Every morning for about the last three weeks, I’ve walked with my dog Hope on the Cottonwood Trail. For at least twenty minutes every morning, Hope gets to explore her way—nose down, finding out who knows what about the world there. I get a wake up walk, a slower pace than I’m used to. The ritual is becoming set, as Hope reminds me every morning.

I think it’s her reminder that has made this ritual happen. She holds me accountable in her way, looking up when I approach my shoes, or the drawer where we keep the leashes. It’s something that I find more and more important in my own healthy habits.

This habit started when I rolled my ankle running on July 4. My first thought was of chronic ankle injuries that really limited my friends’ running—not something I’m interested in. My running habit is at the top of my list.

So I committed to a slow but consistent rehabilitation. I started going to Cottonwood Trail for its flatness and of course for its beauty. But now that I’ve started running again, I want to keep my promise to Hope of a daily morning walk.

All along I’ve used various methods to hold myself accountable to my goals large and small, from telling my friends to raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease Research to being nudged by my current canine exercise partner. All have helped me maintain the motivation to stay active and healthy.