Join walking’s biggest ever Secret Santa!

You shouldn’t expect your motivation to stay at a steady high all year – but how do you stop a slump turning into a complete dead end?

Register now to send a gift to – and receive one from – a random 1000-miler in our third annual Secret Santa!

Walking brings out the nicest things in people.

That’s the idea behind our annual

Secret Santa

– a great big exchange, where hundreds of #walk1000miles participants send and receive presents to and from people they don’t know, but with whom they know they share a common bond.

To take part, simply register free at walk1000miles.co.uk/ secretsanta – it takes two ticks.

What happens next?

On 26 November registration closes and pairs will be randomly matched by our elves. Soon after, you’ll get an email from us giving you the details of your giftee. (This will be a different person to the one sending you a gift). There’s more info and FAQs on the signup page.

‘Took part last year and it was so exciting.’ – Catherine Malmsjö

‘Seeing my recipient’s post last year saying how much they loved their gift was just amazing! And I love the walking socks I received!’ – Clair Maskell

• Sign up free now at: walk1000miles.co.uk/secretsanta

and add secretsanta@

walk1000miles.co.uk to your contacts so messages from our elves don’t end up in your spam.

We all have periods where we just can’t get through the miles – or sometimes even out the front door. Here, expert Ailish King explains her block-smashing strategies, and fellow 1000-milers share how they’ve overcome this common curse.

1 Remove barriers

Remove the things that might get in the way of going for a walk so they don’t work against your motivation and cause unnecessary stress. Sort out your clothes, equipment and bag the night before.

2 Shift your focus

Rather than focusing on the end goal of walking 1000 miles, concentrate on gaining the more immediate mental health outcomes. Research shows that exercising in nature is emotionally restorative as it counters stress and cognitive fatigue, and it is associated with happiness and wellbeing.

3 Walk with someone else (even virtually)

Arrange a walk with someone so they can motivate you and hold you accountable. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people who have the same goals as you will help inspire and keep you on the right track.

4 Challenge unhelpful thoughts

Become aware of the thoughts that discourage you from walking, and ask yourself, “Is this thought helpful, logical and based on evidence?” and “Is this thought from a place of love or fear?”. Then replace these thoughts with more helpful ones that honour yourself and align with your goal. Stand up to yourself, for yourself!

5 Try mindful walking

With each step, bring your attention to your breath, thoughts, emotions, sensations and surroundings. This will help you feel more connected to yourself and the world around you, bringing about lots of physical and mental health benefits.

Ailish is a National Trainer for UK Anti-Doping and a consultant for athletes. Her PhD explores irrational beliefs and dysfunctional behaviours in sport.