Steal These Habits to Walk More | 10-Minute Walk

Want to walk more without relying on motivation?

This 10-minute guided walking workout has simple ideas you can steal from people who walk a lot… and enjoy it. 

If you've been trying to stay consistent, fit in more steps, or make walking feel less like a chore, this walk is full of easy things you can do right now.

Walk outside, or at home on a treadmill or walking pad.

You'll get...

• Simple ways to make walking part of your everyday routine
• Real life ideas to help you stay consistent without waiting to "feel motivated"
• A beginner-friendly, low-impact guided walk
• About 1300 steps with upbeat walking music
• A few tricks to make your walks more fun so you'll actually want to keep going

And because I tend to drift (thanks ADHD), I also...

• Explain why asking to steal a piece of chocolate sounds more exciting than asking for one
• Tell you how I walked more than 7,000 steps in Bangkok because I desperately wanted... bread
• Declare myself a proud Carbitarian
• Talk about my messy closet
• Sing a little “walk this way, talk this way…”

This podcast to walk to includes background walking music, walking cues, and a bell at the halfway point.

Want an easier way to walk more, stay on track, and make walking a habit that actually sticks? Lace up your shoes and let's go for a walk.

Don't forget to Follow the podcast, and find me on social @yourwalkingpodcast.

Transcript

0:04

I've been hanging around some walking forums lately to see what people who walk regularly do to keep themselves motivated and some tips and tricks that they have. And aside from the few people who actually walk an incredible amount of steps... I don't have time for that... I found some interesting tips. And one thing that I noticed is that the people who walk consistently, they don't count on motivation showing up. They create these little rituals and habits around walking. You can do this walk outside or at home on a treadmill or walking pad. We're going to start at an easy warm up pace. Follow the music, follow the beat. There'll be a bell at the halfway point in case you want to turn around. So today you can steal some of these ideas. It makes it sound more fun when it's like stealing. I ask somebody, can I steal a piece of your chocolate? Because it sounds much more exciting when I say I'm going to steal it. Settle into your pace. Shake out your hands. Let's roll those shoulders. Get all the tension out. Big rolls backwards. And don't ask why I always start backwards because I don't know. Big, big, big rolls. And then roll forwards. Now we're going to go a little faster. Staying with the music. Fill up your lungs when you breathe in. Imagine you're inhaling into your stomach. Roll through your feet as you walk. So some of their ideas are similar to ones I've talked about before. Like save your favorite audiobook or podcast for your walks only. I used to do that when I was using the elliptical machine. I would save a really good show. And I was only allowed to watch it while I was on there. One woman saves her favorite YouTube channel to listen to just while she's walking. Gives her something to look forward to. Stay with that beat. And I also noticed that they try to make their walks more interesting. So it doesn't feel like a chore. What you can do is you can walk one street you've never walked before. We all tend to get into our habits and our routines. We're only going to"walk this way. Talk this way. Walk this way. " But we're going to walk a different way. Or when you get to an intersection, you can flip a coin. And you can decide, should I go left or right? That way it's out of your control. Stimulates your mind a little bit. You can just reverse your usual route or pretend you're visiting your own neighborhood. What do you see? What's new? Your body's relaxed. You're greeting any dogs along the way that you see. Okay. Go a little bit faster. It's brisk now. Stay with it. And walking doesn't have to feel like exercise all the time. You can bring your coffee with you. Make it a cozy walk. Or if you have one of those little free library boxes, you can bring some books and drop them off there. So you're doing something good at the same time. Or if you're listening to your favorite song, you can speed up during the choruses. That's what I like to do. We used to do that in spin. Stay strong here. You can walk somewhere to get breakfast or coffee. For me, it helps to have an actual place to walk to because I feel like I'm not on a treadmill or a bicycle biking nowhere. I like to have a goal. So one time I was in Bangkok, I was craving bread. And I walked through this massive shopping center on the edge of town. And I couldn't find any bread. I went to all the floors, all the stores, all the little cafes or eating places. So then I took a shuttle to another mall because, you know, I'm nothing if not stubborn. And I walked that one from top to bottom. And then I finally found a little French cafe and I got my sandwich. But I ended up with over 7,000 steps just for bread. Because sometimes, you know, the best walk is just chasing a craving. And as a Carbitarian, you know, I'll walk almost unlimited amount of steps for some carbs. Stay with that pace. Was it the best bread? No. But it was bread. That's all that matters. Maybe go just a little faster if it feels right. A little push here. Strong and steady. Keep those shoulders down, away from your ears. It's brisk. It's a little bit uncomfortable. Out of our regular comfort zone. Slow it down a little bit now, but not a cool down. So even though I like to shake things up, well, sometimes in order to get the walk done, sometimes you want to have a default route. Like, this is what I do when I don't want to think. I'm just going to make sure I get out there. So you want to keep your shoes where you'll see them. They're not buried underneath something or thrown in a closet. Because if your closet looks like mine, good luck. Maybe try to set some weekly goals instead of daily goals if that fits your brain better. Follow the music. And make it a non-negotiable. Stop negotiating with yourself every day. Just get out there, take that 10-minute walk. Always feel free to get a little funky. You'll entertain the neighbors. Keep your breathing going deep and slow. Of course, if you're inside, nobody can see you, so have at it. Our bodies were meant to move. They're designed to move. Even 10 minutes can feel amazing. We don't need 100,000 steps. Okay, this is the end of our 10 minutes. You can hop off here, or you can stay with me for just a very short cool-down. Slow your pace a little bit. Take a deep breath in through your nose. And exhale through your mouth. Roll those shoulders again. Great big rolls back. Pull them all the way up. And then roll them forward. Slow it down a little bit more. So if any of these ideas work for you, steal them One shoe doesn't fit all. Is that what we say? Is that even the term? I don't even know. One size does not fit everybody. One shoe? That doesn't make any sense. And I'll see you next time.