10 ways to 10,000 steps a day

If you want to get more active and improve your overall fitness and wellbeing then walking more is a great idea.

For such a simple activity though it can be weirdly hard to actually get up and get your steps in.

So if you’re struggling to get going hopefully this list of 10 ways to 10,000 steps a day will help!

The first thing you need to do is find out how many steps you actually take on a normal day.

And be prepared for it to be a bit disheartening!

When I wanted to start getting more active again I did this, digging out Steve’s old FitBit and tracking my steps for a few days and it was really quite surprising how low my average step count was.

So be kind to yourself. Find out how many steps you do on a normal day and then try and increase this gradually, 1000 steps at a time, until you get to an average of 10,000 a day.

Here are 10 ways you can get there:

1. Look for ways to fit walking into your normal routine

The simplest way to get more steps in is to build them into the things you’re doing anyway.

So if you do the school run every day see if you can walk the children instead of driving. Or try walking to the local shop when you need bread and milk instead of automatically taking the car.

2. Take the stairs

I know, it’s not a very original tip, but it really does work to increase your step count.

When you’re out at work or the shops, always make a point of using the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.

And when you’re at home try to use the bathroom upstairs instead of the downstairs loo, and take things up to the rooms they belong in when you’re tidying up, instead of leaving them in the pile of doom on the stairs.

3. Set an alarm to remind you to move

If you spend a lot of your day sat at a desk working, or you’re just not in the habit of moving around much during the day, then set an alarm to remind you to get up and walk around for a few minutes each hour.

Or squeeze more steps into an hour by walking on the spot during each ad break of your favourite tv programme.

4. Go for a few short walks during the day

As a general rule it takes around 2000 steps to walk a mile, and at a decent pace most of us can walk a mile in around 15 minutes.

So if you go on two 30 minute walks a day (15 minutes away from the house and then back again) you can easily hit around 8000 steps.

5. Go for one long walk a day

If you’d rather knock out the bulk of your steps in one go then head out for one walk of around an hour to an hour and a half each day.

6. Do a walking workout at home

If you don’t want to have to leave the house to get your steps in, try doing a walking workout at home.

There are loads to choose from on YouTube from complete beginner workouts to more advance, faster paced ones.

7. Drag out your chores

If you have time to be a bit inefficient with your household jobs, try marching on the spot between tasks or making multiple trips instead of just one.

So take the clean washing up a few items at a time instead of all at once to get more steps in.

It is a bit silly I know, but it really does work to squeeze more steps into your day.

8. Get your steps in early

If you really want to hit 10000 steps each day then try and get the bulk of them done early in the day.

It’s much easier to head out for a walk or do a YouTube workout in the morning than to try marching on the spot in the bedroom at 11pm when you realise you’ve only reached 4000 steps that day.

9. Take the scenic route

Again, if you have the time in your day to not always do things as efficiently as possible you can get more steps in by walking the long way home. Or to wherever you’re going.

10. Make it fun and get out with the children

Combine getting your steps in with quality time with your family.

Head out with them and walk while they ride their scooters or their bikes. Or head to the park for a game of tag or football.

Useful tools to help you get more steps in each day

You don’t need anything at all to get started with walking more each day, but you might find these things useful:

A Fitbit (or other fitness tracker or pedometer)
A decent pair of walking shoes – my family all love Karrimor shoes for getting out and about
A water bottle to take out with you to stay hydrated
A waterproof coat if you want to go out for a walk whatever the weather
A playlist of walking workouts on YouTube so you can get your steps in at home

Which of these tips do you think will help you the most with fitting more steps in each day?

Do you have any other tricks you use to get up and moving? Let me know in the comments!

Need a bit more of a push to ditch the car and start walking the children to and from school?

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