“Scavenger Hunt” Walks Are Here To Spice Up Your Steps

If you hot girl walk on the regular, there may come a day when your strolls start to feel monotonous — and dare I say boring? Even if you set up the perfect playlist with hot girl anthems bopping in your head, you might still wonder how you’re going to fill 45 minutes as you get your steps in. If your strolls could use a refresh, try incorporating a scavenger hunt.

Scavenger hunts are the latest viral walking trend with over 458 million views on TikTok. They’re meant to keep you interested and engaged by giving you an objective as you wander. You can still listen to Megan Thee Stallion and think about your goals like a certified hot girl, sure, but scavenger hunts add an extra element of fun into the mix.

The idea is similar to the recently viral “weird walk” trend where you set out on a mission to find the more bizarre sights in your area, but instead of looking for odd lawn sculptures or silly billboards, you keep a mental checklist of things to find as you walk. For example: five people wearing hats, 10 pink flowers, a certain type of dog, or red cars. To get ready for your scavenger hunt, all you have to do is create a list and set out for an adventure.

If you’re officially over your typical walking route, adding a scavenger hunt is an ideal way to give yourself a concrete goal as well as a dose of motivation, says Vanessa Liu, a certified fitness trainer and nutritionist. “The scavenger hunt is perfect for that since you have to find or collect something,” she tells Bustle. Attempting to spot everything on your list will spur you on and keep you moving to make it easier — and way more fun — to get your steps in.

Joyce Shulman, a personal trainer, author, and co-founder of Jetti Fitness, calls it “gamifying” your walk. “We love games and we love dopamine, so gamifying a walk can absolutely inspire you to go a little bit further to find just one more thing, and then one more thing,” she tells Bustle.

Turning your walk into a scavenger hunt will also keep you present and focused, Shulman says, which increases some of the benefits of walking. If you tend to zone out on your strolls or spend the miles worrying, a scavenger hunt will be a helpful way to stay grounded so your jaunt is more enjoyable.

How To Do A Scavenger Hunt Walk

On TikTok, creators love a rainbow scavenger hunt where the goal is to find one red item, one orange, one yellow, and so on as they meander around a park or city. Others look up a point of interest in their town, like a local artist, and then set out to find all of their murals.

According to Liu, you can collect things, like rocks, leaves, pine cones, and sticks, or you could collect sounds, like bird calls, dog barks, or cars. “If you’re doing a scavenger hunt with a friend or even a date, you can turn it into a friendly competition,” she says. Shulman recommends adding points to your scavenger hunt to up the stakes. Whatever you choose to look for, the main objective is to keep your eyes open and your mind engaged so your hot girl walk is more fun.

Studies referenced:

Ma, J. (2022). Effectiveness of a mindful nature walking intervention on sleep quality and mood in university students: A randomised control study. Explore (NY). doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2022.08.004.

Experts:

Joyce Shulman, personal trainer, author, co-founder of Jetti Fitness

Vanessa Liu, certified fitness trainer, nutritionist