Four years later, Meet Me Monday is thriving in Boise and beyond

“‘Meet Me Monday’ …What is that? Is it free? Who is it geared toward? The young? The elderly? Families? Runners, walkers, fit people, those who are out of shape? Can I walk with my pet? Is it every Monday? How many people attend? How many miles do you have to walk? Where do you meet? What time is it over?”

Those are just a few of the questions I have been asked while walking the Greenbelt wearing one of our T-shirts or hats. People say they have seen them around before and want to know where they can get one. I even had someone ask to buy my hat from me.

I invite them to join us every Monday and earn their very own “50 Timer” hat. Wearing my Meet Me Monday gear is a reminder that I can achieve a goal if I just do it one step at a time, one Monday at a time.

Meet Me Monday is a weekly fitness get-together. And it’s for everyone — from walkers to runners and babies in strollers to well-behaved pets on leashes — at every fitness level and every age. Since it happens every Monday (rain or shine, and even on holidays), you always have an option for getting out and enjoying your community and all those people who are part of it.

The very first time I walked at Meet Me Monday was on June 11, 2012. Struggling with various health issues, from being anemic and overweight to having back surgery in 2014, I knew I needed to become more active in order to improve my health. Learning about this program from someone who worked at Saint Alphonsus, I decided to go “just one time” to see what it was all about. I have walked more than 190 Mondays since then.

Now I’d like to tell you why I keep going back, week after wonderful week. Building a healthy lifestyle is paramount as we age. Making small steps, one day at a time, is something we absolutely can do.

There are people there to encourage you without judgment or expectations placed on you to do more/be more/walk faster/push yourself harder. This is a positive, encouraging environment for change to happen at your pace, with people who are willing to be a helping hand. Instilling healthy habits in children is a benefit for the families that participate with us.

Other opportunities for community involvement and exercise, such as the Treasure Valley Heart & Stroke Walk and Susan G. Komen Boise Race for the Cure teams, are available for those looking to increase their activity even more.

One of the best reasons is that we have fun. Stepping out of our comfort zones is a good thing, and the more we do, the more we grow. We build confidence because we are succeeding and we are enjoying the success of others, too. This is about your success, but you get to enjoy the success of those who are stepping out to also change their lives. I love seeing the change in people, the excitement when they reach a goal, when they meet someone they connect with, when we can be silly together and laugh with our MMM Family.

There is a lot of support from other walkers who want to sustain, or improve, the quality of their lives. I’m inviting you to come out and join us “just one time.” Maybe you’ll find the encouragement that you need to improve where you can and be an encouragement to someone else who may need it, too.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 8:22 PM with the headline "Four years later, Meet Me Monday is thriving in Boise and beyond."