How to Stay Motivated and Walk Your Way to Fitness

Have you decided to start walking either to get in shape or as a form of “fitness maintenance”? Going for a daily walk is a fantastic way to get in some exercise. It’s also easy and free! Like any exercise regimen, though, the hard part is sticking with it. These tips and helpful items will help you stay motivated.

Walking is one of the easiest ways to burn calories and build muscles and endurance. However, like any other workout or fitness routine, it can be difficult to stay motivated enough to keep at it. With the right gear and a little bit of inspiration, though, you’ll soon find yourself looking forward to your daily walks.

If you’re planning to walk your way to fitness, these tips and accessories will help you keep it up day after day.

Bluetooth Speaker Hat or Headband

Listening to music or podcasts on your walk will keep you entertained and take your mind off of how far you have to go. If you don’t already have a pair, you’ll need some comfortable Bluetooth headphones.

Something that’s stable enough to withstand the jostling while you walk without slipping out of your ears is ideal, which is why we recommend the following:

A Bluetooth beanie hat: This ingenious item from GREENEVER kills two birds with one stone. If you live in a seasonal climate, you’ll need something to keep your head warm while you walk during fall and winter. This hat has speakers inside, so no more struggling to keep earbuds in place or, even worse, having to walk hatless in the cold just so you can listen to music.

A Bluetooth headband: Of course, you’re not going to want to wear a beanie in the summer, and that’s where the MUSICOZY Bluetooth Headband comes in. While it was designed for sleeping, it also offers a handy way to keep sweat out of your eyes and listen to music or your fave podcast while you walk.

A Good Pair of Walking Shoes

Choosing walking shoes or cross-trainers over other types of sneakers will likely provide more comfort (and far fewer blisters) on your walks.

The Skechers Go Walk line has received rave reviews from customers. The Ultra sneakers are lightweight and have “ULTRA GO” cushioning in all the right places, making them extremely comfortable and easy to walk in.

The insoles even have a cooling feature to keep your feet from getting too hot and uncomfortable. They’re also slip-ons, so you’ll spend more time walking and less time checking your shoelaces.

Protective Gear

If you walk at night or in the early morning, you need to make sure you’re always visible. Having good nighttime gear doesn’t have to be expensive, though. It can also help you stay motivated to get your walk in, even if it’s dark outside.

Something as simple as this reflective belt will make you fully visible to vehicles whenever you’re crossing a dark street.

If you prefer to wear something around your arms, ankles, or both, pick up some BSEEN LED Armbands. They’re incredibly bright and comfortable, and available in different colors.

Wearables and Apps

Sometimes, all it takes to stay motivated is seeing results. There are tons of apps and gadgets that will monitor your steps and other activity, as well as giving you stats from your walks, such as your heart rate and calories burned.

The Fitbit is an incredibly popular wearable for walkers, and the Charge 4 model even has goal-based modes so you can track your progress in real time.

If you’re more of an Apple fan, the Apple Watch also doubles as an activity tracker via the Fitness app.

If don’t want to be bothered with wearing a tracker, you can turn your phone into one with an app. For a visual of your walking path to inspire you to go farther, try MapMyWalk.

MyFitnessPal is a free app that will turn your phone into a tracker. It also allows you to connect with others on a similar fitness journey, and swap tips and advice.

Keep Your Mind Busy While You Walk

If you’re walking alone, you’ll have some time to enjoy nature, listen to an audiobook, or even learn something new. Walking can be about more than burning calories. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to spend some time on yourself.

Consider using your walking time to also do any of the following:

• Learn a new language: Just download Babbel or Duolingo on your phone and learn a new language while you walk. You’ll want to say the words out loud to check your inflection and pronunciation, so it might be a good idea to choose a less crowded route if you don’t want to get strange looks.

• Listen to an audiobook or podcast: Audiobooks make it incredibly easy to “read” while walking. You can find tons of titles on Google Play Books on your Android, or on Apple Books on your iPhone. Podcasts are another enjoyable way to spend your walking time.
• Listen to music: Spotify is a fantastic option for listening to old favorites or finding new music. If you have a paid account, you can listen commercial-free and skip as many songs as you’d like.
• Take some pictures: Whether you’re listening to something or just walking, you can whip out your phone and take some pictures of anything cool you see along the way. Try to snap some interesting wildlife photos or a motivational selfie of yourself.

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Walking is an easy, low-impact way to give your bod an overall workout. Not only is it good for your muscles and heart health, but it also gets you outside in the fresh air and sunlight for some of that health-boosting vitamin D. If you do whatever’s necessary to stick with it, you’re body will thank you!