Power in numbers: How to start a walking group

Walking alone gives you an opportunity to carve some time out of a hectic day for yourself. You can achieve fitness while listening to favorite tunes or taking time to reflect on your surroundings. But sometimes you may find greater success in numbers.

If it's difficult for you to maintain your motivation by yourself, consider joining a walking group. If there's no group to join, start your own.

Walking with a group gives you an opportunity to socialize. And having new friends who enjoy walking can inspire you and hold you accountable to your own walking goals.

Starting a group doesn't require much. Spread the word, get organized — before you know it, you and your group are taking steps toward better health.

Spread the word: Recruit interested walkers

Hold a meeting to kick off the start of your group. Decide when and where you want to have your meeting. Consider holding the meeting at a public location such as the local library or community center. That way you don't have to worry about inviting strangers into your home.

Next, create a flier to announce your meeting. Include time, location and a telephone number if you don't mind taking calls.

You might post your flier at these locations:

• Mall
• Post office
• Church, mosque, synagogue or temple
• Community center
• Workplace
• Health club
• Senior center

Besides posting a flier, consider advertising in your local newspaper, workplace classified ads or on a community Internet site.

Get organized at your first meeting

Warmly greet all potential members of the group and request that everyone wear a name tag. Ask guests to provide their name, address, phone number and e-mail address so that you can contact them about upcoming events.

Then get down to business. Discuss:

• How often to walk
• What time and where to meet
• The route to take
• The distance you plan to cover

You may want to get more organized as the momentum of your group builds. Examples include:

• Deciding on a name for your group and designing a team logo
• Developing a newsletter
• Entering charity walking events as a group
• Competing with other walking groups for distance walked or money raised for charity

Group members may have more ideas, too.

Maintain your group's momentum

As the group leader, encourage the group to have a motivational meeting at least once a month. Motivational activities may include:

• Inviting a guest speaker to discusses health and fitness
• Sharing stories about how walking affects your physical and mental health
• Welcoming new members
• Celebrating the success of the group

The best bet is to ask the group what sort of activities would inspire and motivate them and get them involved in making the activities happen.

Enjoy yourself

The camaraderie you experience in a walking group can help you stay on track with walking for fitness. And the new friends you make can make it well worth the effort.

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