Walking for Fitness: A Case Study on the Experiences, Challenges, and Perceived Benefits from Regular Walking Exercise of Young Adult

The COVID-19 outbreak, declared as a global health emergency, consequently led to lockdowns and community quarantines that have restricted people’s opportunity for physical activity. Evidence have shown that physical inactivity increases the risk of many communicable  diseases such as coronary heart disease and metabolic disorders (Booth et al., 2012). Moreover, a sedentary lifestyle induces worse, continuous, and progressive consequences to health. The World    Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous- intensity physical activity per week, or a combination of both. Walking is one of the most   popular physical activities. The reasons why it appeals to the population is because it is accessible to all, requires little skill and has low risk of injury. Walking can be performed in various speeds, in groups or alone, and without the need for special equipment. This research explores the experiences of young adults on their walking exercise with the consideration of the current COVID-19 pandemic situation. It aims to determine and understand the challenges and perceived benefits of young adults in performing regular walking exercise. This research was an in-depth case study conducted in Tanza Cavite, Philippines, where a few residents practice regular walking exercises, among others. This study mainly focused on the experiences and perspectives of the participants towards walking exercise. Criterion sampling was used, and semi-structured interviews were employed for data collection. Individual experiences of the respondents were explained and analyzed to further understand the effects of regular walking exercise.