Maybe youre desk-bound most of the day, or your town doesnt have a ton of sidewalks.
Perhaps you just dont have the energy for additional walking.
They also share tips for setting a realistic step goal (Spoiler: its not necessarily 10,000).
Lace up and read on.
Do you really need 10,000 steps a day?
Youve probably heard the standard recommendation of getting 10,000 steps a day, which is about five miles.
This guidance has been around for decades, but where and how did it originate?
A plan to reach your step goal.
To set an appropriate step goal foryou, Stanten suggests first figuring out your current movement level.
Then, once you know your baseline, incrementally build from there.
Say, for example, your starting daily average is 2,000 steps.
9 tips for sneaking in more steps.
You dont need to schedule long walks so you can move more.
Lean on your step tracker.
Regularly using a step tracker can help you stay accountable, says Stanten.
That said, you dontneedto track your steps.
I dont really think in terms of a daily step count, says Bowman.
More of a whole body, moving as much as I can.
Walk between errands.
Incorporate walking into your commute.
If you’ve got the option to, walk to work, or walk your kids to school.
And if youre limited by terrain or ability?
Drive in part way, and do the rest on foot, Bowman says.
Make the most of arriving early.
Enlist a walking buddy.
Make multiple trips.
Those extra trips to the car might seem negligible, but those steps count!
Take a lap around the store.
Squeeze steps into the work day.
Another idea: Whenever you take a phone call, stand up and step in place, she says.
Plan a progressive meal.
Instead of having a night out at one restaurant, plan a progressive meal.
Bonus: Trying different restaurants can double as a fun weekend activity for your family!
Why should you up your step count?
Moving more provides lots of crazy-good benefits.
Walking more is also associated with a decreased mortality rate.
The death rate progressively declined until about 7,500 steps a day, when the benefit leveled off.
The findings suggest that even moderate increases in movement are associated with significant benefits.
In other words, dont feel discouraged if youre not yet hitting 10,000 steps, because every step counts.
Another plus: Walking can serve as active recovery from higher-intensity activities like running and CrossFit, says Stanten.
Its a great way to still get some cardio into your day, while being gentle on your joints.
Bottom line.
There are lots of reasons to up your step count and lots of easy ways to make it happen.
Whatever your goal, remember: every step matters.
