My July Movement Plan

I thought I'd share mine because sometimes it's easier to decide your own plan when you can see how someone else has thought theirs through.

🎯 My movement goal

My goal for July is 12,000 steps a day.

I didn't pick that number because it sounds impressive. I picked it because it's realistic for me.

My average for the year is 11,375 and in June I averaged 12,151, so 12,000 feels like the next sensible step. It stretches me a little without setting me up to fail.

That's exactly what I'd encourage you to do.
Your goal should challenge you but it should also fit your life.

🚶‍♀️ How I usually get there

I don't hit 12,000 with one massive walk, it's lots of small decisions that add up.

Most mornings I walk:

• Around 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

• Around an hour on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

I also work from home, so I naturally build movement into my day:

• I use the upstairs toilet.

• I pace while the kettle boils.

• I do the housework... (whether I feel like it or not! 😂)

• I never talk on the phone seated

It's summer so I've also started enjoying a short evening walk while listening to an audiobook. Sometimes it's only 15 minutes, sometimes half an hour, but it's become something I genuinely look forward to.

I've deliberately not chosen a higher step goal because I'm also prioritising three strength sessions each week. Everything has to fit together.

My minimum is 10,000 steps.

That number has become my default over the years, it has become the ultimate goal.

Honestly, research suggests we unlock many of the health benefits at around 8,000-8,500 steps, so your minimum should fit your current life and where you're starting from.

My Boost Minimum

This is the one I rely on most and it's not a step goal. It's my plan for the days when life doesn't go to plan.

Mine is simply:

Out the door → shortcut → around the cul-de-sac → up Stonehouse Road → home.

About 10-15 minutes, no thinking, no negotiating and I just go. I tell you, I have never regretted stepping out for fresh air.

April was a difficult month for me after coming back to the UK. I didn't want to do much because my head was all over the place, but because I don't rely on motivation and my Boost Minimum is deeply ingrained in my psyche, I simply got up, showered and headed out.

Some days I only did those 10-15 minutes.
Other days, once I was moving, I'd naturally stay out longer and I always find opportunities to add more steps later in the day.

I still averaged 10,917 steps in April and 10,077 in May.

Not because I was motivated but because I'd already decided what I'd do when motivation wasn't there.
That's why I'm such a believer in having the Boost Minimum.

It's the habit that keeps you moving until life settles down again.

There isn't a secret to how I average over 11,000 steps a day.

I don't have more hours than anyone else and I certainly don't wake up motivated every morning.

I've simply built routines that make movement easier and when life gets busy I fall back on those routines instead of giving up.

I hope you noticed something. During those stressful months I had no intention of setting a target, yet I naturally gravitated back to my minimum. That didn't happen because I suddenly found more motivation. It happened because movement had become my default.

That's exactly what we're going to build together over the next 30 days.

Not motivation or willpower, but a movement routine that becomes your default, so even when life is difficult, you keep moving without having to start all over again.