By now, most of us have heard the recommendation of “10,000 steps a day for health”. However, if you’re just starting out, or have never really tracked your steps before, 10,000 can seem like a daunting task.
Try giving this “move along” trick a try: the first day that you’re wearing your fitness tracker (or re-wearing it… how many of us have been there!) just go about your day as you normally would. Don’t actively try to increase your activity. At the end of the evening, make a note of how many steps you got in your day.
Next, decide what your personal goal for increasing activity is. When it comes to “active minutes”, experts recommend 1 hour of activity per day (this is cumulative time, not consecutive). Again, if that total seems like something you are likely not to stick with initially, start smaller: begin with just 30 minutes. Remember, you can change your personal goals at ANY TIME! The key here is to start and stick with what you’ve set out. The more realistic this goal is, the more likely you are to stay the course. Then decide which activity you would enjoy doing the most and write your goal down. Suggestions for this could be a 30- or 60-minute walk, treadmill, tennis, jogging… whatever activity you’d enjoy the most that will get you moving.
On average, a 30-minute walk will give you 2000-2500 steps. Using this formula, once you have decided how many active minutes you are going to commit to incorporating into your day, simply add 2000 or 2500 steps to what your regular day step total was for 30 minutes or add 4000-4500 steps to your total for 60 minutes. It really is that simple! This will give you two goals in one: a total step count while also focusing on being more active.
You’ll find over time that the more you move, the more you may WANT to move… so keep challenging yourself. If you wear a Fitbit, there are some great step challenges incorporated where you can compete against friends. It can really help you stay motivated.
What are your best tips for incorporating more activity into your day? We’d love to hear from you!
Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay