You Can’t Improve What You Don’t Track
We all say we want to get healthier, to be more consistent, to walk more miles.
But here’s the truth: you can’t improve what you don’t track.
Until you write it down, your goal is just a wish floating in your mind.
The moment you start logging your walks — your miles, your minutes, your mindset — you create something real.
You create evidence.
Evidence that you’re showing up.
Evidence that you’re becoming who you said you’d be.
In this episode of the Walking for Health and Fitness Podcast, I share why tracking matters — and how it helped me complete an incredible 11,285-mile Virtual Walk Around the United States.
You’ll learn how tracking builds motivation, reinforces mindset, and turns every small step into momentum you can actually see.
🥾 Segment 1 – Why Tracking Matters
If you’ve ever said, “I’ll try to walk more this week,” you know how slippery try can be.
But the moment you write your walk down — time, distance, steps — try turns into evidence.
The Science of Self-Monitoring
Research shows that self-monitoring — recording workouts, meals, or progress — dramatically increases adherence and long-term success.
In one systematic review, participants who tracked their exercise achieved greater consistency and better results than those who didn’t.
Why? Because feedback creates awareness — and awareness drives action.
Written Goals Work Better
A study from Dominican University found that people who wrote down their goals and regularly checked in were significantly more likely to achieve them.
Tracking reinforces your mindset, your motivation, and your belief that change is happening.
Download your FREE: Walking for Health and Fitness Google Sheets Walking Tracker (Click File/Download to save it into your downloads folder)
🗺️ Segment 2 – Lessons from My 11,285-Mile Virtual Walk
How It All Began
My Virtual Walk Around the United States began with a simple idea: turn my daily walks into a bigger adventure.
It started with inspiration from a 2003 blog called Run the USA, where two runners crossed the country relying on the kindness of strangers.
Their story sparked a question in me:
“What if I tracked my own mileage on a map — just to see how far I could go?”
The Plan
I grew up in Palisades Park, New Jersey, where Route 1 runs south all the way to Key West, Florida.
So I decided to start there — plotting each week’s mileage on a physical map.
To make it fun, I Photoshopped myself into photos at famous landmarks — from the Pulaski Skyway to Augusta National to the Golden Gate Bridge.
My students loved it, and the creative accountability kept me consistent.
“I ran the miles — just not physically in those locations — but my students bought the whole running-to-Key-West ruse.”
From Running to Walking
After a back injury, I switched from running to walking — and I’ve never looked back.
Walking was gentler, more mindful, and allowed me to think, listen to audiobooks, and create.
It became not just exercise, but meditation.
The Power of Feedback
When I reviewed years of mileage logs, I saw patterns I’d never noticed — especially how overtraining led to injury.
Tracking helped me see what worked, what didn’t, and where progress truly happened.
“Every logged mile was a reminder that progress is real — even if it’s just one or two miles at a time.”
Read the full blog post: My Virtual Walk Around the United States
📓 Segment 3 – How to Track Your Walks
Option 1: The Walking Logbook Journal
My Walking Logbook Journal helps you record not just data — but meaning.
Each page includes:
Date, distance, time, steps
Reflection prompts: What went well? What challenged me? What am I grateful for?
Writing by hand helps you slow down and connect your walk to your mindset.
It’s powerful, simple, and deeply motivating.
Option 2: The Google Sheets Walking Tracker
If you like seeing your progress visually, try my free Google Sheets Walking Tracker.
It automatically totals your mileage, graphs your weekly progress, and shows how close you are to your next milestone.
You can download it here or from the show notes.
Bonus: Use Both Together
The Journal builds reflection.
The Tracker builds accountability.
Together, they form the perfect feedback loop for long-term success.
💪 Segment 4 – Accountability & Motivation
Tracking creates self-accountability. You see the truth of your consistency.
Behavioral researchers call it the self-monitoring effect — the simple act of tracking your behavior increases the likelihood you’ll repeat it.
It even triggers dopamine, the brain’s motivation chemical.
That’s why every time you write down your walk, you feel a little reward — and that reward keeps you moving.
Build Consistency, Confidence, and Momentum with the Walking Habit Builder Program
The Walking Habit Builder Program is your 10-week guide to creating lasting fitness consistency—one step, one win, one week at a time.
It delivers twice-weekly coaching emails packed with motivation, strategy, and mindset tools designed to keep you walking, even on busy days.
You’ll set clear goals, track your progress with my Walking Logbook Journal and Google Sheets Tracker, and stay accountable through practical, real-world challenges that build momentum.
Each week you’ll strengthen your commitment, rebuild your confidence, and experience how walking can become an effortless part of your lifestyle.
Learn more about my Walking Habit Builder Program, then use code: TRACKING33 to save $10 today and start transforming your daily walks into a lifelong habit of health, clarity, and energy.
🧭 Reflection of the Week
Take a snapshot of your Day 1 — your distance, time, maybe a photo from your route.
Then, in 30 days, look back and ask:
“What changed? What did I learn about myself by simply showing up?”
Tag me on social or email me at frank@walkingforhealthandfitness.com — I’d love to celebrate your progress.
Walk on,
Frank S. Ring
Author: Walking for Health and Fitness, Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises, Walking Inspiration, Walking Logbook Journal , and Walking Works Blueprint
