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How to Easily Get 10,000 Steps a Day
As you probably already know, moving and staying active is an essential part of good health. And one simple and natural way to move is to walk daily. A lot of research has shown that the more steps we take each day, the better it is for our personal health.
In this guide, we want to encourage you to take more steps every day and we will share some useful tips to help make that happen.
How Many Steps Should I Walk Per Day?
The average American reportedly walks approximately 3000 to 4000 steps per day, but that is just an average. You may walk more or less than that, depending on your job, how active you are, etc. It is important to understand that the more you walk, the better it is for you. Walking 10,000 steps has been commonly used as the benchmark or minimum and most studies have used this number to measure health benefits.
Walking 10,000 steps per day is something that all of us should aim for, but remember that if you can walk 15,000 or 20,000 steps, that is even better. We recommend recording your baseline using a fitness tracker or your phone to get an idea of where you currently stand, then slowly increase the distance you walk each day.
How Far Is 10K Steps?
The stride of an average person measures between 2 – 2.5 feet. Using that measurement as a guide, it would take approximately 2000 steps to walk a mile and 10,000 steps would cover about 5 miles. Simply put, if you take 10,000 steps per day, you would be walking 5 miles daily!
Speed of Walking: Does It Make a Difference?
It turns out that research has shown that the speed with which a person walks DOES make quite a difference. In short, the faster a person walks, the better it is at staving off disease and inducing better health. This is because walking at a faster pace, evening running, trains our cardiovascular system by increasing our heart rate. So, whenever possible, try to walk as fast as you can in order to receive the maximum health benefits.
Calories Burned Walking 10000 Steps
There are many variables to consider in calculating how many calories a person burns by taking 10,000 steps. These variables include the person’s weight, how fast he or she walks, if it includes walking uphill, etc. But, on average, a normal person will burn about 500 calories from walking 10,000 steps.
The Benefits of Taking 10,000 Steps Every Day
The most recent study conducted by JAMA Neurology has found that taking 10,000 steps has profound effects on your health. People who walked an average of 10,000 steps had less cardiovascular disease, lower incidents of thirteen kinds of cancer, and a reduced risk of dementia. It also significantly reduced the rate of mortality. So, as you can see the benefits are very significant.
Tips on How to Take 10,000 Steps (or More) Every Day
People have different interests and hobbies, and we encourage you to get your daily steps in by doing things that you enjoy. Here are some simple but effective tips to help you achieve your 10,000 step goal.
- Use a step or activity tracker
Technology has come a long way and step trackers have gotten much more accurate and reliable. We highly recommend using a step or activity tracker to measure the number of steps you take every day. After careful research, we recommend this relatively inexpensive Fitbit tracker that works really well: https://amzn.to/3hiJUCU
- Include family members and make it a family routine
Make daily walking a family affair by including the entire family. For example, you can create a routine whereby the entire family goes for a 15-minute walk after dinner. It’s good bonding time, too.
- Walk while you wait
Think about how much time the average human being spends time waiting: waiting to see the doctor, waiting for the pharmacist to complete your order, waiting for your food at a take-out restaurant, waiting for your flight at the airport, etc. Make it a habit to walk, even if it is only a few hundred steps, while you are waiting.
- Park your vehicle further away in the parking lot
If you want to walk more steps consistently, park further away in the parking lot and walk to your eventual destination. Just imagine how many extra steps you will take if you practiced this diligently.
- Take the stairs
Whenever possible, opt to use the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator. You’d be surprised how fast the steps will add-up!
- Walk in between your daily errands
Let’s say that the hairdresser or barber, post office, and grocery store are pretty close to one another and you need to visit all three places on the same day. Instead of driving to all three, park your car at the grocery store and walk to the other two to get your steps in.
- Consider walking as part of your daily commute
Rather than drive to work or the gym every day, could you walk instead? If not, could you drive part of the way and walk the rest? Get creative and include walking as part of your daily commute when possible.
- Walk during your lunch hour or schedule regular workday walks
One of the best ways to get more steps is to set up a regular schedule during workdays. For example, if you have an hour for lunch every day, you could appropriate thirty minutes to eat and thirty minutes to walk. Make it a habit that you commit and do consistently so that it becomes automatic.
- Team up with a walking buddy or group
It is a great idea to team up with a walk buddy or a walking group. This will make it harder to skip a walk but also surround you with people who share your fitness goals and who motivate you even further. The support keeps you both accountable and motivated.
- Make multiple trips when possible
Let’s say that you normally grocery shop for the week. Consider breaking up that major shopping trip into two trips. Each time you shop, you have to walk to your car, walk from the parking lot to the grocery store, walk around the grocery store, etc. By splitting it up into two, you get extra steps in easily. Think of other errands that you could split up.
- Do laps before/when shopping
Many people enjoy browsing in the mall or in the grocery store. Make a habit of walking further than necessary on each shopping trip. You do not have to purchase anything. Simply walk around, be curious, look for deals, walk to the magazine department, whatever you fancy. But walk more than just the distance it took to find the products you needed. Make it fun.
