I live in the Chicago suburbs and have this exact problem. I have this same problem when I’m by my home, but the city is very walkable. Makes me
It sucks that your local city can essentially discourage physical activity. I’m not the most active person, but getting my steps in has kept me youthful, at least compared to other folks my age.
I can get behind your routine but I have to say that I hate running. There are only two times that I will run; 1) For my annual P.T. Test. 2) If I’m being chased and my life depends on it.
I would much rather cycle, hike, or heck, even crawl before I start moving quicker. It doesn’t help that I have pretty bad knees so I try to find alternatives like my elliptical, or even a rowing machine, even though that can get strenuous if I got past 2k.
I’m not one to run for any sort of office as I would much rather complain from the background as a regular citizen, figure serving in the military is enough in a way, and don’t care for the spotlight but I would fully encourage you to run. If you are even remotely thinking about it, at least try, even for a low level spot if that seems more comfortable.
I feel the same way on daily steps as well. I read that the average American puts in like less than 2k steps per day, so I try to double that at least, even working in an office where I find myself sitting and slouching for way too long.
I used to hate running too. In fact, while I was training weights, I used to run on a treadmill to warm up. I started out with 20 minutes of running before each training, but over the years the warm up became shorter and shorter. The last year I was down to 2 minutes because I hated it so much.
But then suddenly the sports watches came. As the gamer I am, I could suddenly see the game aspect of running. So I went for a run outside. I nearly died after 4 km. But it was fun watching the stats afterwards. And then a friend invited me on another run. I thought he was crazy when he suggested 8 km, but he assured me we could take it slow and stop whenever I needed. So we did. And I actually proved to myself that I could run that far. So what was the next step? Signing up for a full marathon of 42 km of course! 
I also made sure to tell everyone I knew, so that I couldn’t back out. The marathon was 5 months away, and I was about 30 kg overweight at this point. But I was forced to train. But it didn’t take longer than 2 weeks of 2 runs each week until I was hooked. After that I got ants in my pants when I couldn’t go for a run. I started running 3 times a week, and eventually ran the marathon. This was 14 years ago, and I’m still running, and I ran my first ultra marathon just a month ago.
Best tips: Run in your own pace. Most people need to slow down a bit. Focus on length before you focus on speed. Run outside. Treadmills are boring. Run at least twice a week. Run varied runs, sometimes trying a bit faster, sometimes running in terrain, sometimes running slower, etc. And find a friend to push you out the door. To keep motivated, just promise yourself to get out the door. You don’t need to run 5km. You don’t even need to run 1. Just head out the door and run until you don’t want to anymore. This is perhaps the most important part.
And just as a reminder: I used to HATE running.
Also, the recommended amount of daily steps was recently increased from 10k to 12k. But then again, I’m European.
I took a short walk yesterday. Hadn’t done that in a long time. Been struggling with consistency and finding a routine I can stick to without thinking about it.
Maybe it’s not so much about routine as just getting in the act of it when you can.
When it comes to walking, I’ve tried picking a set location and walking it until I can memorize the layout from so much repetition but I’ve found that mixing it up is better for the overall experience. I don’t want to feel like a hamster when I’m trying to do something that is good for me. That will just make me hate it.
The last few months I found out that a friend likes to play tennis too. Not only that, but there’s also free outdoor courts to book in the UK park system. Unfortunately, what they say about british summer is nothing but true but we managed to get a few games in the last couple of months.
We had to join a gym [YMCA] a few years ago because of my mother’s medical problems
I found it kind of boring but then I got a trainer to help/keep me company, which is nice because we can chat in between and I can kind of pretend I have a social life. Though, she had to have a break for a while because of surgery
I take a lot of walks too, sometimes with [old] people. I used to walk to the local Kmart almost every day just for something to do, but of course it’s not there any more. It got to the point where they loved seeing me
Back when I lived in Virginia, my apartment was a stone’s throw from a big indoor mall. I would often head over the early morning, before any of the actual stores opened to walk laps, and I would be one of the younger people there amongst the walkers. Pokémon Go was popular still, so it would give me a moment to hatch my eggs.
I took a short walk yesterday! Maybe I’ll make a three day streak today. 
I am still trying out apps on my phone. At this point I am clearly procrastinating, like “if I do not have the best app I can’t start doing regular walks, right, RIGHT?”.
I tried to find an english translation for my “friend” the “innerer Schweinehund” but found out that there is non:
Picture of mine:
and he refuses to let me off the couch.
I’ll be heading out to the Detroit Zoo shortly as a chaperone for my sons class trip, so I’m sure I’ll be getting quite the steps today. My legs can cry about it later.
I did it! I will try to keep my streak going today. 
The zoo sounds like a great way to get steps in while having fun. I’ve been looking at places on AllTrails to explore but the big park near me has sandy paths and is used by horses so there’s manure to dodge. Makes it a messy pain in the butt to walk.
I broke my streak. 
I’ll have to start it back up again over the weekend. Maybe take some longer walks on the walking track near me.
I’ve been biking to work since my office called us back in person in 2021. I really love it, although I’m too heavy (250 pounds) and I regularly deal with flat tires.
I just got a membership at my local YMCA and I’ve started swimming sometimes in the morning. I’m hoping I can start to lose weight, both because I’d to have fewer flat tires but also because I’m newly single and hope to attract someone eventually.
You’d be surprised how much of an intense workout a bit of swimming can do. I would also recommend getting into boxing (doesn’t have to be combat), but the movements associated make for a great all body workout. Rowing is great as well.
I have an 11 year old son and I have a boxing pad so he can box with me as an activity. It’s definitely a workout for him!! I actually used to capoeira 15 years ago when I was in much better shape so some kind of martial art would be fine if I manage to get in enough shape to do it.
When the weather is manageable, I recommend trying out disc golf. I have been playing for about 10 years, and most courses are in parks so the walk is nice and scenic. I struggle to commit to walking or running without other reasons, such as sports. But since quitting organized sports after highschool, my health & fitness definitely got worse. Disc golf was a very cheap hobby that gave me that reason back, without being hard on my joints like basketball or sports on turf instead of grass would have been.
You can buy an entry level used disc a lot of places and even online for 10-12 dollars, and you really shouldn’t need anything more that that one disc for quite a while.
I’ll have to look and see if there are any courses near me. There might be one at the local university that is a half hour away.
Any specific brand you recommend for the disc(s)?
Just doing a quick search, had me come across the Discraft Buzzz.