Does the Hot Girl Walk help you lose weight?

• you’re only allowed to think about 3 things on the Hot Girl Walk
• can you lose weight doing the Hot Girl Walk?
• What I LOVE about the Hot Girl Walk
• What I don’t like about the Hot Girl Walk
• My version of the Hot Girl Walk
• is the Hot Girl Walk part of the GOLD Standard Routine™?

My Hot Girl Walk Origin Story (!)

PEOPLE are always the best part of everything we do.

Amiright?!

Whether I was life-guarding, waitress-ing, teaching Gr. 5, developing & running the Who Is NOBODY? Program…

Or what I do now:

Helping over-achievers unlock their H 🙂 PPY weight—without dieting.

(I share EXACTLY what I did 23+ years ago, when I lost 30 pounds for good.)

…It’s the people I get to work with who make me excited to jump out of bed and follow my cat Gunther upstairs to start my morning routine.

Our kitchen’s upstairs
b/c we have a rooftop patio vs. backyard
— this setup prevents us from bringing hamburgers through our bedroom.

So ya, I LOVE the people I work with

They get me up in the morning.

And it’s the barriers of these go-getter women that we break together—

like bingeing
purging,
emotional eating due to stress, boredom or the mysterious “other”,
looking at your body in reflective surfaces,
counting calories,
etc!

…It’s all these obstacles that I’m mulling over before I fall asleep at night.

Hand over heart… ❤️

I want you to normalize your relationship with food and unlock your HAPPY weight as much (sometimes more) than YOU do.

Why?

Overcoming disordered eating was one of the most magical times of my life

It opened up the whole world for me because EVERY part of my life improved when I stopped being preoccupied by:

food,
weight
& hunger

And I want that for you too.

So getting back to the Hot Girl Walk

One of (many) things I love about working with people, is that I learn something different from everyone.

Whether difficult (these people can be our BEST teachers) or delightful, people enlighten you with all kinds of stuff, if you’re open to learn.

Like…

That’s how I found out about the Hot Girl Walk

Last week I was on a call with a client in London named Lily who’s in law school.

And as we were winding down and setting some goals, aka: Building in Accountability…

So to build in accountability, I asked Lily what her exercise plans were for the week.

She replied:

Abandoning any attempt at being in the know…

I stifled a high-pitch “Qu’est-ce-que c’est?”

…because, like, not everyone’s fluent in French.

(I’m not either!)

And then I doubled down for further details.

…God, I can be so uncouth.

What’s the Hot Girl Walk?

As Lily explained.

I casually Mmmmmk’d…

We said our good-byes.

And then…

The moment my finger clicked “End Call” on Zoom, it moved my mouse straight to the Google Search Bar.

And I dove into doing my due diligence…

By researching the vast body of work on the Hot Girl Walk

(Tik Tok)

And ladies…

Here’s what I learned:

The Hot Girl Walk CliffsNotes:

Tik Tok Star ⭐ Mia lost weight in One Step via what she coined the Hot Girl Walk.

(AKA walking.)

But what makes the Hot Girl Walk mmmmmmmmmuch more than a walk, are Mia’s rules:

(Ok gals, grab a pen…)

While on the Hot Girl Walk, you’re only allowed to think about 3 things:

1. Things you’re grateful for

2. Your goals and how you’re going to achieve them

3. How hot you are

You may NOT think about any boys or any boy drama.

Here’s the Hot Girl Walk Original Video Footage:

And the Hot Girl Walk Tik Tok Video Transcript:

(It took quite a few takes to transcribe the Hot Girl Walk regulations, but I’m here to serve:)

