“Motivation is what gets you started, commitment is what keeps you going.” -Jim Rohn

Introduction:

According to he NHS, the average Brit walks 3 – 4000 steps a day, meaning it would take just over 4 years to hit 5 million steps. By aiming to hit this goal in a single year, I was committing to quadrupling the average. Enjoy favourite TIPS to get you active daily and getting your step count up!

My story:

Back in 2021, I was determined to get more active and help others do the same. So, I came up with a fun six-week challenge: everyone contributed £30 to a communal pot, and the money was redistributed based on the number of steps participants achieved. In other words, the slower steppers ended up paying the super steppers!

The challenge was bursting with energy and engagement. People were walking laps around their kitchens, taking extra-long routes home, and obsessively checking their step counts. It was exciting to watch the competitive spirit ignite.

But when the six weeks ended, something surprising happened—most participants, including me, reverted to their old step counts. Despite all the buzz, the challenge hadn't built lasting habits. It was a wake-up call: short-term incentives might spark action, but they’re not the key to sustainable change.

This realization led me to seek a better way to build lasting habits, culminating in my 5-million-step goal in 2023. A close friend challenged me to set an ambitious annual goal alongside her.

This journey taught me a few invaluable lessons that I now apply to all my goals! 👊

1. Set a SMART Goal and Break it Down for Success

The 5-million-step goal is a classic SMART goal: Specific, Measurable with my Fitbit, Aspirational since I had never attempted it before, Relevant to my lifestyle as I embraced changes for the New Year, and Time-bound to 2023. This breaks down to 13,700 steps daily or 417,000 steps monthly.

All my goals are now SMART and can be broken into bite-sized milestones. If a goal doesn’t fit the SMART criteria, it pushes me back to the vision board until I can craft something

Specific, Measurable, Achievable or Aspirational and Time bound.

2. Setting Achievable Targets for Consistent Progress

Once I crunched the numbers, the goal felt achievable—as long as I stayed consistent. But life, as we all know doesn’t always cooperate. Winter is harsh, work gets hectic, sickness strikes and some days, motivation just isn’t there. So, I set a realistic daily target of 12,000 steps, knowing there would be days I’d exceed it and others where I’d need a break. This balance of aiming high while allowing flexibility made the goal feel manageable and sustainable.

For any goal, I now ask myself two key questions:

1. What can I do daily or weekly to make progress?

2. What three key actions taken consitently over the year will bring me closer to success?

Breaking it down this way makes even the most ambitious aspirations feel within reach.

3. Tracking Progress: The Key to Staying on Course

The greatest lesson I learned was the importance of regular assessment and planning. Each month, I evaluated my progress and crafted a clear plan for the next. By the final month of each quarter, there were no excuses—this was my time to push hard and make significant strides. It worked flawlessly in the first quarter, fuelled by January's fresh motivation.

Then came quarter two. The initial drive faded, life got busy, and I fell into the trap of skipping assessments. It wasn’t until August that I recalibrated—a quarter had slipped by, leaving me playing catch-up for the rest of the year.

This misstep underscored the critical role of consistent reflection in staying on track.

4. Finding Joy in the Journey: Embrace the Process

The truth is, any journey undertaken alone feels significantly harder. The support of a boost2move group made all the difference, providing encouragement and camaraderie when I needed it most. I also thrived on the friendly competition—it kept me accountable and motivated, especially when I started to fall behind.

Accountability is crucial for any goal; having others to share the journey with you transforms challenges into opportunities for growth.

5. Finding your Sweet Spot: Timing Your Goals for Success

When it comes to steps, especially without a treadmill, your success often depends on your location and timing. In the UK, the sweet spot for racking up steps is from April to September, because once November hits with the relentless rain, catching up becomes nigh on impossible. In the Middle East, the ideal window is November to February, when the weather is cooler and more conducive to outdoor activity. Miss these prime months, and you risk missing your goal. The same principle applies to most goals.

There are windows of opportunity where progress comes more easily, but it’s up to you to identify those key periods when planning your goals in January. Timing is everything!

6. Relentless Progress:The Unstoppable Power of Perseverance

Persistence, doggedness, dedication, and devotion—these are just a few words that capture the essence of perseverance. It’s a relentless pursuit: every day, every month, every quarter, you keep stepping, checking, and pushing forward. If you are not in motion, you aren't making progress. The same holds true for any goal—success doesn’t come from occasional bursts of effort; it’s about staying committed and never letting up.

To achieve anything worthwhile, you’ve got to keep going, no matter what.

The End:

You are probably wondering whether I did make the 5 milion steps in 2023, well I got close with 4,825,077 and my friend went just over 5,000,000 steps. Had I reached the goal, I would not have taken time to reflect and learn the valuable lessons from the journey

My favourite TIPS to get you active daily and get your step count up!: