Today marks 100 straight days of walks outside for me! I wasn’t intending for this to be a New Year’s Resolution or planning it in advance, but every single day since January 1st, I’ve gone on a long walk outside. Sometimes it’s celebrating the little victories (even if they’re minor to others!), and here are some of mine that I’m especially proud of the last 3+ months:

I have gone on a 2.5-5 mile walk outside every single day since January 1st, regardless of the weather. Remember when it was freezing rain for ten straight days back in late January?! Yep, even on every one of those days. Even when the weather was freezing cold or solid rain all day, I am proud of myself for pushing through, throwing on my tennis shoes, and going anyway. As my friends and I often say at articles club, there’s not often very bad weather, just bad clothing. I am thankful for my very warm and cozy puffer jacket with a waterproof hood and extra layers during those frigid walks. And hey, I think I will miss those cold walks when it’s soon to be 95 degrees with 100% humidity! Rob and I have actually loved the chillier, brisk walks and really felt like we embraced winter this year.

My daily step count in February was almost five times what it was on average in both November and December, and in March, it was just about SIX times higher than November and December. It’s been really fun to challenge myself to get more steps, on average, every passing month and to be so much more active. Just getting outside and moving has been so refreshing and has really become something I look forward to every day. It doesn’t hurt that it’s Springtime now, and seeing the buds on the trees and flowers bloom to life before our eyes every day is so beautiful. It’s become second nature to carve out an hour in our day to go on a walk and to really prioritize this. It’s so good for our bodies/our health, good for our mental health and mind, and has been a fun addition to our marriage. (We previously went on walks but nowhere near as often!)

Rob has joined me on probably 90% of these daily walks (he opted out of a few of those freezing rain ones, understandably!), and while we have always loved spending so much time together, it’s been so advantageous and fun to connect even more on our walks and to have a solid hour of uninterrupted talking together. I’ve always thought that walks with friends or family were so sweet and feel like you talk and share even more openly while walking! I’ve also gotten together with a couple close friends for some outdoor walks, and that concentrated time together is invaluable. And on the rare occasion, I pop in a great audio book while walking by myself! Rob and I also started doing a fun weekend hike every week and love this adventure together, along with playing tennis a couple times a week.

Little by little. If I can make any of these changes/habits stick, I’m positive you can, too! I have grown to love our walks more than I ever thought possible, and it’s such a natural habit now. I’m aiming to keep this streak up as long as I can!