Staying Motivated to Hike Regularly

By: Karla Amador

With the New Year's just behind us, New Year Resolutions are usually on the top of people’s mind. Some want to lose weight, spend more time with loved ones, practice mindfulness, climb a peak or challenge themselves to a hike a week by taking the 52 Hike Challenge. Most start off strong, but, as the year progresses, they lose motivation and stop working towards their goal altogether. They are not alone. This happens to most of us.

Typical problems for this include our core values, belief systems, saboteurs, safety concerns and more. But the good news is there is hope, and in this article, we hope to give you some advice to help you set goals and resolutions you’ll actually achieve.

The first reason most people have a hard time completing their goals is because they don’t have a strong enough WHY. The true reason why their goal or resolution is important to stick to after the initial excitement has faded away.

When setting a goal, begin with the WHY. Why do you want to do the 52 Hike Challenge, is it to prove to yourself that you are strong? Do you want to go on a year of adventure to bring some excitement into your life? Do you want to spend quality time with loved ones outdoors? Or did it just sound cool because you saw it on Instagram? Sit with that and dig deep, it also helps to journal about it. After you take some time to question yourself, decide if the goal or resolution is truly worthy of your time, energy and commitment. Then, you can decide to continue with the goal or decide that your WHY wasn’t strong enough. If you continue with your goal, knowing your WHY will keep you motivated to continue when you feel like giving up.

Next, people struggle with goal setting because many times they overestimate what they can get done in a set period of time and lack proper planning. In order to achieve your goals, you

want to set SMART goals for yourself. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Now it’s time to define your goal! Plan it out by breaking it down into manageable steps and write down those mini goals in your calendar with the final goal as your achievement date. For example, if you choose to do the 52 Hike Challenge, you will document hiking at least once a week, at least 1 mile, to get 52 hikes completed.

Once you’ve planned your goal you need to take action. Action is truly what will get you from point A to point B.

The important thing is to start small and gradually progress. We always encourage our community to start hiking somewhere close to home, somewhere that has reception, is well marked and possibly at a state / local park. It’s also a good idea to go with someone so you aren’t alone, but if you are going along and you’re new to hiking, go somewhere popular. Which brings us to the next point… Have a support system!

When you have a good support system you are setting yourself up for success, these are people that will help you stay accountable to your goal and may join you on your hikes. Ask five friends / family members to join you on some of your hikes and better yet, calendar it out so you are all committed! Feel free to ask them for help when you feel a lack of motivation, or to check in with you on your progress as well.

So, going back to taking the 52 Hike Challenge, the next thing you’ll want to do is plan your hike and get your gear ready! For example, you’ll want to set aside time prior to your day of hiking to plan out where you are going, get trail beta, print a map, call the ranger station, and so forth. A few nights before your hike, get your gear ready by packing your bag, keeping your shoes in front of the door, etc. Finally, you’ll want to pack your lunch, water and snacks the night before. Since you did the proper planning, now enjoy some rest, you’re set to go!

Another thing that can help you with staying motivated is to have a clear vision of achieving your goal. I’ll never forget the time I wanted to hike up to Mt. San Gorgonio for the first time, there is a summit sign up at the top. I visualized myself holding up the sign and taking a picture with it as I trained. On the day of the hike, that vision kept me motivated, even when I was having a hard time due to the mileage.

Here are some tips to help you visualize:

PRE-HIKING:

Visualize the amazing things you’re going to see Feel how good you’ll feel reaching your goal.

WHEN HIKING:

Visualize and imagine yourself getting stronger. For confidence, visualize yourself feeling good about yourself because you did something that wasn’t easy or that you’re proud of.

Know that it’s easier to feel negative when doing something new in general, we’re just wired that way. Here are some ways to stay positive: practice positive affirmations or mantras (I got this, I am strong, I can do this...) Tell yourself to take it one step at a time when you’re wanting to give up. Don’t count miles or look at your clock, make it about the journey!

Lastly, you should have a reward system. Review your photos and reward yourself on a job well done, post photos for social support. Don’t forget to self-care by taking a warm bath with candle lights or enjoy a movie after a long day outdoors.

At the end of the day, celebrate your small achievements, after all it’s the collection of those small achievements that takes you to great places in life.

Now that you know enough to stay motivated to achieve your goals, it’s time to commit to nature once a week by taking the 52 Hike Challenge! Check it out and learn more at:

www.52HikeChallenge.com

Karla Amador is the co-founder of the 52 Hike Challenge; a global movement empowering hundreds of thousands of people around the world to get outdoors and take advantage of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits gained through hiking once a week for a year.

Since the 52 Hike Challenge launch in December of 2014, over 60,000 participants have joined the challenge. Together, with the community she has created a culture of support, which can be seen in over 649,000 images shared under the hashtags #52HikeChallenge and #52HikeChallenge2016 through 2021 on Instagram alone.

Karla has been featured in various publications, network tv shows and podcasts as an expert in hiking and entrepreneurial leadership.

Phillip and Karla Founders of the 52 Hike Challenge http://www.52hikechallenge.com Book a time to chat: https://calendly.com/52hc

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