Walking Motivation: 7 Strategies to Keep You Moving

One of the greatest challenges that people seem to face when it comes to walking (or any find of exercise routine, really) is motivation.  I know so many people who love to walk.  They want to get out and walk on a regular basis.  But when it comes time to actually get out there and do it, they struggle to find the motivation to make it happen.  They often ask, “How do you motivate yourself to walk?”

Well, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that there are so many different ways to motivate yourself to get up and get those steps.  The bad news is that what works for one person won’t work for another.

It reminds me of when we were attempting to potty train our daughter.  We read all of the articles with all of the suggestions for motivating (read: bribing) your child right out of diapers.  From time to time, one of them would actually work—once or twice.  But then she lost interest again, and we’d be back to the drawing board.  As it turns out, there was absolutely nothing we could do to motivate her; she had to find the motivation within herself.  And that might be you, too.  Or maybe not. 

Psychologists will tell you that there are two basic types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic.  And you may be motivated by either…or both.

Intrinsic motivation is when you find motivation from within yourself.  It means you walk because it just makes you happy.  Or maybe it gives you a feeling of pride or accomplishment because you’re doing something that’s good for you.  Maybe you even see the difference it makes in your weight, your endurance, or just your overall health.  And that’s enough for you.

Extrinsic motivation comes from some kind of reward—like giving candy to a potty-training toddler.  You know that you’ll get a cool prize after doing something, so you’re more likely to do it.   It could also be a way to avoid some kind of punishment—like working to get in shape because your insurance company will charge you more if you don’t achieve their health goals.

Since we’re all a little different, I can’t tell you what kind of motivation will work for you.  But now that we know the basics, let’s break them down a little more and explore some different options—so you can pick and choose based on your own motivational style.

PHYSICAL

A lot of people start walking because they want to take off some weight.  Back when I started, in 2019, I was hoping to lose the weight that I gained over another summer of donuts and ice cream with my daughter.  Though I rarely step on the scale anymore, it was definitely a motivator for me back then—and seeing those decreasing numbers could be your motivation, too.  It could also be that next doctor’s appointment, when you surprise your doctor by being so much healthier than you were before.

EMOTIONAL

Throughout the five years since I started walking regularly, I’ve been through a lot.  There was a global pandemic that threw our lives into chaos.  I coached my daughter through two years of online school.  I fought my way through COVID (twice) and have dealt with the ongoing effects of long-COVID.  And I’ve dealt with some personal issues that had me taking up residence at Rock Bottom.  There were days that I didn’t even want to get out of bed—much less go for a walk.  But I also knew that walking was exactly what I needed.

Did you know that exercise releases chemicals like dopamine and endorphins to make you happy?  So if you’re having a bad day, and you don’t feel like going for a walk, remind yourself that those moments are exactly when you need to go for a walk.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Some of us just can’t do it on our own, and we need an accountability partner to light a little fire under our butts to keep us moving.  I love that I have a number of walking buddies who keep me going when I’m just not feeling it. 

When I just want to curl up on the couch all weekend, I’ll get a text from my friend Kristin, reminding me that we’re training for another half marathon, and we need to fit in a long walk over the weekend (she’ll also tell me exactly how many miles are on that week’s training program).  Sometimes I go just because I don’t want to let her down—or because I could use a little Mom Time—but once we’re on the trail, I’m always glad that I got up and got moving.

If you need a little digital accountability, you can also share on social media.  You can post your walks on your own account—or even on the Will Walk for Coffee Facebook page—and you’ll have plenty of people eager to cheer you on!

GOAL

Sometimes you just need to have something to work toward.  As I just mentioned, Kristin and I are preparing for a half marathon—and that means that we need to get out there and put in the miles to prepare for the big day.  We’ve got a training plan that tells us how many miles to walk on each weekend long walk day—and sometimes we go even farther. 

Sure, I’d still be out there walking if I didn’t have a big event coming up, but having that goal ahead of me makes me walk a little farther and push a little harder.  Because…training.

VISUAL

I’m definitely a visual person.  I like to-do lists and colorful markers and fun charts.  My daughter and I often print off charts to color in as we work our way to a goal (like the 100-mile challenge in the Will Walk for Coffee Etsy Shop).  This year, I’m coloring my way through a 1,000-mile challenge—and after every walk, I love getting out my colorful markers and coloring in a few more squares on my chart. 

For some people, my little chart may be silly.  It may not be a big deal.  But coloring in those squares gives me a huge sense of accomplishment—that even when I’m having a bad day, when I feel like nothing is going right, at least I was able to color in some more squares.

NUMERIC

Maybe you don’t really care about coloring in squares, but you feel motivated by seeing the numbers add up.  I keep a yearly walking journal, where I can write down my daily miles and any notes.  I also keep track of any weight and cross training activities, so I can see how hard I’ve worked.  At the end of the week, I add up my numbers and see how far I’ve gone through the week, the month, and the year.  And those growing numbers definitely make me proud of all of my hard work.

If you’re a numbers person—and you want somewhere to keep track of them—you can find a pretty cool printable walking journal in the Will Walk for Coffee Etsy Shop!

INCENTIVE

Maybe none of these are enough, and you just need to dangle a carrot in front of yourself to keep you moving.  And that’s just fine, too.  Sometimes, we all need a reward for our hard work.  So make a plan and assign a reward.  It could be something small: grabbing a coffee to reward yourself for getting up and walking on a Monday morning.  You can set a weekly or monthly goal—or plan a bigger reward for hitting an annual goal, a weight loss goal, or something else. 

If you need a reminder of your incentive, print out a picture and keep it somewhere where you can see it every single day: at your desk, on your bathroom mirror, or even as the screen saver on your phone.  Keep dangling that carrot to help you reach that goal.

So which of these motivation techniques work best?  Well, that depends on you.  I recommend taking some time to reflect on what’s important to you—and what works for you.  Then try one or two or more of these options.  You may have noticed that I use a number of these types of motivation to get me moving—because I like to have a backup plan (or three) to fall back on.  Maybe there’s one that speaks directly to you, and that will be enough to keep you putting in those miles.  Or maybe you’re like me and need a few options, just in case. 

What kind of motivation works for you?  What gets YOU up and walking?