Know Your Why

To get the most from your walking routine, you must know what motivates you. More importantly, what's your why?

We’d heard about motivational speakers, motivational quotes, motivational books, and motivational seminars, but do these people and things really get you motivated?

Can some expert speaker really get you to get out and walking for 30 minutes a day, even in the rain? Or, is there something about motivation that you haven’t tapped into yet?

Motivation is defined as the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving a particular way. Motivation is also the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. So, what motivates you?

Is Motivation from Within or from the Outside?

T. Harv Eker is an author, wealth creator and “motivational speaker”. I’ve listened to many of his audio programs and learned so much about building a business. My favorite quote from of him is very simple: “Thoughts lead to feelings. Feelings lead to actions. Actions lead to results”!

This got me thinking, is Harv motivating me with his words or is the motivation already within me since it’s all about my feelings and actions which both come from within?

What’s your why?

So, what is within you that gets you motivated? This is the $64-Thousand-dollar question.

Sometimes, what motivates you is as clear as the nose on your face. The Doctors said if you don’t start getting in shape you won’t be around much longer. That’s an easy “why” to answer!

Fortunately, for most of us, we aren’t forced by the diagnosis of impending death to snap us into thinking about what it is that gets us going. We just want something in our lives to get us moving and feeling good about ourselves.

So, when you are asked, why are you walking? – You might just be facing the proverbial chicken and egg situation.

What comes first? Is it knowing the reason you have to walk, or is it I’ll get out and walk and my reason will appear?

You might not know your why at this very moment, but I’m here to tell you that walking will give you plenty of time to sort out the “why am I walking question”.

Let’s face it, if you aren’t in shape right now than most likely you haven’t yet answered your why question.

Just do it! Get out on that walk, get into a groove, get lost in your thoughts and very quickly you will be asking yourself many of life’s big questions.

Now, here is the exciting part, you will quickly come up with answers that you never thought were possible!

Answer These 4 Questions and Get to Your Why

1. What happens if I don’t walk?
   Write down all the consequences of not being in good shape.

2. What gives me“pep in my step”?
   What is that one thing that when you do it, you lose track of time?

3. What are my strengths?
   We all have strengths and skills. What do you possess that will help you continue walking

4. What are you passionate about?
   Walking will give you more time to develop and expand your passion.

Your Next Step:

• Go out and walk!

• Bring along the questions posed in this video.

• Allow the answers to show themselves.

Keys to Staying Motivated

Have a Vision

A vision helps us to create the future. Your vision is your North Star; steady and always there to guide you whenever you run into an unforeseen obstacle. What kind of shape do you want to be 3 months, 6 months, or a year from now? How many miles do you see yourself walking in that time frame? What will your body look like? How much weight will you lose, what kind of energy will you need to fulfill your vision?

Be Positive

What you think is what you become! ==> Get more mindset information <==

The Right People

Having a positive support group will make all the difference in the world. And, by walking you just may find a whole new set of acquaintances that will be in your corner cheering you on.

The Plan

All coaches have a plan for their team’s success and you should have one for yours!

If you were building your dream house, I bet you’d spend countless hours going over every detail before and during construction. Then, you’d hand off your idea to a builder who will follow blueprints to complete your dream house.

Isn’t building up your body, improving your health and fitness, and increasing your energy levels to facilitate this process more important than building your house?

You wouldn’t build your house without a working plan, so why would you undertake the most important building project in your lifetime, your own body, without written details?

You may write out that you want to lose 20 lbs. and be able to walk for 1 hour without stopping. These are great starts to your plan.

The fun in planning is in the details. I love looking at mapping websites such as Google Map Pedometer and figuring out where I will go on my next walk. Where will I park my car? Are there any interesting sites along the route I should see? Can I get a cup of coffee somewhere?

I will usually spend several minutes each day exploring the towns around me looking for that perfect route that has wide streets, little traffic, and a coffee stop somewhere along the way!

This is the fun part of staying in shape. When I plan out how far and where I will be walking I am lost in own head for a while and then I can’t wait to begin my new workout or should I say “walk-out”!

This Planning Leads to the Next Point

The Feedback

• This is really simple: Ask yourself this question, “is it working or not?” If it is then great, you’re on your way. If it's, not then explore the reasons why and make your adjustments.

• The feedback loop is critical and the best part about walking is that you have all the time you need to fully explore your feedback and create a new course of action if necessary.

Easily Getting in the Zone

The quicker we can get in the “zone” the quicker we get into the place where we get “lost in the moment”. The zone is the place where we do our best. Best work, best thinking, best workout, and in our case our best walking.

Create a “Zone Optimization Plan”

It’s easy to get into the flow if you choose an activity you love. By choosing walking as my way to health and fitness, getting into the flow is usually a breeze. Lace up the shoes, grab my water bottle and fanny pack and I’m out the door. And, because I have a routine, this process is so easy that by the time I get to the edge of my property, I’m there… in the zone.

This routine of preparation extends to my home office, I can quickly get in the zone because I have a system of keeping my workspace uncluttered so the when it’s time to sit down and get to work I am prepared and raring to go.

My preparation includes having a to-do list written out the night before, and a desk and office space cleared of all clutter. When I sit at my desk to work, I work! No trying to figure out what I should be working on, no straightening up the desk in order to find my keyboard, and no tripping over boxes, files, or other things on the floor.

The small amount of time spent on working on my to-do list and of keeping my workspace uncluttered has paid off by allowing me to quickly begin working on the next piece of content I need for the Walking for Health and Fitness website or whatever else I may be working on.

Create Your Zone Routine

One way to get into the walking zone is to have a checklist of item you take with you on each walk.

Sign up for my email and get my Walking for Health and Fitness “Get Out the Door Checklist.”

I briefly glance at the list to make sure I have what I need when I’m out on the road walking. iPhone? Check. Water? Check. Earbuds? Check. And so on.

Create Your Motivation Plan

• What’s your why? What motivates you?

• Create a vision in your mind, or better yet, write down what you want to happen in the future

• Be positive

• Share it with positive people

• Plan it in detail

• Evaluate the feedback

• Create your zone optimization plan

• Develop your zone routine

• Succeed!

The Greatest Benefit of Walking for Health and Fitness

All of the above-mentioned action planning can be completed while walking! It doesn’t get any better than this! Write down your pressing issues on your smartphone notes app. Give them a read before heading out on your next walk and pretty quickly you will have your answers appear. It’s almost magical how this process happens!

I’m here to tell you that time and again I’ve been flooded with possible solutions to the questions I’ve asked myself before a walk.

Your Next Step:

On your next walk, figure out your “why” and what motivates you. This will be the most important question you ask yourself as you get into better health.

A ship without a rudder will drift aimlessly while a ship with a working rudder and a captain that knows his final destination will have a more efficient, pleasurable trip and arrive at his destination on time, and ready to take on new challenges! These benefits come from knowing what motivates you!

Walk on,
Frank Ring
Author: Walking for Health and Fitness, and Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises
Contact Frank at Frank@walkingforhealthandfitness.com