Dental surgeon · Walker · Speaker · Bengaluru # 33,000 steps a day. *Every day.* I am Dr. Mangalore Vittal Kamath, and I am 72. I have walked roughly 24 km a day, every single day, since 1 January 2008 — more than 135,000 km across 80 countries, without missing one. [Partner with me](https://vittalkamath.com/contact) [Read my story](https://vittalkamath.com/about) Times of India · The New Indian Express 135,000+ km walked, 3.4 times around the Earth. 80+ countries. 18 years unbroken. 330 minutes a day. 33,000 Steps every single day 24 km Covered daily, in 330 minutes 135,000\+ km 3.4 times around the Earth, since 2008 80+ Countries, same routine 18 yrs Without missing a day The day, hour by hour ## I am 7 km in before sunrise. Four walks, one day, planned to the minute. It has looked almost exactly like this since 2008 — at home in Bengaluru, and in every country I have travelled to since. 2:45 am Awake — Bhagavad Gita verses from memory, then acupressure. — 3:30 am First walk — 90 minutes — The long pre-dawn stretch, finished before the city is up. 7.2 km 5:00 am Yoga and pranayama — 45 minutes — Followed by a shot of garlic, turmeric, ginger and curry leaves. — 7:00 am Second walk — 60 minutes — Plus stairs, a habit from the years my clinic was a floor up. 4.8 km 12:30 pm Third walk — 45 minutes — Through the hottest part of the afternoon. 3.6 km 4:00 pm Fourth walk — 135 minutes — The longest stretch of the day. Done by 6:15 pm. 8.4 km Total — 330 minutes on my feet 24 km · 33,000 steps > “I am committed — come rain or shine, I wake up and walk. Even when I am abroad, I make sure I complete my schedule.” ### I did not start big On 1 January 2008 it was a New Year’s resolution and a 5 km walk. Two months later it was 10 km. Six months later, 15 km. It settled at 24 km and has not moved since. “Begin with short distances and increase step by step,” is what I tell everyone who asks. I recommend a brisk walk over running — consistent and measured beats fast and occasional. I have kept it up at high altitude at Pangong Lake in Ladakh, through Eastern European winters, and through 0–5 °C mornings in Seattle. When the routine and a lucrative post as Principal and Medical Superintendent could not both survive, I chose the routine. Stairs, against the clock ## The other obsession. Temple steps, timed. National and international recognition for speed climbing at an age when most people take the lift. 650 Steps Shravanabelagola Karnataka, India in **7 minutes** 437 Steps Rockfort Ucchi Pillayar Temple Tiruchirappalli, India in **5 minutes** 300 Steps Muktinath Temple Mustang, Nepal in **4 minutes** 272 Steps Batu Caves Selangor, Malaysia in **6 minutes** I have also completed the Tiger’s Nest Monastery trek in Bhutan. For brands ## Put your product on the hardest feet in India. I am open to endorsements, ambassadorships and long-term product testing with brands in walking, footwear, fitness and health. 01 ### Testing at real mileage Roughly 8,760 km a year on one pair of feet. A shoe gets a normal walker’s year of wear in about six weeks — on tarmac, hills, temple steps, monsoon and snow. Honest feedback, from a clinician. 02 ### A doctor who does it I started walking because I was tired of prescribing exercise I did not do myself. That is a credential no campaign can manufacture — 18 unbroken years of it. 03 ### The audience brands miss Indians over fifty who are told to move more and have no idea where to begin — and their children, who worry about them. I am living proof, and happy to talk about it. 04 ### Stage and press I spoke to an audience of 1,500 in Seattle in April 2026 and have been covered by The Times of India and The New Indian Express. ### Ways to work together - Product testing - Brand ambassador - Campaigns & shoots - Walkathons & launches - Corporate wellness talks - Interviews & podcasts ### Categories that fit Footwear · sportswear and socks · wearables and step trackers · nutrition and supplements · hydration · preventive health and insurance · joint and orthopaedic care · senior living and travel. [Start a conversation](https://vittalkamath.com/contact) [Call +91 99640 63796](tel:+919964063796) In the press ## On the record. Covered in the national press for a routine that reporters keep double-checking. The Times of India > “Forget 10,000 steps — this 71-year-old walks 24 km daily.” Covers 33,000 steps in 330 minutes · by Mini Thomas The New Indian Express > “The doc who walks the talk.” 15 March 2026 · by Gayathri M Kurup [See the coverage](https://vittalkamath.com/media) From the blog ## Notes from the walk. What I tell my friends, my well-wishers and my patients when they ask how I eat, sleep and keep going. 1. [23 October 2026 Chest pain](https://vittalkamath.com/blog/chest-pain) 2. [23 October 2026 Myocardial infarction (heart attack)](https://vittalkamath.com/blog/heart-attack) 3. [19 July 2026 Tips for longer, healthier living](https://vittalkamath.com/blog/tips-for-longer-healthier-living) 4. [3 June 2026 Circadian rhythm](https://vittalkamath.com/blog/circadian-rhythm) 5. [3 June 2026 Metabolic syndrome](https://vittalkamath.com/blog/metabolic-syndrome) [More articles in the Blog](https://vittalkamath.com/blog)