If you want to know how I went from “this” [Mia in a blue sun dress] and “this” [Mia on a boat] to “this” [Mia in a green bikini], “this” [Mia in a white dress half way up a set of stairs] and also “this” [Mia in a peasant-style short-sleeved blouse in a… cabana?].  Listen up. This is for you. It’s actually really easy and there’s really only one step. And it is what I call the Hot Girl Walk. Now obviously there are a lot of health benefits when you go on these walks for a long time and walk kind of quickly. But it’s what you do on the Hot Girl Walk that really matters. You’re only allowed to think about 3 things on the Hot Girl Walk. 1: Things you’re grateful for 2: Your goals and how you’re going to achieve them & 3: How hot you are. You may NOT think about any boys or any boy drama. I have a playlist you can use. And if you start to think of any booger-y boy drama, you just turn that Hot Girl playlist up. The most important part of the Hot Girl Walk is that it doesn’t end at the end of your walk. You take that energy and you carry it with you throughout the whole day. If you try this, tag me…
– Mia, 22 years old & CEO of the Hot Girl Walk

What I LOVE about the Hot Girl Walk

Moving your body every day is part of the GOLD Standard Routine™ that I teach my 1:1 clients and in my group program:

What the F do I eat?

I mean, here’s just a few benefits you get from moving your body every day:

I made that infographic for my book ↑

It’s on page 88.

If you’ve got my book:

I encourage you to rip out page 88 and pop it on your fridge.

And obviously I love the whole “no boy drama” bit of the Hot Girl Walk

I mean, you can apply the “no boy drama” principle to any energy vampire in your life…

So I LOVE that the Hot Girl Walk is all about focusing on the GOOD stuff

Vs. the Energy Vampires lurking in your life.

Thus, when you’re on the Hot Girl Walk, there can be—

No:

“Family drama”

No:

“Frenemy drama”

No:

“I totally let the dry-wall guy
do a sh*t job,
while giving him endless coffees and compliments…
Then paid and freaking tipped him.
I need a project manager… like NOW drama”

I love the expression:

That’s why I love the idea of focusing on goals and dreams and being MFing-grateful!

And carrying that Hot Girl Walk Energy all through the day.

NOBODY likes to hang around with a complainer.

What I don’t like about the Hot Girl Walk

While moving your body every day is part of the GOLD Standard Routine™…

…It’s not the only thing that’s going to help you unlock your H 🙂 PPY weight.

In fact, exercise contributes to about 25% of overall weight loss.

What you eat is the other 75%.

You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.
– Shawn M. Talbott, PhD, nutritional biochemist and former director of the University of Utah Nutrition Clinic

Herman agrees:

We simply don’t get slimmer through exercise alone.
– Herman Pontzer, an Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University

In fact… too much exercise (and exercising to purge) can slooow down your metabolism. And put it into survival mode.

Then it’s EASY to gain weight.

And hard to lose it.

Too much exercise was me for 10 years!!!

I ran so much I ruined my knees 🙁

(Again, I explain why too much exercise can slow down your metabolism in my book. When you UNDERSTAND why… cutting back on exercise is easier to implement.)

However…

Both eating and exercise are key to unlocking your H 🙂 PPY weight

I see this ALL. THE. TIME. with my clients of all ages:

When you lapse on your exercise
it negatively influences your food choices.

In other words…

There’s a DIRECT correlation between moving your body & the quality of your food choices.

One more time for the people in the back:

Another reason you need MORE than the Hot Girl Walk to lose weight

Also, walking is only part of the exercise you need to do each week to unlock your H 🙂 PPY weight.

You also need to get your heart ❤️ rate up, 3 times a week for 25 minutes.

…Something I struggled to do during the start of Covid, when I couldn’t go to the gym.

And thus, I gained a few pounds.

PROVING
once again,
that walking just isn’t enough.

I also write about getting your heart rate up in a Case Study found at the end of my book.

You’ll see it by this pic:

Yes, those dinosaur “leggings” are boys pajamas.

So essentially saying you can walk-yourself-thin is a false promise.

In short:
Adding a daily walk to your routine
AKA The Hot Girl Walk
won’t unlock your H 🙂 PPY weight—

Unless you’ve got every other part of the GOLD Standard Routine™ tight.

BTW…

So there you have it!

My totally scientific take on Tik-Tok’s Sensation… The Hot Girl Walk

But before you go, I wanted to tell you:

When I first heard my client string this sentence together:

“I’m going to do the Hot Girl Walk”…

The fist imagery that came to mind for me was:

Stilettos…

And then a few friends of mine.

