Here's what gets me out on my (somewhat) daily 4-miler: the scenery is both a distraction and a payoff.
Join me?
Fields of green and gold
Shady, winding roads (the better to think on, my dear)
Sunlight through the trees (and, oh!, the hill...huff, huff)
And then my favorite part: the scene opens up and the sky is wide
(reminds me of home)
What a vista. Chat with a woman in the field about a bird's egg she's found. Say hi to the horses.
Lean over, hands on knees. Breathe. Stand up, retrace steps, and head back home. (Downhill now!)
Splay on the grass for a few minutes' recovery and sport a red exertion face for the next hour.
Want to host a tour in your neck of the woods? Post scenes from a walk/run/ride around your neighborhood and leave the link in the comments here. Armchair travel, my favorite!