Ways to Walk 10000 Steps a Day ...

Lauren

Even if you work out for an hour a day, every day, you might not be as active as you think you are. What do you do for the other 23 hours a day? Many of us spend 7-8 hours a day sitting at a desk and then there’s the time spend sitting while we eat and watching TV. Each of us is probably more sedentary than we might imagine. You can make yourself healthier just by moving more, but if you want to make a real difference, set yourself the challenge of walking 10000 steps each and every day. That sounds like a huge target – right? Here’s how you can achieve it.

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1. Make It Achievable by Not Trying to do It All at Once

To achieve your ultimate goal of 10,000+ steps a day, you should consider breaking it in smaller goals that you could achieve throughout the day. It could be a morning walk followed by a midday walk, and then an evening walk too. Make one of these three a 3-mile walk and another one a 1-mile walk after lunch and dinner.

2. Do 1,000 Steps per Hour

1,000 steps is roughly a half-mile walk, which shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes. It may not be the ideal goal for some, but if you can take a 10 minute break every hour, it can be accomplished. If you start counting from the moment you wake up in the morning until you go to your bed at night, it will be even easier to manage your routine and achieve your goal of 10,000+ steps a day.

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To make it more enjoyable, music or podcasts can enhance your walking experience. As women, we often love multitasking, and listening to something motivational or educational while walking can turn this healthy habit into a dual-purpose activity. Whether it's a brisk walk around the office, a stroll in the park with your pet, or simply marching in place at home, the key is consistency. Combine this with tasks like taking the stairs or parking further away from the grocery store entrance and you're not only reaching your step goals but also seamlessly integrating exercise into your daily life.

Frequently asked questions

3. Look for a Power Hour

It's all about challenging yourself to achieve your goal. Sometime during the day set an hour when you will accumulate as many steps as you can. You can do it at the same time every day or just look for a suitable power hour throughout the day. Keep pushing yourself to cover more and it will all fall into place.

4. Walk with Six Legs

That's no horror movie, ladies! Just take your dog out for a walk and it will be six legs at work. It is hard to find a better fitness partner than your beloved dog. Simply split up your walks into several sets of fewer miles – you can start with a couple of 2.5-mile sets to achieve your goal. You can even take your whole family to a lovely walk – it's all about adding up more legs to get better results.

5. Don't Multitask

It is so easy to see people go out and do a number of tasks together. How many times have you gone out to buy toys, clothes, toilet paper, shoes, and other stuff in one trip to the nearest store? It's great to be efficient, but you will have to learn to be inefficient whenever you can to walk at least 10,000+ steps a day. It doesn't have to be difficult. Simple tweaks like carrying your laundry downstairs in three smaller trips instead of carrying it in one oversized bucket will help complete your daily quota of steps.

6. Step It up inside

You don't have to go out all the time to count your steps. Simply get an indoor walking workout DVD and start moving without having to worry about the weather outside. Some of these DVDs will give you a workout similar to walking 3-5 miles. Buy one and make it easier for you walk 10,000+ steps a day.

7. Kick up the Sedentary Habits

Think of all those tasks you do while standing still. Can you do them walking around? Talking on the phone, watching TV, reading … buy a treadmill or simply walk around rather than stand or sit in one spot. Walk to colleagues to talk work instead of phoning or emailing. It all adds up.

You’ll find it easier to keep track of your daily progress with an activity tracker or simple pedometer. They range from high-spec wearable tech to simple clickover devices.

How many steps do you think you make every day? Are you going to set yourself a new target?

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

I am not showing off but I walk two and a half hours a day to and fro work. It is so good for you.

I work a very active job - 1500 to 20000 steps in 5 hours. So, it's not hard for me to get my steps in.

@karena thank you! :) I got in 30,000 steps in all today, pretty tired now! Haha

You could do groundskeeping for a golf course. I average 20000 steps per day. That's just under 9 miles a day every day.

@Claire when I worked in retail I was up there :P 12000 is my current average which is pretty decent ;)

I walk to and from work too, and at the end of the day it usually comes to an hour of walking :)

I walk like to walk a 9 mile trail at a brisk pace- it usually takes me about 2 1/2 hours. If I had longer legs or ran it would take much less time, but I like being outdoors in nature & you gotta,"stop to smell the roses." I often see deer, groundhogs or the elusive fox- even though the trail cuts through a residential area. But at least it is SAFE, because unlike other parks nearby, you still get cell phone reception.

I work retail so my 8 1/2 hrs days I track almost 12,000 steps.