Beyond
Walking

By Ronda Gates, MS

Ronda Gates, MS, is a pharmacy grad who traded her white coat for a pair of athletic shoes and never looked back. Her health promotion business, LIFESTYLES, provides motivational speaking, program development, and fitness assessment services to support people making a lifestyle change. She has developed health promotion programs for many organizations nationwide.
Visit www.rondagates.com for a complimentary subscription to Ronda’s weekly email newsletter.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

— Henry David
Thoreau

Motivational Tips From the Trail

A visit from my daughter over the Labor Day weekend triggered a flurry of planned activities, including a swim in the Sandy River and a walk in Oregon’s luscious woods. After a refreshing swim, we headed to Lolo Pass for a hike.

Despite several opportunities to stop, a sense that an adventure would come at a higher elevation compelled me to continue our drive. I was rewarded when a sign announcing the Pacific Coast Trail appeared. I parked the car, and we headed south on the trail.

We soon encountered a lanky, bearded young man carrying a backpack and sleeping pad. My experience has been that hikes on non-crowded trails lend themselves to more than a nod when passing a stranger. So I was not surprised when we started talking.

“Are you on an overnight?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

“How long have you been out?”

“Since May second.”

I was surprised and said, “Pardon me?”

“I started hiking the trail in Mexico on May second.”

My daughter asked, “How much farther are you going?”

“I’ve got a ticket from Vancouver, Canada, home to Vermont on October second.”
He introduced himself as Zach and then talked about his journey, explaining that every few hundred miles he took a break to connect with his family, shower, launder clothes worn days on end, sleep in a bed, eat non-trail food, and recharge for the next segment. He planned to spend some time in Portland because he had heard great things about the city.

To his surprise, I offered the use of my spare bedroom while he visited the city. During the next few evenings, when he returned from sightseeing and errands, I peppered him with questions about his experience.

Curious about his motivation, I asked, “Are there days when you want to just quit?” When he said yes, I asked, “What keeps you going?” His answers were the basic principles of how to motivate yourself to achieve any long-term goal.

Zach explained: “Mentally, I break my long hike into a series of shorter walks.” A five-month trek becomes a series of weekly walks, or a day with a goal to log 25 to 30 miles might become “walk three hours” or “log 5,000 steps” before the next break.
Tackling big tasks by breaking them into modest chunks is a basic tenet for success in almost anything we want to accomplish. For walking, whether training for a marathon or reaching a daily target mileage, achieving short-term goals, even as simple as getting to the end of the next block, can assure a sense of achievement and fuel us with motivation to continue.

“Stay in the present,” Zach said, echoing the familiar mantra of successful performers everywhere. Time spent ruminating on what we could have done yesterday or what we might do tomorrow only distracts us from doing what we you need to do now. Coaches encourage athletes to seek the experience of “being in the flow” to learn the true meaning of living in the present. Once achieved, this experience motivates us to enjoy every encounter along our way.

“Focus on success” was another cornerstone of his philosophy. Zach’s stories were filled with challenges he faced in recent months. As each was overcome (in part by thinking short-term and staying in the present), he gathered the confidence to keep going. His challenges included bee stings, inclement weather, illness, and crossing paths with wild animals. Our challenges may include plans that are changed or interruptions that threaten a commitment to log our 10,000 steps every day. Solving small problems gives us experience for tackling bigger ones — including taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

Zach showed me his logbooks and journals. Again I was reminded that a key tool to success when making lifestyle change includes keeping records. My own journals reveal patterns that allow me to predict when I might get in trouble and be proactive about taking care of myself so I can stay on course.

With the holidays approaching, there are challenges and conflicts that can interfere with our commitment to healthy living. Consider creating your own list of proactive motivational strategies to stay on track and enjoy the season without regret. Also, begin planning now to tackle the New Year with the sense of vigor Zach exhibited as he packed his belongings and prepared to continue his journey.

As I watched him, I smiled with the stunning awareness of the synchronicity of life. Indeed, we are certain to have pleasurable and motivating experiences when we are open to the opportunities that cross our paths every day.