I mean… here’s:

My version of the Hot Girl Walk #1

That’s Sam!

I first met her when she came up to me in our dog park one day last April, when I was (discreetly) crying because Rocky was wearing a brace and could hardly walk, even when assisted.

Sam said:

“Is that Rocky?”

And then I cried more.

(Not a very hot girl walk move on my part.)

→ Sam met Rocky yeeeeears ago when she used to work at the amazing Toronto Humane Society. Rocky was there for 9 months before we saw his photo and started fostering him. And it just made me happy-sad that someone who has known him for so long recognized him.

I’d also just worked out and was wearing a hideous post-work-out get-up.

I don’t even want to tell you about it.

(So I was wearing this McDonald’s Uniform top that we found in a bag of clothes behind a building that would have otherwise gone to the landfill, along with black leggings. BTW I also have a Canada Post Uniform that someone discarded the same way. What can I say? I love uniforms!)

Nearly twice her age and with mascara dripping down my face, Sam spoke to me like I was a normal human.

She said:

“He just needs wheels.”

Sam has her own rescue pup “Happy” who she adopted with her partner Kat (below) when Happy was already a senior… but homeless.

“Old dogs are my love language.”
I don’t want to quote her, but I believe Sam said that to me. xo

Happy’s 14 years old and living the life, with people who adore her:

Another Hot Girl Walk sighting right there ↑

My version of the Hot Girl Walk #2

And this is Christina!

She’s a magician.

Christina finds all kinds of solutions for dogs (and even goats!) with mobility issues.

She’s a strong believer in the idea that:

Mobility is not a reason to euthanize an animal.

Ah! I just love Christina and Sam.

They see paw-ssibility where others don’t.

And those are Christina’s dogs ↑

Mischa (the beautiful black bear-of-a-dog she adopted nearly half-of-her-life ago).

And gorgeous Buddy who she adopted when she popped into the shelter to work early in the morning on New Year’s Day a few years ago.

Get up!
Dress up!
Show up!
…and good things will happen to you.

When Christina’s parents heard about Buddy having glaucoma, needing to have his eyes removed (Buddy was already non-visual), and NOT belonging to anybody, they said:

“You’ve got to bring him home!”

What could be hotter?!

(If it’s ok to call parents hot?)

People still ask Christina if Buddy can see…

Ummm, TBH, that thought crossed my mind too!

His sense of smell and hearing lead him to move his head in a way that looks like he’s visually tracking the action.

Reality:
As soon as Buddy had his eyes removed he was hyper and played like a puppy because he had been in so much pain. Not having eyes doesn’t hold Buddy back at all! In fact, we gave Christina some bagels and 2 seconds later Buddy (previously in the back of her car) had his head out the front window of her truck with a bagel in his mouth! Adorable. xo)

My attempt at the Hot Girl Walk

When I’m strutting around town (!) I’m not thinking about boy drama.

Or I-spilled-ink-on-my-favorite-top drama.

Or gotta-clean-up-the-watermelon-that-exploded drama…

(Have you ever not started eating a watermelon because once you cut it you need a huge piece of real-estate in your fridge to house it? So you put off eating it. And put off eating it. And then one day it just bursts? That happened to me twice last summer. Learning curve… very flat.)

So instead of re-living all that drama, I’m thinkin’ about how #grateful I am to have these beautiful little guys in my life:

Oh… hey!

That’s Rocky with his new little sister, Moon!

Moon’s body shape reminds me of a cougar…

Without them I could NOT pull off the Hot Girl Walk

I met Moon one frosty night in February, in the park across from our place.

Our “backyard”!

And when her foster mom—who, as far as I was concerned, was on a Hot Girl Walk of her own—mentioned she wasn’t going to adopt Moon, these words tumbled into the air between us:

“Well if you aren’t going to, I will!”

Ooops!

(I fell in love with Moon at first… ear!)

Fast-forward a few months and a looong story later… and Presto:

Moon moved in with us and is best friend’s with Coco our cat:

Moon’s back story?

Her vet said Moon’s scars are consistent with a dog who was used as bait in dog fights 🙁

…I just can’t get my head around that.

