My January 2025 Challenge: 10,000 Steps a Day

Here’s What I Learned

Hi, I’m Diana, the founder of Healthy Seniors, and today, I want to do something different. I want to share a personal challenge I took on in January, how it went, and what I learned from it.

At Healthy Seniors, we talk a lot about small, consistent habits that lead to a healthier life. But I don’t just believe in this—I actively test it out myself! That’s why, starting in 2025, I committed to picking one new habit each month, sticking with it for 30 days, and seeing what happens. Some habits will stay with me long-term, others won’t—and that’s okay. The goal is to give each one a fair shot.

For my first challenge of the year, I chose something simple but powerful: walking 10,000 steps a day. Since I have an Apple Watch, tracking my daily steps was easy—I just had to make sure I kept moving!

The Challenge Begins

To be honest, I had my doubts about this one. I work from home, which means I don’t naturally move much during the day. Plus, January isn’t exactly known for warm, inviting walking weather. To make things even trickier, I had a multi-day training session in another city scheduled for mid-month.

But instead of overthinking it, I decided to take it one day at a time and create as many opportunities to move as possible. Here’s how I made it work:

• When working from home, I took shorter, more frequent breaks to move. If I had at least 30 minutes, I went outside. If not, I just walked around the house. What surprised me was how relaxing it was—walking helped me think more clearly, and I actually came up with a lot of ideas while pacing around.

• Errands: I parked farther away when grocery shopping—or, when time allowed, I walked to the store instead of driving.

• During training: I woke up 30 minutes earlier for a morning walk. At lunch, instead of just sitting around, I invited colleagues for a quick walk—and to my surprise, they all said yes! (Some even told me later they really enjoyed it.)

The Tough Days

Not every day was easy. One evening in particular, I looked at my watch at 8 PM and realized I had barely moved all day. It was raining outside, so I had to get creative—I drove to a large store nearby and spent nearly an hour walking in circles around the aisles. I might’ve looked a little suspicious, but hey, mission accomplished!

That day I was home all day, caught up in work, and just didn’t pay attention to my steps. It wasn’t because I didn’t have time—it was because I didn’t prioritize it. That was a big realization for me. We often say we’re “too busy” to do something, but the truth is, we make time for what we decide is important. That day was a reminder that if I wanted to stay active, I needed to be intentional about it.

By the end of the month, I had successfully walked at least 10,000 steps every single day. But more importantly, I enjoyed it. Moving more felt good, and now, I crave it. This is a habit I’m definitely keeping for 2025.

What Worked

• Staying flexible: I knew my goal, but I didn’t always know how I’d reach it each day. By keeping an open mind, I found creative ways to make it happen.

• Gamifying it: I started checking my watch during breaks—if I had 1,500 steps, could I push it to 2,000? If I walked for 7 minutes, could I stretch it to 10? These tiny challenges made a big difference.

February’s Challenge: Meal Planning

For February, I’m shifting focus to meal planning. I realized that a big reason I don’t always eat as healthy as I’d like is because I’m often unprepared or short on time. So this month, I’m experimenting with different meal-planning strategies to see what works best for me.

Now, I want to hear from you!

What’s one small challenge you could try this month? Maybe it’s drinking more water, stretching every morning, or calling a loved one daily. Whatever it is, drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear what you’re working on! And who knows? You might just inspire someone else to join you.

Let’s keep moving forward—one step at a time! 😊

Diana
Founder of Healthy Seniors

P.S. Remember when I mentioned the fresh start effect?

Well, today is the first Monday of February—what better time to start something new? Pick a small challenge, commit to it for 30 days, and see what happens. You might just surprise yourself! 💪✨