The idea for this feature came from a rather uncomfortable realisation, and one I suspect I’m far from alone in. I spend an extraordinary amount of time looking at my phone. On the train, walking between meetings, waiting for a coffee or simply getting from A to B, I’ve developed a habit of filling practically every spare moment with screen time. On the rare occasions I do look up, I’m usually met with rows of fellow commuters, their faces also illuminated by the familiar glow of their smartphones. At least I’m in good company.
The irony is that I’ve always considered myself a walking person. Living in London, clocking up 10,000 steps a day is often the norm, and between walking my dog, commuting and generally getting around the city, I spend a fair amount of time on my feet. But despite all those steps, I’ve had to admit something rather embarrassing: I’m barely taking any of my surroundings in. There have been occasions when I’ve arrived at my destination without any real recollection of the journey there, having spent the entire time flicking between Instagram, TikTok, emails and whatever else the algorithm has decided I simply must see.
As a Health Writer, the irony isn’t lost on me. I take my morning routine seriously and kicked the habit of scrolling first thing years ago. But when it comes to commuting? I’m like a kid in a sweet shop. A 20-minute train journey is an opportunity to consume an entire week’s worth of social media content.
And I have reason to be concerned. According to Ofcom’s 2025 Online Nation report, UK adults spend an average of four and a half hours online every day, rising to four hours and 43 minutes for women. Research suggests that mindless scrolling can also have consequences for our psychological wellbeing.
So, in a rather ironic attempt to spend less time staring at my phone, I downloaded another app. Go Jauntly promises to help users discover new walking routes and reconnect with the nature around them. I wanted to see whether it could help me stop treating every spare minute as an invitation to scroll, and start appreciating the thousands of steps I was already taking.
What Are The Benefits of Walking?
Walking is one of the simplest ways to support both our physical and mental health, with benefits ranging from improved cardiovascular fitness to better mood and stress management. Encouragingly, you don’t need to walk for miles to experience them.
Scientific research has found that higher daily step counts are associated with fewer depressive symptoms. People walking at least 7,000 steps daily had a 31% lower risk of depression than those walking fewer, while just 11 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a day, such as brisk walking, could help reduce your risk of premature death, according to research from the University of Cambridge. The study also found that even relatively small amounts of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
“The mental benefits of mixing up your walks should not be underestimated,” PT Sarah Campus previously told Marie Claire. “Stimulating our minds with new sights and experiences is so good for us.”
What Does The Science Say About Mindless Scrolling and our Health?
Unlike doomscrolling, which involves repeatedly consuming negative or distressing online content, mindless scrolling is less about what we’re looking at and more about the habit itself. It’s opening Instagram without knowing why, flicking through videos without particularly enjoying them, or losing half an hour to content you can barely remember afterwards. Sound familiar?
And while it’s easy to dismiss as harmless, there’s often more behind our instinct to reach for our phones than simply wanting to be entertained. Psychologists have highlighted how scrolling can become an automatic response to uncomfortable feelings or moments of uncertainty. As psychologist Dr Susan Albers explains for the Cleveland Clinic, checking our phones can become so habitual that we barely register doing it, particularly when we find ourselves with a spare moment. Reaching for a phone is often a micro-escape from boredom, stress, loneliness, or anxiety—acting as a fast-acting, temporary way to soothe an uncomfortable nervous system.
Hana Sutch, co-founder and CEO of Go Jauntly, knows the frustration well. “It’s really easy to get into a habit of mindless scrolling. I do it myself, and when I catch myself, it really frustrates me because I just think about how I just lost 30 minutes or 40 minutes of my life when I could’ve been doing something else more rewarding, like going for a walk or reading a book.”
Her advice? Pay attention to how you feel afterwards. Sometimes, recognising that scrolling hasn’t actually made you feel better is motivation enough to try something different.
How Does The Go Jauntly App Work?
Go Jauntly offers pre-planned walking trails, complete with photographs, directions and recommendations from other walkers. You can choose circular routes or use its Green Routes feature to find leafier, greener ways of getting from A to B, with information about distance and terrain helping you decide which walk suits you.
The free version includes a selection of walking routes and basic features, while Premium (£4.99 a month or £20.99 for the first year) unlocks extras including longer Green Routes, offline access and Amble Anywhere, an AI-powered tool that generates circular walking routes.
You can also filter for dog-friendly, child-friendly, car-free and wheel-friendly walks, alongside challenges for those who appreciate a little extra motivation.
I Tried Go Jauntly for Seven Days—Here Are My Unfiltered Thoughts
Days one to three
Georgia loved heading out without the temptation to look at her phone.
