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When you're just starting to commit to a walking routine, it can be a challenge to stay motivated. Luckily, TODAY fitness contributor Stephanie Mansour has some tips to help you get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other.
One of her most effective — and research-backed tips — involves cranking up the tunes.
"If you're someone that woke up on the wrong side of the bed ... fire up your favorite playlist to get you motivated to go outside for your walk because ... what you're hearing from the voices in your head, telling you that you don't feel right or you're too tired or you don't want to get up, that's going to be infiltrated by the sounds of the music," Mansour told TODAY.
Not only can music serve as a motivator to start exercising, but it can also encourage you to hit new fitness goals, both in intensity and duration. Numerous studies have shown listening to uptempo music can help people of various ages and weights walk at a moderate to intense pace and even exercise for a longer period of time, leading to more calories burned.
"(When) you're walking to a higher beat-per-minute song, you're going walk faster and with a little bit more power," Mansour explained.
She recommends choosing a song with 150 to 160 beats per minute for people looking to boost their mood and get their heart pumping. If you want to match your stride with the pace of the song, 150 beats per minute or higher will likely mean you're running; 125 to 135 is more of a power walk, and 135 to 145 is a jog. To get even more into the music and burn more calories, try pumping your arms in the air.
To stay safe while listening to music on a walk outdoors, Mansour suggested listening with only one headphone in your ear so you can stay aware of your surroundings, or listening to music at a lower volume so you're not totally tuning out the world around you.
"It really doesn't have to be that loud to pump you up and drown out the thoughts in your head," she said. "(It can just be) background music and distract you a little bit."
For days where you're not able to get outside, she suggested treating the area where you work out in your home as a "sanctuary." First, keep your workout equipment visible instead of tucking it away so you can more easily ignore it. Then, try putting a piece of art you love or a motivational poster to help you enjoy being in that space. Other details, like a good-smelling candle, can also make your workout sanctuary even more appealing.
But perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when motivating yourself to exercise is understanding that doing a little, even if you can't hit your original goal for the day, is better than doing nothing at all, Mansour stressed.
"Don't psych yourself out by having too high of a goal. If it’s 10,000 steps, keep it to 1,000 to start," she explained. "Just make sure you're not taking yourself off the field before you even put yourself in the game. ... That's the problem, that all-or-nothing mentality."
For example, if you don't feel ready to focus on steps, try walking for 20 minutes. You might be surprised by your total step count for the day when you add just a few minutes of exercise to your routine.
"Meet yourself where you're at," Mansour said. "Just start with one minute or five minutes and build your confidence so that you're proving to yourself that, 'Hey, I said, I'm going walk today. Even though I just walked for one minute, I still kept my commitment to myself.'"
