Summary
Discover how a simple month-long walking challenge helped remote employees reconnect with movement, enjoy fall weather, and support wellness together.
Why Walktober
October marked the return of cooler fall temperatures across much of the Northern Hemisphere, and after another harsh Florida summer spent mostly indoors, I was more than ready for it. Working remotely, with all its flexibility, also means creating your own daily structure, and I’ll be the first to admit I often hit snooze on my screen-break reminders. Between the heat and my tendency to get sucked into my screen, I realized I needed to get outside and move more in the coming season, and I suspected a few coworkers might feel the same.
At Kentik, we have a down-to-earth, supportive Slack fitness channel where people share gear recommendations, goals, and highlights from hikes. It was the perfect space to connect with others and create a little consistency and accountability with a walking challenge.
How we did it
That’s how Walktober was born: a low-key, fall-themed, month-long shared intention to walk daily, preferably outdoors. It wasn’t a competition; it was simply a way to encourage each other and set a shared goal.
Check out our Walktober photos below.
Each day in October, I posted a short prompt for anyone who wanted to join, reminding us all to step outside if possible. Sometimes we shared photos from our strolls, offered walking tips, posted fun trivia, or simply dropped a ✅ emoji to show we’d gotten out and moved. There was no pressure, just a quick reminder to prioritize getting some fresh air and stretching our legs.
Big takeaways
The results? Setting a daily intention led participants to go outside far more often than expected. Were we perfect? Not at all. Did I sometimes question choosing one of the longest months of the year for a daily challenge? Absolutely.
Along the way, our small but committed group of walkers learned more about each other, from two coworkers completing bucket-list walks on El Camino and Mt. Fuji, to another, finally signing up for their first marathon. Together, those who chose to track their walks logged over 100 miles!
Walktober was a great reminder that wellness doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Sometimes it’s just about setting an intention, supporting each other, and showing up, imperfectly, one day at a time.