(Image credit: Georgia Brown)
On the first day, I opened Go Jauntly with relatively modest expectations. I’ve lived in my local area for five years, walked my dog along practically every nearby pavement, and generally assumed I’d exhausted its walking potential. How wrong I was.
Within minutes, I’d discovered a puppy-friendly circular route close to home, taking me in an entirely different direction from the walk I’ve been repeating almost daily for the last two years. It was an absolute delight.
The app was refreshingly easy to navigate, but what I appreciated most was how it changed my attention. Normally, dog walks are an opportunity to catch up on messages, squeeze in a podcast or mentally run through my to-do list. Following an unfamiliar route meant actually looking around, checking street names and noticing little pockets of greenery I’d otherwise overlooked. My dog was thrilled, naturally, although I suspect she was more interested in the fresh smells than my newfound commitment to mindfulness.
Sutch says this is a common experience. “People say to us that they’ve walked past things a million times and didn’t realise what they were about, why they were there.” By day three, I was beginning to understand what she meant. I wasn’t necessarily walking any further, but the walks themselves felt far more rewarding.
Go Jauntly allows you to select dog friendly, child friendly, and wheel friendly routes.
(Image credit: Georgia Brown)
Days four to seven
I’ll admit that by the middle of the week, my enthusiasm was tested. London had settled into that particularly grey, cold stretch of autumn where leaving a warm flat feels about as appealing as a 5 am alarm. One afternoon, with a rare window of free time, I found myself debating whether to head outside or curl up on the sofa with my phone. The latter was enormously tempting, but I went anyway, and was glad I did.
The photo-led directions made exploring unfamiliar streets surprisingly straightforward, while recommendations from other walkers encouraged me to look out for everything from medieval ruins to riverside views. I even stumbled across a coffee shop I hadn’t discovered in the five years I’ve lived here. Five years!
It made me realise how often I’d been treating walking as something purely functional. As Sutch explains, everyday journeys can become so familiar that we’re focused entirely on getting to our destination, rather than enjoying the experience. Having little landmarks to look out for gave my attention somewhere to go other than my phone.
Towards the end of the week, I also noticed something interesting about my sleep. My Oura Ring recorded a sleep latency of just fourteen minutes, compared with my usual 32 minutes. That’s the time it takes to fall asleep, and my longer readings are something the ring regularly flags for improvement. I can’t attribute one encouraging result to a walking app, of course, but I couldn’t help wondering whether spending less time scrolling and more time outdoors had played a part.
Georgia discovered stunning walking routes she’d never explored before.
(Image credit: Georgia Brown)
Will I keep using Go Jauntly?
Seven days isn’t long enough to undo years of compulsively reaching for my phone, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t slipped back into old habits. But what surprised me wasn’t how much more I walked; it was how differently I experienced walking when I actually paid attention.
I don’t need every dog walk to become an expedition, nor am I pretending that discovering one lovely coffee shop has cured my scrolling habit. But I’m making more of an effort to take the unfamiliar route home, put my phone away and look at the city I’m so lucky to live in. Because I’ve spent years looking for things worth watching on my phone, while walking straight past plenty of them in real life.
Shop MC-approved Walking Essentials Below:
I’ve worn an Oura Ring for years, and one of the things I love most is being able to spot patterns in my sleep. During this experiment, I was particularly interested in seeing how my sleep latency changed as I spent less time scrolling.
Fakindiy Mini Watercolour Paint Set
My next challenge? Taking a sketchbook on my walks to capture the little details I’d otherwise overlook. This watercolour sketchbook is perfect for slowing down, getting creative and finding a new reason to put my phone away and appreciate my surroundings.
Salomon Xa Pro 3d V9 Gore-Tex Phantom
If I’m going to make a habit of getting outside more, I need shoes that can handle whatever the British weather throws at me. These waterproof Salomon trainers are ideal for exploring new routes, from muddy park paths to longer weekend walks.
How Much Walking Should We Do Per Week?
Any walking is good walking, and you don’t necessarily need a daily step target to enjoy the benefits. However, if you’re somebody who likes a goal, the NHS recommends aiming for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.
“This equates to roughly 30 minutes a day, five days a week, which is enough to support our overall health,” explains Campus. “The most important thing is consistency–regular walking, even in shorter bouts, adds up and makes a real difference.”
Remember that walking needs to be brisk enough to raise your heart rate to count towards that moderate-intensity target, although slower walks can still be a valuable opportunity to move, explore and take a break from your screen.
