Tracking Your Walks

It's easy to push exercise to the bottom of your to-do list when you don't keep track of your workouts. Recording your walks is an easy way to maintain a consistent schedule. Whether you prefer to track them by hand using a printable log, or with more high-tech apps and fitness trackers, accountability is a key factor in reaching your fitness goals.

What Should You Track?

While some people love to analyze various data points, others simply want to know if they're getting enough exercise. Here are some metrics to consider:

• Distance: Track the number of miles or kilometers you walk.
• Speed: Note whether you took an easy stroll or you walked briskly.
• Steps: Work your way up to 10,000 steps per day.
• Time: Track the minutes spent in brisk walking or doing another moderate-intensity exercise, building up to 150 minutes of exercise per week.
• Calories: Track the calories burned during dedicated workouts, along with your total daily calorie expenditure.

If you are using a fitness tracker or app, many of these numbers will be recorded automatically. But they will only be useful if you look at them and try to achieve your daily and weekly goals.

Using Your Walking Statistics

Put your numbers to work by looking for patterns. Ask yourself questions like:

• Am I more active on the weekend or during weekdays?
• Am I more likely to exercise if I schedule workouts in the morning or afternoon?
• Do I do better when I have a walking partner or if I go alone?

If you regularly fall short on your daily goals, try setting them a bit lower, and work on achieving your new benchmark consistently. Once you have no problem reaching your goal day after day, set it higher to challenge yourself.

Printable Walking Logs and Spreadsheets

Print out these free calendars and logs to track your walks on paper. You can note your distance, time, speed, and steps.

• Daily Walking Journal: Use this printable daily walking journal to track your numbers and memories of each walk.
• Food Diary and Walking Log: Track your food habits and your walking and exercise with this printable PDF.
• Webwalking USA Program: This is a free program to chart your walking steps, minutes, or miles on a virtual walk across the USA on the American Discovery Trail.
• Weekly Walking Log: Print out this weekly log to use to track your walks and progress. It includes Sunday twice, so you can choose whether your tracking week is Sunday through Saturday, or Monday through Sunday.

Mobile Apps and Fitness Trackers

Use a pedometer app on your phone to track your daily steps or the distance of your workouts. Apps are an easy way to get started with tracking since most people carry their cellphones everywhere they go. Motion sensors built into your phone do the work of tracking for you.

Fitness trackers such as Fitbit, Garmin, and Apple watches automatically track your walking data. You can also log activities that aren't tracked.

Alternatively, use an online map or mapping app to draw and measure your route and calculate your walking distance. Several sites and apps, including MapMyWalk, allow you to save your routes or use routes that others have created in your area. Simply print out the route or use the associated app to guide you on a walk of your desired distance.

A Word From Verywell

Tracking your walks can help you remain steady on the path to better health and fitness. You don't have to obsess over the numbers to let them motivate and guide your workouts. Reaching goals feels good and gives us a baseline to build from. You may even want to engage in a friendly competition with friends to see who can meet their goals consistently.