Walking is easier to keep up when someone is waiting for you at the corner. That's the whole idea of a walking group: a regular time, a friendly pace and people who notice when you're not there.
You don't need to be fit, experienced or a natural leader to start one. You need a day, a meeting spot and one other person. This guide walks you through the rest, from deciding who it's for to keeping it going through winter, and how to turn your group into a ruck club or a walk for a cause if you'd like to.
Decide who it's for and when you'll meet
Start with the women you'd most like to walk with. A clear "who" makes every other choice easier.
- Neighbors who want company on the morning loop.
- Friends or a faith group who already meet and want to move together.
- Coworkers who want a lunchtime or after-work walk.
- Women new to exercise who'd rather not walk with a fast crowd.
- Women who want to carry weight, if you'd like to start a ruck club.
Then pick one regular day, time and place, and keep it the same for at least the first couple of months. "Saturdays at 8 at the park gate" is easy to remember and easy to share. Early mornings and evenings after work suit many women; weekend mornings bring out the people who can't make a weekday.
Give it a simple name if you like, but don't wait for the perfect one. Plenty of groups start as "the Tuesday walk."
Pick a route everyone can finish
The right route is one the newest walker in your group can finish feeling good. Choose for her, not for the keenest walker.
Look for:
- Mostly flat, even paths with good footing and few busy road crossings.
- A loop or an out-and-back, so you can offer a shorter option. Anyone can turn back early and still finish with the group.
- Restrooms and benches along the way or at the start.
- Somewhere easy to meet, with parking or a bus stop nearby.
- Light and shelter for the season: lit paths for winter evenings, shade for summer mornings.
Walk the route yourself once before the first group walk. You'll spot the muddy patch, the closed restroom and the good place to regroup.
Getting the word out
Start small. A group of three who show up every week beats a crowd who come once.
- Ask people you know first. A direct "I'm starting a Saturday walk. Want to come?" works better than any poster.
- Share it where local women already look: a neighborhood or town group online, your church, library or community center bulletin board, a school parents' group or a workplace channel.
- Say exactly what to expect: the day, time, meeting spot, how long you'll be out roughly, the pace ("a talking pace, no one left behind") and who it's for ("all women, all fitness levels").
- Make it easy to say yes. "Just show up" is a lower bar than "message me to register."
A group chat or a simple email list helps people know when a walk is cancelled for weather, and gives quieter members a way to ask questions before they come.
Making the first walk welcoming
The first walk decides whether people come back. Arrive early, and make it feel easy.
- Greet everyone by name and introduce people to each other.
- Explain the plan before you set off: the route, the shorter option and where you'll regroup.
- Walk at a talking pace. If you can't chat, you're going too fast.
- Ask someone to walk at the back so no one walks alone. You can take turns.
- Keep it short and finish together. End where you started, and say when the next walk is.
Before anyone starts a new walking habit, it's worth a word of care. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist first if you have osteoporosis or osteopenia; bone, joint, heart or pelvic floor concerns; or if you're pregnant or postpartum. On any walk, stop and rest if you feel sharp pain, pain that changes how you walk, pelvic heaviness, dizziness or chest discomfort.
Starting a ruck club
A ruck club is a walking group where members carry a little weight on their walks, in a backpack or a weighted vest. It's the same as any walking group in every other way: same regular time, same friendly pace.
A few things help:
- Make carrying optional. Women who want to walk without weight should feel just as welcome.
- Start lighter than you think. Everyone builds up at her own pace, and there's no prize for carrying the most. Our weight calculator suggests a starting range for each walker.
- Keep the pace easy. Carrying weight is not a reason to walk faster.
- Share the basics with new members: how to start rucking covers the pack, the load and what to wear.
Keeping it going, and adding a cause
Most groups that fade do so in the second or third month, or the first cold snap. A few habits keep yours going:
- Keep the same day and time, even when only one or two people come.
- Share the leading. Ask two or three regulars to take a turn, so the group doesn't depend on one person.
- Have a winter plan. When paths are icy or dark, move the walk indoors for a while. Mall walking covers how to find walking hours and other indoor places to walk.
- Notice who's missing. A quick "We missed you on Saturday" brings people back.
- Add small reasons to show up: a new route each month, a coffee stop after the last walk of the month or a seasonal challenge, like walking through January together.
Walk for a cause together
One of the best ways to give a group a shared goal is to walk for a cause. Members pick an organization they care about, friends and family give in support of their walks, and the group finishes with a walk day together. Walking for a cause explains how the money works and gives a simple plan from first idea to walk day.
If your group would like a ready-made plan, we built one. Host a ruck with RuckGirl: a 4-week walking challenge that ends in a group ruck, for women's groups, nonprofits, sororities and employers. There's a free starter kit, and donations go straight to your organization. See how it works on our host a ruck page, or browse more ideas in For a cause.
We started RuckGirl to give women a simple, social way to carry for themselves and for something bigger. A walking group is where that starts.
Your next step
Before your first group walk, get yourself ready with our free 4-week plan. It builds up gently, and it's even better if you share it with the women you'll walk with.