It’s the NEW YEAR and it’s time to start taking care of yourself. You don’t to just toss yourself into working out, you want to gradually get there. This 30 DAY Walking Challenge will help you get your feet wet (no pun intended), but also keep you motivated and ready for the NEW YEAR ahead.

30 DAY Walking Challenge

Three weeks ago I did something stupid. I wanted to start taking care of myself BEFORE the New Year. I woke up mid-December and decided to pop up my Peloton app and do a 30 minute running workout. The next day I did an intense hill walking challenge. There was zero gradually getting into it with a 30 Day Walking Challenge, I just went in full steam.

Guess what happened? I strained muscles in my back. That’s right. Throughout the holidays I couldn’t sit, sleep or stand without some sort of pain. I was so upset at myself because I know better than that. I know better than just tossing myself into the belly of the beast without warming myself up.

I immediately went back to basics and knew I needed to take a 30 DAY Walking Challenge before getting into any running or power walking with hills. I started a 30 day step challenge a few years ago which got me into the mindset of being able to walk for an extended period of time and build up my endurance.

This 30 Day Walking Challenge is meant for beginners who want to get themselves into shape, but know that they need to slowly build themselves up. I know everyone starts at different points and gauges, but it’s important to know that you don’t want to take on too much quickly. You don’t want to hurt yourself (like I did).

Use this 30 Day Walking Challenge as a gauge for yourself. Start somewhere and just see where you go with it. Maybe you start with 15 minutes of walking. I count my steps either through an app or by counting how many steps I average in a minute and then just multiple that number by the amount of minutes I complete.

I prefer to count steps rather than just concentrate on the minutes because it really showcases how much my body has moved. I know that people can get too wrapped up into the numbers, but I think it’s a great way to actually see how your body is moving and adapting to walking.

PRINTABLES TO TRACK YOUR STEPS:

PRINT THIS ONE OUT HERE.

I created another one that is just a little different of a look.

PRINT THIS ONE OUT HERE.

My advice is to try and commit to the 30 days, if you have to miss a day here and there – that’s fine! Don’t go crazy, I know we’re all busy. Just try to stick with as much as you can of the 30 day spread. This 30 Day walking challenge will hopefully be something you start to look forward to throughout your day. You don’t want to be dreading it. You’re doing it for YOU.

Whenever you have the chance to do something good for yourself, do it. This is all about self care and taking care of the most important person of all… you. I know in my family when I’m “down,” the whole house is out of sorts. Do everything you can to take care of yourself while you can!

Advice for Working Out for Beginners:

When it comes to working out, you want to make sure you’re ready. You don’t just want to press GO without taking a moment to make sure you’ve got the right “tools” to get the workout done.

1. Make sure you have a great pair of sneakers. You want to make sure they fit correctly. You want to make sure they’re tied tightly. And you want to make sure they are meant for walking/running. If you’re wear “fashion” sneakers you will rish hurting your feet/ankles.
2. Make sure you have water before and after. I always love to kick off a workout with some water. It fuels you right up! If you’re walking on a treadmill, bring a water bottle with you.
3. STRETCH. I can’t reiterate this enough. You want to make sure you’re stretching before and after your workout. This is essential for your body. You don’t want to hurt yourself. Make sure you stretch 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after.

If you have any questions at all, let me know! I’m not a fitness expert, but I’m someone who has worked out their entire life and really knows the basics to starting it off. Walking is such a great activity to start off with and the best part is that you can do it with someone else, too.

Bring this into your life for YOU. Take this 30 Day Walking Challenge while you’re adding up those steps! See how much your body moves over 30 days and enjoy the fact that it’s moving. If you can only fit in 10 minutes one day, so be it! You still got your body moving. If you can’t do a designated walk one day, check the amount of steps you did on an app that you have from your phone.

Just ENJOY the process and the kick off! And know this… you can do this 30 Day Walking Challenge at any time of the year! It doesn’t just have to be in January. The beauty is knowing that you can decide to start at anytime and get MOVING with it!

Check out my Summer Talk and Walk Challenge. This is a great one to keep checking in on, too! Have some fun and get out there and WALK!

Also – if you’re looking for great walking sneakers, I’m a big fan of Nike.