I’ve lost to myself twice and it still bothers me.
My goal is to walk at least 20,000 steps every day. And, every day I’m competing against myself to reach that goal. Every day is a different challenge because of my schedule, the weather, and how I feel. And, every day that I reach 20,000 steps is a big win.
Since I got my first Fitbit seven years ago and made walking my primary form of exercise I have only lost to myself two times. I define these losses as days when I set a specific goal and didn’t hit it.
The first loss came when I supersized my daily goal for a month. About two weeks in I had a day where my schedule got away from me. I didn’t feel like figuring out how to reach my goal, so I didn’t.
The second loss came during vacation. I had challenged myself to reach a certain number of steps each day. One night I was getting ready for bed and noticed I was only a few hundred steps short. I didn’t feel like walking anymore and climbed in bed.
Thankfully, I win against myself far more than I lose.
Self competition is a great motivator. It keeps me focused on what I’m capable of, not what everybody else is doing. Self competition also keeps my exercise interesting because I can always change it up with a short-term challenge.
Whether you’ve recently re-discovered walking or you’ve had a daily Fitbit goal for years I want to invite you to try one of these three 30 Day Walking Challenges. A little self-competition may help you take your walking to the next level.
LEVEL ONE
If you are re-discovering the joys of walking, but haven’t set a daily goal yet, this level is for you. The Level One 30 Day Walking Challenge will help you set a daily goal to help you establish a new fitness habit.
Walking can be great exercise if done consistently and with a pace that raises your heart rate just a bit. There are great immediate benefits to walking that you may already be experiencing.
Walking can help lower stress and increase creativity. Both of those benefits have science behind them. I love walking for the opportunity to think and process life. I hope you’ve felt that as well.
But, to have long-term health benefits you’ll need more than the occasional and casual walk around the neighborhood. The Level One 30 Day Walking Challenge will help you set the perfect Fitbit goal for you to get started a new fitness journey.
If you don’t have a Fitbit I recommend the Fitbit Inspire HR. This is the Fitbit I use to track my 20,000 steps a day. The Inspire HR also tracks your heart rate and sleep so you get an even wider picture of your fitness progress.
(By the way…if you use the link to make a purchase this blog will receive a small commission. It won’t add anything to what you pay, but letting you know is the right thing to do)
If you want to try this 30 Day Walking Challenge download your free guide now to get started.
LEVEL TWO
If you already have a daily Fitbit goal and you’re ready to push it higher the Level Two 30 Day Walking Challenge may help you see what you’re really capable of. To be clear, I’m a strong believer in gradually increasing your daily Fitbit goal. Too much too soon can actually be the worst thing to do.
The long-term goal is to slowly transition your fitness habit into fitness momentum. If you try and push that too fast, it can feel discouraging which is not a helpful emotion on a fitness journey.
But, if your fitness habit is already firmly established and you’re feeling a little bored then the Level Two 30 Day Walking Challenge is for you. For 30 days your daily Fitbit goal will be significantly higher than usual.
Chances are pretty good you’ll feel the challenge most days. But, that’s actually the value of the Level Two 30 Day Walking Challenge. While I’m a strong believer in slow and steady increases, I’m also a firm believer that you are capable of far more than you think you are. This Level Two Challenge will help you see that.
If you want to try this 30 Day Walking Challenge download your free guide now to get started.
LEVEL THREE
If you have a daily Fitbit goal that is more than 10,000 steps a day and you’re ready to really test yourself the Level Three 30 Day Walking Challenge is for you. Unlike Level One and Level Two, this challenge does not require a daily goal. Instead, Level Three is a 30 day cumulative goal.
Several years ago, I tried this challenge. My goal was 1,000,000 steps in a single month. I did the math and saw what I needed to average each day. I also looked at the calendar and saw two days where that number would be difficult so I made sure to get a bunch of “extra steps” earlier in the month. I’m glad I did.
The middle two weeks were very hard, and if I didn’t have some extra momentum from the first week, I’m not sure I would have had the motivation to keep going. But, I did and this huge win still impacts me today,
For that month, I chose a really hard goal and stuck with it. That win still provides me motivation today when I wonder if I have what it takes. And, that’s not just limited to fitness goals.
If you want to try this 30 Day Walking Challenge download your free guide now to get started.
ROCK YOUR CHALLENGE
Each of these 30 Day Walking Challenges is designed to add some fuel to your fitness fire. There will be days when it’ll get hard and you may not feel like doing it. But, those are the best days because they can also help you see what you’re really capable of.
If you’re not already a subscriber, the Walking is Fitness blog can provide you with some extra motivation. Each week there’s a new article with stories and ideas to help you make walking for exercise even more effective.
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