8 ways to motivate yourself to go for a walk more often

Walking is good for your health, and ideally you should walk every day. But often we find a lot of reasons to refuse a walk: bad weather, not enough time, no mood, nowhere to go. In such cases, you will need additional motivation to force yourself to go out. Try to find a suitable option that will become that incentive for you.

1. Fool the brain

When it's gray or cold outside, tell yourself that you will only go out for a walk for 5-10 minutes. Then the brain will not resist as much as if you immediately decided to take an hour's walk. And after five minutes on the street, agree with yourself that you will walk a little more.

Most likely, you will start to enjoy the movement, and as a result, your walk will last longer than the originally designated time.

2. Go out to watch the birds

It's not just pigeons and sparrows that live in cities. In parks, forest zones, and sometimes right at home, you can meet a variety of birds. Combine watching them with a walk.

Count how many birds you meet along the way, look for species unknown to you, listen to singing and watch scenes from bird life. Maybe you will get so carried away that it will become your new hobby.

3. Go on an excursion

Usually we walk the usual route from home on business and back, and pay little attention to the city around. Try to feel like a tourist. Go to an area you rarely visit and walk around it, trying to notice details and look for curious corners. If you have a friend who lives nearby, ask him to be your guide.

Many cities also have QR codes on historic buildings that can be scanned to reveal something interesting about the place. They are a good substitute for a guide and will also help you diversify your walk.

4. Immerse yourself in the moment

If you feel like trying meditation but are put off by the need to sit still, try meditating on the go. To do this, you need to concentrate on your steps. Try to feel how the feet touch the ground, and then come off it, how the muscles of the legs work.

After a while, you can add a breathing exercise to this: stretch the inhalation four steps, hold the breath for the next four steps, and then exhale four steps. This will help you calm down and be in the present moment, and not in your thoughts.

Instead of breathing, you can also concentrate on the sounds around you, smells, the touch of air on your skin.

5. Take a photo walk

It can be thematic, dedicated to photographing beautiful buildings, unusual signs, animals. Or perhaps documenting your typical day, your neighborhood, or your favorite park.

Go on such a walk with friends, or agree to go separately and compete to see who will take more pictures, for example, cats.

6. Use walking time for mental activity

Research confirms that walking promotes creative thinking. So if you need to think about a plan of action, find a non-trivial solution to a problem, or do a thought experiment, a walk is the perfect time.

7. Go your usual road the other way around

Walk on the other side of the street or in the opposite direction from which you always walk. Surely you will notice details that previously escaped your attention. Or maybe you will even feel that you are walking through an unfamiliar area.

8. Try to navigate with a paper map

You can arrange an orienteering tournament with friends or just imagine yourself as a traveler from the past. In any case, new experiences are guaranteed.