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MAKE IT ENJOYABLE. When your schedule allows, trying adding a walk in a beautiful locale once a week. Studies show that nature walks offer health benefits that suburban or urban ones

can't. But, more importantly, if you choose an activity that you genuinely like, such as a woods hike, you're much more inclined to stick with it over time, according to the

research, notes Art Markman, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and author of _Smart Change._ BRING A FRIEND. Have a buddy go out with you, or create a local

walking group to make your time exercising more fun — and more likely to happen. “A friend of mine regularly sends out an email to 60 people every time she's going to walk,” Heller

says. “She says where she's walking and when, and if people want to meet up with her, they do.” CHALLENGE YOURSELF. Once your daily stroll starts to feel a bit too easy, it's time

to take things up a notch to help you stay motivated. Create step goals and track them with your phone or a simple pedometer, then increase your daily steps every other week. Sign up for a

longer charity walk several months away, and create a plan for how you'll work up to the distance. Explore walking vacations through organizations like Backroads (backroads.com). You

could also try out a new type of walking, say, Nordic walking, suggests fitness pioneer and _New York Times_ best-selling author Kathy Smith. “Nordic walking is a low-impact total body

version of walking,” explains Smith, who uses walking poles to boost her routine in the hills near her Utah home. “All ages and all fitness levels can do it.” DON'T GET DISCOURAGED BY

SETBACKS. Sickness, injury, weather and aging can derail your routine even after it becomes a habit. “For me, a setback is an opportunity to learn what's working and what isn't,”

says Heller, who is currently nursing an unexpected meniscus injury. “Life ebbs and flows. Life happens. Injuries happen. Respect that.” If you miss a walk, focus on making your next

scheduled one happen by, say, laying out your exercise clothes and sneakers and setting up the coffee to start brewing a little earlier the next morning. Experts say that such little

conveniences can't be underestimated in helping to make any bigger fitness goal a reality.