Don’t hate walking



Image by 健恒 廖 from Pixabay

It’s an interesting concept. We want to walk more for health benefits and yet walking can turn to a feeling of annoyance or frustration. Why? Because once we start to walk every day at least 10,000 steps. In your mind you will either love that you are succeeding. That your health is improving and you can start to see the results. But at the beginning of the transition from doing nothing to now walking a lot, every day. It can feel like exercise (which it is) and it can feel like it’s a drag to walk. We start to not really want to walk so we don’t and then our health and goals stop and not improve and then we get angry with ourselves for not looking after ourself and still being the same since you started.

It can definitely be a mental game, you may give up before you even properly get started. You may also thrive. The point is to this is if you just focus on each day. One day at a time to meet your goal of 10,000 steps. Then by focusing on just the day, you can find a way to improve your emotional barrier of ‘I just want to give up attitude.’

Also, if you aren’t walking are you doing any other type of exercise? If you are, great! Maybe you can drop 30 minutes of walking for 30 minutes of other exercise. That’s no problem! 

But if you aren’t walking and not doing any other exercise then just know your original goals for your health will remain the same and not improve. 

So when your thoughts start to dictate your current day about not wanting to walk. Just let it go. Don’t entertain it. And if you want, go for a walk. 

Honestly though, I get it. I went for a walk today and on my way back, I thought, this is tough. May be I should have drove instead. But also, I knew it was my only walk for the day because I have other priorities that filled the day such as writing, (just sitting down all day), cleaning (there really isn’t a lot of walking happening when cleaning unless you live in a massive house) and doing some hobby stuff such as crocheting and scrapbooking (more sitting). 

I realised as much as the walk felt uncomfortable and even hard, it was my only time I had dedicated for walking in that day so I had to embrace it. Plus, I was 80% home so I couldn’t just walk home and get my car to pick me up. My decision had already happened to walk and now I was in the middle of the walk, I had no option but to continue. And that’s not in a bad situation to be in. 

It’s like forced exercise. But at least I got to choose the type of exercise. And forced exercise is ok. I walk to public transport instead of driving. To me this is forced exercise that I know I wouldn’t make time for, if I ‘chose’ to do it once I got home. So sometimes by finding ways to force yourself to walk and not give in to driving somewhere, then you will end up walking more and your health will improve in turn. 

Does it get easier? Yes and no. I find if you break up the walking to two or three different times during the day, it can be easier because it’s not as long. Whereas, I find walking 10,000 steps in a morning will leave me tired for the rest of the day because I have done a day of walking before lunch time. But at least I got it done. So find what works for you and stick to it. It’s all about walking daily and you will see results. 

#walkingforhealth #walkingroutine #forcedexercise #meltoye

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