One step at a time ... 30 minutes ... 30 days ... every day!
I promised I would explain the alternative walk30 goal .... here it is!
The second idea for a great walking goal is the HALF MARATHON A WEEK challenge. Some of you may know that I am the co-chair of the Minds in Motion - K W Walking Classic here in Kitchener Waterloo Ontario. We have just finished the fourth annual event ... a chip timed event for walkers of all levels and for walkers exclusively. It is a walkers only race with all the elements of a top notch running event ... just no running allowed.
Check out the race website here!
In our first year I wanted to set a challenging goal for myself sixteen weeks before our race in September. As the race organizer I knew I couldn't walk on the day of the race but I wanted to raise funds for our cause ... mental health. So in June of 2008 I challenged myself to walk a marathon a week ... my goal involved getting out the door for at least 6 km per day which would mean that I would be walking for approximately an hour. I also promised myself that I would walk every single day... some days we would have our walking workshop or our free walks and would walk for 10 to 20 K but although I would count the extra Ks in my total for the week I still made myself do my 6 K per day no matter what.
I am proud to say I made it through the sixteen weeks and I walked at least a marathon a week each and every week and usually more.
There were days when it was 9 at night but I promised myself I would not go to bed without having walked my 6 K. Sometimes I broke it up into three shorter walks but I did my 6 K. The benefits were many ... I dealt with the stress of putting on a major race event better, looked a little more shapely and had more energy to burn.
At the end of my challenge I left my daily walking habit behind and although fitness is a way of life for me there are days when it is still difficult to just head out the door.
Two years ago we added a half marathon distance to out Minds in Motion KW Walking Classic and so I started thinking that it would be great to suggest a HALF MARATHON A WEEK Challenge to people who are thinking of participating in our event ... but even if you don't want to walk in a race you might just want to have that daily habit of walking and the motivation of a goal to give you a boost might be just what you need.
If you want to make a marathon a week your goal ... an hour a day of walking will take you there.
The idea here is to make this doable and create doable goals so you might find that you want to start by using the first goal of getting out the door 10 minutes per day for 30 days or you may be ready to get out there for 30 minutes every day and actually be walking the 21 K that will be a Half Marathon per week!
What ever walk30 goal you set for yourself I would love to hear about your journey and your challenges ... join the group!
Walk On Strong!
Hey there walkers!
Here is our brand new blog that will bring you all of the news from those of us who are attempting to stay fit, feel good and just get out there and walk.
GOALS are GREAT and they keep us all on track and walking.
The idea here is to join the fun and create a 30 day goal for yourself and, it you feel inclined, you can share your success with others.
There are two goals to choose from ... one is the 10 minutes a day for 30 day challenge.
The idea is simple ... get yourself out the door for 10 minutes a day for 30 days in a row. This idea is not original (few ideas are) and we wrote about it in our Walk on Strong Blog about a year ago after I ran across a blog called the jawalks by Jo ann Taylor. She was the inspiration for the goal we set for ourselves and the group of Walk on Strong walkers here in the KW area at that time. My husband Dave and I work together with a great community of inspired walkers.
It was a simple challenge to get out and walk, even if for only 10 minutes, every single day. It seems like a small thing but we all need to just get our legs out the door and some great things happen when you do. Jo ann started this idea two years ago and on November 1st she will have finished 2 years and 730 days in a row and will begin walking on strong into her third year!
In her own words from her jwalks@blogspot.com:
It started out as a 30-day goal just to get myself back on track! Well it turns out that one day leads to another and another.... A few times along the way I told Gene (my husband and co-founder of the Walking Connection) that I didn't feel like walking and anymore. He would just respond by saying, "So tomorrow morning you are going to say Day 1, Whoo Hoo!?" Yep he always knows how to get me going, in a good way of course :)
So here I am with almost two full years of days - of walks - of hikes - of miles, sometimes only ten minutes, but an accomplishment none-the-less. WOW! I really did this and now I want to share this milestone with everyone! To celebrate I am inviting all of my friends from around the world to go for at least a 10-minute walk on November 1. It can be anywhere, any place YOU are. It doesn't have to be far or fast, just walk with a purpose. Just Walk for YOU!
So far, friends that are joining this 10 minute walk are located in the states of AZ, CA, CT, NY, MD, VA, NC, SC, SD, HI, TX, OH, GA, MA, MT, MO, OR, WA, FL, MI and NE They'll be joined by my international friends in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia. As well as the far off lands of Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, New Zealand, India, Morocco, Iceland and Australia. Amazing!
So here we are ready to join in on November 1st 2011. This will be day 1 and we will see if we can keep on counting the days and getting out the door.
The second goal Challenge will be the topic of tomorrow's blog ... stay tuned and see if the Half Marathon a Week challenge will be the challenge for you!
So here's to beginnings! ... mark your calendars and get out the walking shoes and choose a 30 day challenge to suit you.
Walk On Strong 30 days at a time!
Sue