She’s already had puppies at 2 years old (now she’s spayed) and was picked up from a kill shelter.

Moon (short for Moondog) couldn’t be sweeter or less confrontational.

I love her so much.

She’s still scared of men and avoids Alex… but is starting to give him her signature snort of happiness (very hot) and the odd kiss on walks.

But as you can see:

Moon’s still (and rightfully so) unsure around men.

She sleeps with our cats Gunther & Coco. And Moon and Rocky get on like a house on fire

Though…

My hot girl walk came to an abrupt end

…when Rocky said “F the photography” and took off on me:

 

 

 

 

 

Ain’t NOBODY going to slow Rocky down on our Hot Girl Walk

Especially now that he has these toe-ups (the shoes) that Christina made for him:

Otherwise he drags his back legs.

It’s called knuckling.

Seriously, there’s a solution for everything if you look for it.

Look!

Rocky and I have matching shoes:

OK… those photos were totally posed.

I never walk dogs in stilettos:

Geezus… look at the half-assed job I did at straightening my hair ↑

What’s the Hot Girl Walk really about?

Well, who has more authority than fashion icon, philanthropist & actress, Audrey Hepburn?

We found this replica painting on a dog walk:

So… what are YOU happy about?

Get yer good self out on a walk and count your blessings!

And carry that Hot Girl Walk vibe with you all through the day.

Make Today Count with the Hot Girl Walk

How ’bout doin’ a Hot Girl Walk tonight after dinner?

Almost NOBODY likes to do this.

(Shout out to my client Jen, who does )

To start, try hot-girl walking 5 minutes out after dinner and 5 minutes back.

Most people don’t walk further than the fridge → to the couch → to the bed, after dinner.

Give your metabolism a BOOOST by hot-girl walking after your last meal (if it’s safe) and you’ll be surprised that you even sleep better!

Build a healthy eating and exercise routine. It will unlock your H 🙂 PPY weight.

Hot Girl Walk Next Steps

What are you waiting for? Sling on some sturdy all-weather shoes that have a high supportive arch. Metallic Birkenstock’s will do. They’re cleverly disguised orthotics. March out the door and start thinkin’ about all the things in your life that make your cup half full.

In the words of Paris Hilton: That’s hot!

Bring your dog on the Hot Girl Walk

Why?

Because…

Chicks dig this!

↑ That phrase is brought to you by one of my favorite falling-in-love scenes:

Rocky has similar thoughts on his mobility truck:

“There’s a lot of cool things about having your own wheels.
You know…
Use less gas, no traffic jam, you can park wherever the hell you want,
But at the end of the day, chicks did this!”

And very special chicks indeed.

Like Sam. And Christina. And Amy…

That’s Amy putting Grateful Dead stickers on Grandpa’s truck ↑

(She calls Rocky “Grandpa”!)

And posts liver treats through our letter box.

Rocky loooves Amy!

Ok, so Alex told me I needed to end this post with a song, not a Rom-com scene…

You know, something fun, that people can add to their Hot Girl Walk playlist

Now, I NEVER do this, but here’s a second video, chosen by Alex who said:

This looks like it’s straight out of Austen Powers…
except it’s pre-Austin Powers and made in America.

Actually… 31 years BEFORE the wide release of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

…It’s an instant head-bopping song, about a very cliché-d and passé version of the Hot Girl Walk.

However, a little fact-checking comes up with this gem:

“These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ by Nancy Sinatra
Hit No. 1 in February 26, 1966
& Inspired a Generation of Independent Women.”

Love it!

Prep for the Hot Girl Walk

So what you gonna think about on your Hot Girl Walk?

Let me know in the comments below.

Or… have you ever had a watermelon explode in your home?

PS Here’s Moon on her first amateur photo-shoot for my blog with Rocky, who also fancies himself, at the age of 101 in dog years, another International Man of Mystery:

Moon’s face says: Is repeated posing something we’re going to be doing a lot of?

PPS Rocky does two, 3 km Hot Girl Walks a day with his wheels and a few quick runs to the park.