Ellie Thumann on How Hot Girl Walks Were Imperative to Her Healing Journey

Ellie Thumann.Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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Ellie Thumann, a 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie, has built her brand by always sharing authentic content. The 22-year-old has grown her following to almost 4.5 million fans across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. She always keeps it real with her followers about her mental health struggles and inspires fans to take control of their anxiety while giving themselves grace in those overwhelming moments.

The model, who was photographed by Derek Kettela in Puerto Rico for her magazine feature last year, became one of the many, many advocates for “hot girl walks” during the pandemic.

We caught up with the influencer and chatted about movement, her history with walking and how the simple yet highly-effective exercise dramatically helps her mental health.

What is a hot girl walk?

The phrase “hot girl walk” surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic when so many of us were itching to be outdoors and move our bodies. It started as a casual three or four mile activity to reflect on gratitude and goals, but for Thumann, it was a way to de-stress and tune out the world.

How Thumann began walking regularly

Thumann describes herself as a "pacer” before she discovered the magic of walking in 2021. While she was at home in Arizona and quarantining with family, she, her mom and her sister, Erin, would go on a walk whenever they had the chance.

She got COVID-19 in December of that year, and her sister used a Target gift card to buy her some Beats by Dre, which she immediately coined her “therapy headphones.”

“[We] wanted to get that anxious energy out from sitting inside all day, and then as time went on, it became a fun thing for me when I was feeling down at college to just enjoy my walk to get coffee,” she explains. “I started going through stuff that made me really really anxious in the beginning of 2022. I couldn’t really do much in my days, it was really hard to work, it was really hard to focus on anything, and it hit me: the one thing I am able to do when I’m anxious, and the one thing that genuinely helps me is just moving. It keeps me from spiraling.”

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She recalls January of that year, when she was “walking everywhere and listening to Taylor Swift” as well as discovering new genres of music that helped her with what she was going through. The Alo Yoga ambassador went to Hawai’i later that month, with fellow influencers and BFFs Ava Jules and Hannah Meloche.

“I would walk anywhere from six to 10 miles a day purely because it was the only thing I could do, and I would listen to music, I would find places to journal on the beach, and it became the most healing thing for me,” she shares. “I felt empowered and [one day] it went from the sad music to empowered music.”

Thumann hasn’t looked back since, and a day without a walk—which happens sometimes when she travels or her routine is thrown off—feels like an odd day.

“I really stuck to it after that. No matter what I’m going through, I know that if nothing else, I can at least walk and it helps me process everything and helps with my anxiety,” she says.

Creating content that resonates with people

Thumann continued with her social media content throughout quarantine, and it was a beautiful feeling to not only have her walking routines on camera, but to simultaneously document her healing journey.

“I’ve always talked about anxiety online, but it took it to a whole new degree when [I] started [documenting how my walks were helping me]. So I think it resonated in a way of like I’m still only (at the time) 20-years-old, don’t have it all figured out,” she explains of her vulnerability. “Showing how those walks were progressing my journey with my anxiety, it really came from the most genuine place of showing myself at such a low and working my way up.”

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Thumann adds that the most rewarding part of sharing her story was receiving messages from other girls who began walking or relying on their therapy headphones and truly building a “little community.”

“I think it’s given me a space to feel my anxiety and also literally walk through it. It makes me feel that no matter what it is that’s making me anxious, I know that there’s a way for me to process it in a way that I enjoy honoring my anxiety and going on these walks. I think it’s made me feel a lot more confident,” Thumann reflects. “I look at where I was before doing those walks and documenting it and how fragile and sad I was. Then it became this beautiful thing and I think for other people that struggle with mental health, and even if you’re not doing it for that, it’s a great way to feel empowered that you’re moving your body, you’re feeling good, you’re doing something that’s very healthy for yourself, mentally and physically. You never feel worse after a walk.”

Fun facts about Thumann’s hot girl walks

The duration of her walks

A normal day in Arizona or South Carolina consists of a three-mile walk, which takes Thumann around 45 minutes. She loves to pass through a park on her route if possible.

Her soundtrack

While she estimates 90% of the time she listens to Taylor Swift, she’ll spend roughly 10% of the time listening to Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan and others. If it’s a Wednesday, then she’s listening to the newest episode of the Within You Podcast by Rebecca Leigh.

Walking essentials

“Keep it simple, it’s just a walk,” she says.

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• Headphones. Thumann notes that most of the time she is in the mood to listen to something, but when she wants to “ponder and reflect in silence,” she still wears her headphones and tunes out the world.
• A lightweight jacket. One that can be tied around your waist if the sun comes out in full force.
• Safety measures. For people who like to walk at night, use noice-cancelling headphones or live in big cities, she recommends some sort of protection like pepper spray or a mini taser. She says her dad bought her one when she first started moved to Charleston. 
• Good walking shoes to prevent shin splints are also a must-have.

Tune in next Tuesday, Jan. 16, to cook a comfort meal with Thumann in the next installment of the series.

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