walk, take a photo of something–anything–and post your photo to Instagram and/or Twitter with the hashtag #StetWalk.

Welcome to the #StetWalk community!

And here’s a hot tip for all you creatives out there. Stuck in a plothole? Struggling with a theme or looking for ideas? I have figured my way out of more creative problems while out on my daily #StetWalk than I ever have while sitting at my desk! (The notes app on my phone is proof!)

You can go on all kinds of #StetWalks!

Spring #StetWalks…

Summer #StetWalks:

Fall #StetWalks:

Winter #StetWalks:

City #StetWalks:

Summer night #StetWalks:

Or how about a mossy #StetWalk?!

So get outside and enjoy a #StetWalk today–and every day! Take a friend or enjoy some alone time. Bring along a device and enjoy music, or perhaps a podcast, an audiobook, or maybe even some walking meditation. Or, simply enjoy the sounds of the world around you.

Most of all, have fun with it! Go for a #StetRun, #StetHike, #StetSwim, take along a #StetPet…well, you get the idea!