Looking to get more steps in without having to go too much out of your way? Here are some tips to fit more steps into your daily routine and live a healthier life.
Have you recently become more interested in getting more steps in?! If you are like me, you may have recently tuned into your steps per day app on your handy iPhone and felt a little bit surprised to learn that getting in 10,000 steps isn’t actually as easy as it may have sounded, even if you do workout daily.
It’s surprising that without your daily workouts, your average steps add up to pretty much less than half that 10k per day recommendation, or at least that is what I found. While there seems to be debate on whether 10k per day is necessary (/realistic), there is definitely an advantage to adding in more steps if you are finding your average to be lower than you thought. There is no need to stress over the number but setting little goals to increase the activity per day to a more realistic goal could be just the self care that you are in need of! From what I have found, there are many ways to sneakily add in steps without having to change your routine dramatically!
As per one of my summer self care tips, I’m attempting to do more of my morning routines outside while walking.
However, for those of you looking for easy and effective ways to get more steps in to help your mind and body, consider these simple tips to help you lead a more active daily routine!
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- Park further away. This is probably one of the easiest sneaky ways to add in more steps. Whether it is a run to the grocery store, parking in your garage unit, or driving to a nail appointment, park in the further parking spots if you have a minute to spare. This is such a subtle way to add in a few extra hundred steps!
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- Take the stairs. If you are coming back from your lunch break and your building is on the second, third, or fourth floor, switch it up and take the stairs. This will get your blood flowing before you sit down for your job!
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- Use your breaks to get up and stay on your feet. If you have fifteen minutes mid-day to yourself and you just want to scroll on your IG feed, call a friend, or make an appointment, why not do it while walking?! Even if it is pacing back and forth in the hallway, fifteen minutes on your feet will help you slowly but surely reach your goal.
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- Take morning walks. If you have to have that morning coffee, consider finding a coffee shop nearby and make it into a new morning routine and have yourself a little walk.
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- Take a dance break! If you work from home, the chances are you have space where you can comfortably take a minute or two to dance it out! I may be biased because I love dancing, but it does give you that surge of energy and clarity in moving your entire body to good music. Plus if you dance with your phone in hand, you will see how quickly those steps add up!
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- Set alarms sporadically throughout the day to remind yourself to get up and go for a little walk, whether it is going to fill your water bottle up in the lunch break room or it is “running to your car to grab something you forgot” excuse. These things take only a few minutes and can add up to a few hundred each steps each time!
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- Take phone calls by foot. If you have to make lots of calls and don’t need immediate access to writing down or taking notes, then why not take the call on a walk or pacing around? Plus, your phone is already keeping track of your steps, so this will be even more helpful!
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- Call the Uber to pick you up from a few blocks away from your home or walk a few blocks before grabbing an Uber home! Not only will it likely be cheaper, but it will give you some extra steps!
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- Exercise. Of course, the first and most effective way is to exercise. Finding a workout class that you enjoy will help you reach your goal of 10k steps more efficiently. If you are wondering how to convert your time spent in a workout class to steps, check out these this chart from Verywellfit.com for some guidance. If you anticipate having a day full of sitting, consider an extra ten minutes in the gym cooling down and walking at a slow pace to get in a few more extra steps.
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- Jumping: Rebounding is one of my favorite types of exercise, and not only is it one of the lower impact sports I love doing, but it is quite effective in getting twice as many steps as other exercises! The thing about having a rebounder at home is that you can take breaks here and there throughout your day and put on the tv or your favorite music and jump for a few minutes and double the number of steps you’d get from a quick walk! While the quietest rebounders are super expensive, like the highly regarded jumpsort and this mini jumpsport option, there are far more affordable alternatives to the expensive brands that can be found on Amazon, such as this affordable find that I enjoyed using the past year!
- Consider investing in a walking pad if you have a demanding job that requires a lot of long hours indoors. Living in the hot Texas sun during the summers, I am totally aware of the challenge of how difficult it is to get in leisurely walks because it is far too hot, which has definitely made me consider purchasing a walking pad! These aren’t cheap but if you live in a place where certain seasons cause you to hibernate, consider checking out this highly rated amazon walking pad!
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