Any time you start something new, it can be easy to motivated in the beginning, but that
might soon fade. If you know you want to keep walking on a regular basis to improve
your health, here are some tips to help you stay motivated.
Create a Challenge or Goal
If you just start walking without a clear goal, it is going to be very difficult to keep it up.
Try starting a walking challenge, or just set a goal where you want to walk a certain
number of steps or a specific number of days during the week.
This doesn’t have to be a big challenge or a goal that will be really difficult to complete.
You still want to start your journey slow and steady, even for just walking every day.
Maybe think of a goal that will keep you motivated, but is a little more than you are
walking now.
If you wear your fitness tracker for a few days and find that on average, you walk about
4,500 steps a day, then try to set a goal of walking 6,000 steps a day. It gets you
moving more and keeps you motivated, but isn’t so crazy that you feel burnt out.
Find a Friend to Walk With
Walking can be boring for some people, even when you do have music or podcasts to
listen to. If this is something you personally struggle with, don’t walk alone! Find a friend
or relative who might want to join you.
Do you do your walking on your lunch break? This is the perfect time to grab a co-
worker to walk with you. Maybe you want to walk in the evening after dinner and bring
your spouse, roommates, or kids along with you, or you find a neighbor who also wants
to talk early in the morning.
Understand Your Motivations
What is the reason you want to start a new walking routine? Be really clear on your
motivations. If you are doing it just because you read a short article about the benefits,
that isn’t going to help keep you motivated long-term. You need clear reasons about
why walking is for you. Write them down and keep them somewhere you can reference
them whenever you need to.
Get New Fitness Gear You Love
Believe it or not, just having new gear to use or workout clothing to wear can be really
motivating to walk more. Who doesn’t want to wear new fitness clothing they just
bought? It’s just like when you buy any other new clothes – you can’t wait to wear them.
See if buying new fitness gear fits into your current budget, and you will suddenly love
going on your daily walk just so you can wear it. In addition to clothing, some other gear
that you can get includes:
Arm strap for your phone
Fitness tracker or pedometer
New walking shoes
Ear buds to listen to music or podcasts
New water bottle
Turn it into Your Self-Care Routine
Don’t treat walking just like a way to get in more fitness, as that motivation can wane
pretty fast. Instead, think of it as a way to get more self-care in for yourself. You are
doing this as a way to treat yourself well and take a break from the rest of your life. It is
good for your mental and physical health, and fits perfectly in with your self-care routine.