By Dave McGovern

Like a young bird fledging from the nest, you’re about to embark on a new life: the life of a fully formed walker! At the beginning of our Walk with Walgreens journey, our goal was to get thousands of Americans walking for their health, happiness, and even to help the environment, and we feel we’ve succeeded. But just as important as getting you started is our goal of keeping you walking—for life.

Hopefully you’ve set and achieved some goals over the past sixteen weeks. Perhaps you wanted to lose a few pounds, drink more water, or had a specific weekly step/mileage target. Keep setting those goals, and as you reach each new milestone, reward yourself. (To me that means ice cream. Am I alone?) When you’re ready, set a new, more ambitious goal.

I have a dirty little secret: I’m a bit of a slacker at heart. I honestly don’t have the discipline to “exercise” every day, but give me a concrete goal and my walking is transformed into “training,” which to me is a completely different mind-set. Focusing on goals keeps me motivated. Sure, there are ups and downs, but the key is to forgive yourself if you slip up, and keep moving forward. Refocus on your goal and find something to help regain your motivation. Walk with a human or canine companion, explore a new route, or just remind yourself of why you started walking in the first place. Log your walks, and read back from time to time as a reminder of how far you’ve come.

After sixteen weeks, it’s official: You’re a walker!