How To Turn Your Walking Habit From Boring to Fun!

Sure, we all know walking is good for us, very good in fact. It keeps the heart strong, chases away back pain, builds bone density, and helps control our weight. That’s just a partial list of walking’s many physical and mental health benefits, making it an ideal exercise for everyone, especially seniors like us.

But let’s be honest. Walking can be boring, really boring. Some people don’t mind walking around the same neighborhood streets every day, every month, and every year. For the rest of us, that sounds too monotonous, like walking circles on a rat’s wheel. As a result, many who start a walking habit don’t stick with it.

In this story, we will share eight ideas to make walking more fun and less boring. Put one or more of these suggestions into action, and you may actually look forward to your next walk!

#1 – Find a Walking Partner

Don’t walk alone! Walk with a spouse, neighbor, or a friend. The buddy system really works. Walking with another person has many benefits. It helps pass the time more quickly. It gives you the chance to socialize and catch up on neighborhood chatter (we’re trying to be polite here with our choice of words, since we know YOU would never stoop to gossiping – LOL). Having a walking buddy adds an accountability partner for those days when your body just doesn’t want to roll out of bed and go exercise. Walking with someone else is even safer, not only safer from a crime perspective but you have someone to help you if you feel weak or fall.

# 2 – Join a Walking Club

If you live in a 55+ community or other type of retirement-living community, odds are good there is a group of neighbors who walk regularly together. They would welcome you as a new member to their walking group. Many larger retirement communities have more formal walking clubs. They may not only sponsor regular walks within the commuity but occasional walking trips to nearby parks and wilderness areas.

You may belong to other organizations that sponsor walks, either on a regular basis or only occasionally. These could range from a seniors ministy at your church or other place of worship to the “friends” group at a local park or other outdoor venue. Still working? The human resources (HR) department can inform you about employee walking groups, including employees who meet together to walk on their lunch breaks. Or look for this information on a bulletin board at work or in company emails and newsletters.

Still can’t find a walking group? Why not start one! Inform your neighbors, co-workers, or 55+ community of when and where to meet for a group walk, keep promoting it, and presto! Your own walking group will form before your very eyes. Start with a once-a-week group walk and then see how it goes. At least a few in the group will likely want to walk together daily.

# 3: Join a Mall (or Senior Center) Walking Group

Many shopping malls have re-opened for early morning walkers following the COVID pandemic. Some have “walking clubs” that meet at certain times. Even if you don’t have a regular group at the mall to walk with, just being there with other walkers in a pleasant environment can be motivation enough.

Just watch out for those Cinnabon bakeries at the mall!

If a shopping mall isn’t a good alternative for you, then look to community centers and senior citizen seniors. Many of them have walking groups or indoor tracks where you can walk with other people.

#4: Walk at the YMCA or Fitness Center for Free

Did you know that as a senior adult, age 65 or older, you may qualify for free membership at the YMCA or local fitness centers? Depending on which Medicare supplement plan you have, you may qualify for programs like Silver Sneakers or Renew Active with free fitness center memberships. Many of these facilities offer indoor walking tracks and treadmills where you can walk year-round, regardless of the weather.

#5: Find Local Trails

Multi-purpose trails for walking, bicycling, and skate-boarding are extremely popular in many communities. More are being built all the time. Many are on scenic routes, along lakes or rivers, or through trendy urban areas. Trails can be a nice change of venue for your daily walks. You not only get new scenery but trails add the social element and are a great place for people watching.

In addition to multi-purpose trails, which are often paved, you can find more rustic, peaceful trails that are only for walkers in parks, nature preserves, and forests. These quiet trails may suit your temperament better or at least provide an occasional change of pace and scenery. The shady paths, tall trees and wildlife can be soothing to the soul. Depending on where you walk and the time of day, be sure to carry bug spray. In more remote areas, it’s best to walk with a buddy or small group for safety.

Find local trails in your area using apps such as AllTrails.com.

# 6: Find Something Fun to Listen to

Another way to liven up your walk is by listening to music, a podcast, or an audiobook while you walk. You can download content ahead of time so you won’t need a Wi-Fi connection while walking. If you like to listen to audiobooks, one trick to help motivate you to walk is to make a habit of only listening to your audiobook while walking. So when you’re ready for the next chapter, you will automatically put on your walking shoes and head for the door. 

Are you new to podcasts? You can find every topic under the sun discussed in a podcast. They are a great way to learn more about a hobby, follow the news, or explore a new topic. You first need to install a podcast app on your cellphone, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Pocket Casts. Once installed, you can search for podcasts of interest, subscribe to them, and download recent episodes. For a more detailed discussion about podcasts, see this story from Business Insider.

Using earbuds to listen to music or podcasts while walking is great, but especially if you are walking on mult-purpose trails with other pedestrians and cyclists, make sure you can still hear what is going on around you. Playing your music too loud can be hazardous if it means you can’t hear alerts from passing cyclists, motorists, or other verbal warnings. One suggestion is to only put an earbud in one ear, while keeping the other one open to hear surrounding sounds and people.

#7: Combine Your Daily Devotional Time With Your Walk

Why not check off two great daily habits at once by combining your daily walk with your spiritual devotional time? Spend your walking time listening to your favorite worship music, listening to a devotional podcast or favorite religious speaker, or even reading the Bible. There are plenty of audio versions of the Bible that you can have read to you while you walk. One of the most popular Bible apps is YouVersion, where you can listen to the Bible in a variety of translations or select from a devotional series. 

#8: Walk for a Reason

Joining a charitable walk helps you support organizations that mean a lot to you while also getting exercise. You can socialize with like-minded people on a charity walk who support the same nonprofit organizations as you. You might even get a free T-shirt! Nearly every community around the country has one or more charitable walk events each year such as a 5k run/walk. So do many national charities, such as the American Heart Association, which sponsors Heart Walks around the country each year. Signing up for a longer charitable walk may give you the added motivation you need to step up your walking routine, pushing yourself to walk further each day, as you train for the big event. 

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It’s hard to beat the simple act of walking for exercise. It’s an activity most of us can engage in even late in life. Hopefully these eight ideas will make walking more fun and less boring for you, giving you the added encouragement you need to get out there and get moving!

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