THE IMPORTANT OF MY DAILY WALK
Over the past few months, I've been building a habit around going for a walk every day. Initially, I wanted this habit to be an hour-long walk in nature, but this was neither realistic nor sustainable. I kept it up for a day or two and then the effort behind my plans became too much, so I quit.
A few weeks later I decided to take a crack at it again, but take a different approach this time. I decided that instead of aiming for an hour walk each day in nature, I would instead aim for a 10-minute walk each day around the block. I also decided that anything longer was a bonus and I should go for it if I felt like it. While this plan was so much less grand, it was realistic and sustainable, thus I was far more likely to stick to it.
What is great about this strategy, is that every day now I get 10 minutes of:
Low-intensity exercise
fresh air
A break from my house/lockdown.
I've also been able to get out at least once per week for an hour-long walk in nature; ironically I've done this more in the past few months than I ever did when this was my daily intention.
Where I live, it is currently winter, so the easiest excuse is not wanting to go out in the cold. But even on the coldest day, I can bundle up and go outside for 10 minutes and survive.
My minimum requirement is around the block, and I alternate which direction I go. There are a few variations to this involving routes that are a bit further, but still 10-15 minutes max. I have some routes that go on a walking trail near me that take 20-40 minutes. Finally, I have some routes that last over an hour right from my house and some that require a short drive to a nature sanctuary or larger city park.
However- if I'm ever unsure about how long I want to commit or which route I'm going to take, my default is around the block, 10 minutes maximum. This helps me not let indecision sabotage my intention of getting daily exercise and fresh air. While doing the same route does feel mundane at times, it still ticks my boxes of why I'm doing it and it often inspires me to take a different route for the next day. By persisting with the habit and keeping it going at a low level, I'm able to take action that is intentional and slowly build realistic, sustainable and long-lasting habits.
Why are you inspired to get outside each day? What are some of your tools for making it easier to follow through on? Comment below, I would love to hear your inspirations and strategies and if they are similar to mine!
