Woman says 'silent walking' trend will 'change your life'

Most people use music or a podcast to motivate them to get moving, but apparently silence will spur you on even more.

According to businesswoman Mady Maio, heading on a stroll without distractions can 'change your life'.

She is the woman behind the 'silent walking' trend that is sweeping TikTok, which has left most fitness buffs baffled.

The podcast host and content creator claims that stretching her legs in silence has transformed several aspects of her life.

Mady explained that it all started when she ditched her intense cardio workouts for a more relaxed 30 minute walk.

As she was heading out for her pavement debut, her boyfriend challenged her to take her stroll one step further.

He told the Camber app co-founder to try heading out without any modcons that she usually uses to entertain her during exercise.

In a video shared on her account @madymaio, Mady explained: "No AirPods, no podcast, no music, just me, myself and I."

TikTok/@madymaio

Although she was reluctant to be alone with her thoughts at first, she decided to give her partner's suggestion a go.

"I was like f**k no, my anxiety could never," she laughed. "But something within me was like, let me just try it."

Mady admitted that the first two minutes of her walk were 'mayhem', but a sense of calm comes shortly after that.

She continued: "Your mind is racing or your gonna have anxiety.

"But something happens after two minutes - when your brain just gets into this flow state and everything is quiet.

"Suddenly, you can f***ing hear yourself."

The TikToker explained that walkers are unintentionally blocking their intuition and 'whispers from the universe' by constantly being surrounded by noise.

Mady claimed that after her first 30 minute session of silent walking, she 'had the clarity' she had always been searching for.

She said: "Brain fog lifted, suddenly all these ideas are flowing into me because I'm giving them space to enter.

"When you're listening to a podcast or music, you're distracting yourself. You're not letting the signs and the ideas have space to come to you.

"Every time I finish a silent walk, I have a new idea from my business, I've untangled a weird situation in my head that I've been ruminating over, and I feel like a lot of my current question marks get answered.

"Just try it out, trust me!"

TikTok/@madymaio

Mady encouraged newbies to try out a peaceful stroll for the first five minutes of their walk, while gradually building it up to half an hour.

"Give yourself the gift of getting quiet and listening to those whispers," she added.

The video gained over 486,000 views and thousands of like, confirming that social media users were on board with the new trend.

One commented: "Yes! This was how EDMR was discovered/invented! Walking is bilateral stimulation which allows the brain to process thoughts with more clarity."

Another said: "That is called conscious meditation and I do it everyday and have for years. It's fabulous."

A third added: "I love my silent walk to work! 17 minutes in the mornings."

Others were less impressed by Mady's new hot take on a simple stroll, pointing out that 'silent walking' is how everybody got around before technology came into our lives.

But if it gets people to put their phones down for 30 minutes, all hail the silent walk.