My theme for this month is “March Forth.” The goal is to walk every day for 30 minutes. Knowing that time or weather would make this hard on certain days, it’s helpful to frame this as 210 minutes per week.

As the end of the month nears, I was pretty confident that I met this goal most days. Checking my FitBit app for confirmation, I’m actually getting 30 consecutive minutes five days per week. Other days I may be walking 15-20 minutes alone or with my family. I often add a second short walk when I can or a longer walk on the weekend.

Not sure how you can find 30 minutes of walking into your day? Here are some strategies that worked for me:

Time-blocking – scheduling a time each day working around appointments. Looking at my calendar for the next day, I’m deciding where the exercise would fit. Being proactive helps to make my walks a priority.

Scheduling with my family – we actually have times scheduled Monday through Thursday to get outside for some activity together either midday or around dinner. This has been a wonderful routine to intentionally connect while we have all been working and schooling from home. This is also helpful for those that need some extra accountability.

Breaks – when a window of time shows up in my calendar or a meeting ends early, I grab my shoes and coat and head out the door. Sometimes I only have 10-15 minutes so I just set a timer to turn around and get back on time for my next appointment.

When it’s hard to pull yourself away from your computer due to projects, remind yourself of the benefits of a break. These include clearing your mind, getting sunshine, and returning to your work refreshed. Since we all benefit from regular breaks for improved productivity, you can also consider this an investment of your time.

Did you join the “March Forth” challenge or are you trying other ways to get more consistent with your exercise? Share what’s working for you!

Photo by Kseniya Petukhova on Unsplash