You’ve probably heard people doing 10,000 steps a day. Perhaps a co-worker has made it their goal to attain this number of steps everyday. Or someone at the gym has told you about it. Doing 10,000 steps has become the default goal in smartphone apps and wearables.
If you’re aiming to walk this much regularly (approx. 5 miles) but you don’t go to gyms like LA Fitness, here are some tips you can use:
1. Make it your goal.
Find out your current movement level using a tracker (smartphone app, pedometer, or other devices) so you can count your steps without changing your routine. Then once you have a baseline to work with, you can build from there. For example, if on weekdays you average 2,500 steps (because you’re sitting at your desk majority of the time) and on weekends you’re doing 5,000 steps (because you’re doing errands), then you can gradually amp up your daily average. Perhaps you can increase it in increments of 1,000 steps a week.
2. Use a tracker.
If you haven’t already, using a tracker helps you monitor how many steps you’ve done on a given day and help you stay accountable. For example, if you see that it’s mid-day and you’ve only covered 1,200 steps then you’ll be more inclined to walk more to reach your target for the day.
3. Walk to do errands.
Whether it’s a trip to the deli shop two blocks away or meeting a friend in a nearby café, opt to walk to the location instead of taking your car. Walking might take more time than driving or taking public transportation but it is better for your health.
4. Find a walking buddy.
A few years ago, I thought doing 10,000 steps daily was next to impossible. But then when I encouraged my husband to do regular walks with me, I found out that it’s really easy to achieve. We would go out and walk around our neighborhood after dinner. Not only did we achieve a healthy weight, we also got to spend time together.
5. Take walk breaks at work.
These days, it’s so easy to lose track of time when we’re busy typing on our computers. But sitting all day has consequences to our health. Be sure to take walk breaks every hour and set your phone alarm to make sure you won’t skip any. During your walk breaks, you can take 5 minutes to walk around your office. Perhaps go to the pantry and drink water, coffee or tea. You might want to walk outside your building for some fresh air, or do a quick catch up with a colleague. There are a lot of things you can do but the key here is to make sure it involves walking.
Walking, when done regularly, has been found to help lower the incidence of heart disease, maintain a healthy BMI, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve your quality of life overall. By walking more often and for longer durations you can reap these benefits without having to worry about the wear and tear of your muscles, joints and bones. It’s a low impact cardio that you can easily incorporate into your regular routine.
Try this exercise at home to do 10,000 steps: