Creating outdoor fitness goals for yourself is one thing, but actually sticking to them is another. It’s easy to begin your workouts and implement your fitness plan, but to keep it going can be difficult. After a while, it can start to feel more of a chore. Fitness hiking can be fun, but it can also be hard to stay motivated. These techniques can really make a difference:

1. Get a Group Together:

One of the easiest ways to keep your fitness hiking goals alive is to join a group or to get your friends to come along. It’s a lot harder to back out of a group activity than just being lazy on your own plans. Having other people to encourage you to get out and work out  is a great way to stay motivated, so that you can continue working on your goals no matter what.

2. Create Milestones:

If you can’t see that light at the end of the tunnel, it’s going to be really hard for you to stay motivated. Instead of making ambiguous fitness goals, why not make a few, and once you reach them, celebrate? Nothing needs to happen overnight. Creating milestones allows you to go about your goals gradually. If you get side-tracked for a while, milestones help you get started right back up again.

3. Have a Motivation Board:

You don’t need to have a Pinterest to visualize what motivation looks like to you. Look at magazines, attend workshops, read books, write, hang out with hiking friends, or compile your own collage. It could be anything from a list of trails you want to hike, reading stories of hiking-fitness role models, or writing down experiences of time spent with people who have similar goals. Keep this board somewhere you can see it everyday, so you don’t lose sight of your workout goals.

4. Combine Fitness with Exciting Activities:

The easiest way to work out is to almost forget that you’re doing it in the first place! Fitness hikes in general are a great way to get moving, as they are incredibly enjoyable. If you have fitness goals in mind but would rather slip them into hiking a mountain, doing an extreme sport, or even attending a spa and fitness retreat, it’ll be much easier to stay motivated.

5. Bring a Furry Friend

A (young) dog doesn’t get as tired as his or her human counterparts. While not all trails allow dogs to come along, there are still many out there that do. Letting your energetic dog lead the pace can certainly help you burn some of those calories and keep your fitness goals alive. It will also be a good feeling knowing that your dog is getting a decent amount of exercise (and sniffs) as well.

6. Download RockMyRun

RockMyRun is just one of the many fitness apps out there to help you stay motivated. RockMyRun is a music app that lets your heartrate and footfalls control the tempo of the music. Many of us have a few songs we like to work out to, but sometimes keeping up with the beat or having the beat keep up with us isn’t so easy. This app does that for you, and it lets you also control and input the tempo yourself. This is only one of the many other apps out there that can help make your fitness hike more exciting.

7. Buy New Gear

The only thing better than buying new gear is getting to actually use it. Fitness hiking involves purchasing certain gear items that are necessary for your performance and safety, whether they be clothes, shoes, or even a sweat towel. Plan on buying these new items and schedule times for you to put them to the test.

8. Get a Personal Trainer

This might not work for everyone, but there are trainers out there that can create a fitness plan according to your needs and wants. If you want to get in shape but you don’t want to do it at a gym, then there are trainers out there that pride themselves on helping you bring your workout to the great outdoors.

9. Remain Positive

It’s very hard not think negative thoughts whenever you feel discouraged. No matter how tough it gets to reach the goals you set out for yourself, don’t ever tell yourself you “can’t do it” or you “just want to give up”. It might seem silly, but telling yourself “I can do it” and “I’m not going to give up because I believe in myself”, are words that can really do wonders for your motivation and your overall spirit.

10. Reward Yourself

You did it. You reached your fitness hiking goals. Whether you did as much as you had hoped to do or you’re still planning to do even more for yourself, you deserve to celebrate your achievements thus far. Take a break from all that working out, and reward yourself with something you like.

If you’ve already created outdoor fitness goals for yourself, you’re already halfway there. Staying motivated through it all takes a few more steps, but don’t doubt what you can do!