- Add steps from your desk
If you work at a desk, a good way to get more steps in every day is to add distance to the places you already visit regularly. For example, you could walk down the stairs to use the bathroom furthest away from you. You could get your coffee from the coffee machine that is further away. Every step counts and adds up, so do not discount these seemingly minor changes.
- Stand up and walk when on the phone
Consider making it a habit to stand up and walk around each time you talk on the phone. Try it. We think that it actually is more relaxing and facilitates more clarity of the mind.
- Stagger your restaurant meals and meals at home
A novel and fun way to add more steps to your day is to consider staggering your meals at home or when eating out. For example, if you are eating dinner at home, eat your appetizer first, then take your dishes back to the sink, before sitting down to start on the entree. If you are eating out, get creative by eating an appetizer in one restaurant, then walking to another for your main course, followed by dessert somewhere else.
- Create a walking loop in your home
Many people get creative by creating a walking loop in their home. It may sound silly, but it definitely adds more steps to the day. A walking loop is simply taking the long route when walking between different areas of your home. For example, and depending on the layout of your home or apartment, when you want to go to the kitchen you could establish a longer-than-necessary route that you take each time. Weird? Perhaps. But it works if you have fun with it and do it consistently.
- Use laundry-time to walk
Laundry time can be used creatively to increase the steps you take. Instead of pulling everything out of the dryer, for example, and walking to the bedroom closet to hang it up, consider breaking up the task into smaller steps, say putting away the socks first and then walking back to the laundry room. The goal is to make multiple trips and walk more.
- Use tidying-up time to walk
When tidying up your home, you can take more steps by, ironically, creating a little inefficiency. If you need to put multiple things back into a cupboard, make multiple trips, for example.
- Dance
There are many people who love dancing and use it to take more steps. They play music they love and dance along to it whenever possible. Dancing also lifts the spirit and is healthy in many other ways since it creates movement.
- Use the power of music
When you go for walks, use the power of music to keep you motivated, upbeat, and happy.
- Stand or walk while watching your favorite TV show
If you enjoy watching TV, try to stand up while watching and walking during commercials.
- Use podcasts
If you enjoy listening to podcasts, consider going for a walk while listening rather than lying down or sitting at your desk.
- Use YouTube exercise videos
There are so many options for free YouTube exercise videos these days. Find a few you like. There even are videos that focus on taking more steps each day or walking on the spot.
- Invest in some good walking shoes
Since you are going to be walking a lot more, comfortable footwear is a must. Invest in some comfortable shoes that you love. It can make all the difference. Nobody wants to walk in shoes that hurt or are uncomfortable. We researched shoes and ratings and believe that these are the two best walking shoes at a reasonable price, one for women and one for men.
Best Women’s Walking Shoe:
Best Men’s Walking Shoe:
- Keep a visual record of your success
Research has shown that keeping a visual reminder of your success increases the likelihood that you will continue the trend and not give up. We suggest pasting a 30-day calendar somewhere where you can see it daily and cross off each day after successfully completing your 10,000 steps. This technique is very effective.
- Invest in a treadmill
Many people use a treadmill at home and love it. You can use it during bad weather, watch the football game on TV while you walk, etc. If you have the space at home, it could be a game-changer.
- Walk to your coworker’s office rather than email
Some progressive companies encourage their employees to walk to their co-worker’s office to discuss an issue rather than send an email. Think about the ways you could do the same in your work environment.
- Use your phone as a reminder
Use the power of your phone to remind and motivate you to walk more. There are reminder and walking apps that make it impossible to forget to take more steps.
- Walk after every meal
Besides being good for digestion and weight loss, walking after you eat a meal is a great way to get more steps during the day, especially since most people eat three meals. It does not have to be a long walk, every little bit helps.
- Learn or take up a new sport
This may seem obvious, but leaving your comfort zone and finding a new sport that you enjoy is one of the best ways to get more steps. The trick is to make it fun and enjoyable. It may be zumba, or pilates, or yoga, or pickleball, it does not matter. There are so many options.
- Break it down into steps per hour
One thing we recommend is to break down the 10,000 steps into the number of hours you are awake during the day. That will give you an idea of approximately how many steps you need to take each hour if you want to break it down into smaller, more manageable, and less daunting increments. The accomplishment of small goals leads to succeeding at bigger goals.
- Walk between sets in the gym
If you go to the gym and lift weights, walk in between your sets. We found that doing this alone can add over a mile to your daily distance walked.
- If you travel, walk in the airport
Airports are a place where we are forced to wait. Thankfully, they are also great places to walk. If you travel regularly, use the waiting time in airports to walk the concourses and walkways. After all, you will be sitting during the entire duration of your flight, so use the time wisely.
Getting 100000 Steps Per Day: A Few Important Things to Remember
- Have fun with all the creative ways you can use to get more steps each day.
- Incorporate activities you enjoy.
- Make walking a daily habit just like brushing your teeth.
- Be proud of and reward yourself for making the effort to be more active.
