10,000 steps a day: the ultimate guide
10,000 steps and thus incorporating enough exercise in everyday life can be really difficult.
But not anymore: Find out why exercise is so important in everyday life, get motivation and learn in 4 simple steps how to integrate 10,000 steps a day into your daily life.
Because : Even regular training does not completely offset the long muscular inactivity during daily life – especially in a sedentary lifestyle! (Click here for the Scandinavian study )First of all, unfortunately, I have bad news for you : Even if you do sport regularly, you should think about more exercise in everyday life .
That in turn means: Even physically active people must try not to remain inactive at their desk all day.
Here some motivation for that. Because if you move more in everyday life and even manage 10,000 steps a day, then:
- it’s easier to keep a calorie deficit (this is especially important when losing weight),
- you rarely catch so-called diseases of civilization like diabetes,
- you simply feel better because of the increased hormone release – which is stimulated by movement,
- you are helping to protect our environment by driving less,
- you strengthen your immune system and your blood circulation and
- you get fitter and – also mentally – more productive.
So give it a try and regularly try to take 10,000 steps a day!
Don’t let yourself go, go yourself! Magda Bentrup
This is where my ultimate 4-step guide comes in. Use them and put an end to the lack of exercise!
In 4 easy steps to 10,000 steps in everyday life
To make your everyday activities measurable, steps are a good guide. 10,000 is not only a nice number but also scientifically proven that this is a benchmark that evolutionarily suits us, humans, well.
So to speak: species-appropriate human attitude.
10,000 steps a day – even without exercising – is our declared goal.
Now you will learn how you can achieve this goal!
1. Record your current status
So that you know where you are right now, it is necessary to ascertain your current status.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to start a “ticklist” of all your daily steps now. There are now more efficient methods.
Get a pedometer!
The oldschool variant that really only counts steps.You will die to automate the counting of steps a pedometer not around. There are, however, different versions and price ranges:
- For example the OMRON step counter Walking style III, black * which you can get on Amazon for just under € 20.
- The smartphone solution with an app.
Apps such as Moves or Accupedo have proven themselves here. However, you must always carry your smartphone on your body or have it plugged in. Big advantage: Free of charge. - The all-in-one package with a fitness tracker .
You can find many fitness trackers in the clear comparison test. Think about whether you want to wear the tracker on your wrist, in your pocket or on your waistband, and what else it can count besides steps. Also take a look at customer ratings – e.g. on Amazon *– an.
If the decision is difficult for you, you are not alone in it.
Measure your daily steps for a week and see where you are on average.
If you’re mainstream, you will likely get 4,000 to 6,000 steps. Or even less.
2. Set small goals and achieve big ones!
Therefore: First, set yourself the goal of increasing your average number of steps by 1,000 steps within a month.It is not necessary to change your number of steps to 10,000 from one day to the next to double. That would be desirable but is usually difficult to do in practice.
In the next month you should be able to do a week with more than 7,000 steps (1,000 more per day) than at the beginning.
Hey, that’s a great start, because:
Every move is better than no move!
This is especially true for steps, as there is no increased risk of injury here.
Then increase until you regularly break the 10,000 steps mark per day.
3. Incorporate exercise-promoting activities into your everyday life!
Even if it seems difficult, regular exercise in everyday life is nothing more and nothing less than a healthy habit that you can learn.
To do this faster, my tips for more exercise in everyday life will help you:
- The classic: climbing stairs
Who hasn’t heard it before – use the stairs instead of the elevator – but unfortunately only a few really pull it through. So keep in mind what it will bring you: An average man who climbs stairs for 15 minutes consumes around 140 kcal. And takes quite a few steps. You just have to do it! - The second classic: leaving the car behind
Also leave the car behind and take the bike driving or walking is one of the oldest tips for exercise in everyday life. When shopping, it is advisable to have a backpack with you and a good luggage rack on your bike, otherwise you will quickly come around the corner with your purchases with plastic bags on the handlebars and that is not really good for driving safety. By the way: For 30 minutes of cycling, you can credit your exercise account with 2,500 steps. - Park further away
A tip that not only helps you to take more steps, but also your car less and also spares your nerves. The next time you have an appointment and have to drive there, just park a few hundred meters away from your destination. Most of the time it is so much easier to get a parking space and even get to your appointment earlier than if you have to drive in circles three times to even be able to park. - Get off earlier
If you use public transport a lot, you can get on one station later or one station earlier get out. This also brings you some plus points on your step account. - The copier / printer in the office
Of course it is nice when everyone has their printer in the office. Nevertheless, when it comes to exercise, it pays off if there is only one device and it is somewhere in the aisle. Every employee has to get up from their armchair to be able to print something. So you come back to a few hundred steps more per day, it depends on how much you print. - Preferably personally
When there is something to discuss in the office, all too often people pick up the phone or send a short email. But it is much more personable and also better for your movement account to visit your colleague in person and discuss the upcoming issues with him or her. - Get up and walk up and down while on the phone
When you are standing on the phone or walking slowly, you are not only doing something for your 10,000 step goal, but you are also listening to the phone more energetically. - Take advantage of standing times
How often do you wait in various queues for this or that – far too often. You can take advantage of this next time by standing on one leg and bending it slightly. You only lift the second leg off very slightly, so hardly anyone will notice what you are doing. The whole thing is then a little strengthening and balance training. If you don’t want to do it in public, at least do it at home, for example while cooking or brushing your teeth. If you go to the booth, your pedometer will respond too. - Encouraging the child’s urge to move
Here is good news for everyone who has children: Children are exhausting, they give it but back a thousand times. They are also the best motivators when it comes to exercise. They still have a natural urge to do so, which we adults have unfortunately often lost. It is all the more important that we adults support our children and show them how important exercise is and what fun it can be . So off to the tricycle, balance bike, bike, into the trampoline, up on the tree, and much more. and the call to parents – join in! - The garden is calling
If you only have one apartment, you can do a few squats on your balcony, with what garden owners can do can do everything in their green open-air gym, but of course they can’t keep up. A well-tended garden may require strength, but it also lets you take a few more steps a day and that’s twice as good – for your body and your garden. - Walk at the booth while brushing your teeth
A simple tip that will help you to wake up and credit a few steps to your exercise account. - Walks with friends and family
The next time someone comes to visit, you can combine it with a nice walk. This has several advantages. In the fresh air it is much easier to talk, temptations such as cookies are also rather rare when walking and you can also show your visitor something about your area.
So incorporate at least one tip into your everyday life today and keep doing it until you reach the 10,000 step mark.
In the following infographic you will also find a lot of inspiration for more exercise in everyday life.
You can think of something to spend a more dynamic everyday life and improve your step account.
Let me and my other readers know in the comments!
4. Track your progress and keep motivating yourself!
Once you have started to incorporate more exercise into your everyday life, the main thing now is: stay tuned! Carry on!
You can motivate yourself to do this again and again by making it clear to yourself what exercise brings you or by reading through fitness quotes and motivational sayings.
It is also extremely motivating when you see the 10,000 mark on your pedometer.
Bird flies, fish swims, humans run. Emil Zatopek
It’s like a game. Win it!
Conclusion
It really is that simple.
It’s all about DO and the motivation for it again.
Hence my tip. Do it. Now!
- Check your current status!
- Set yourself small goals and achieve the big ones!
- Incorporate exercise-promoting activities into your everyday life!
- Track your progress and keep motivating yourself!
Would you like a little more motivation at the end? Here you go:
If you manage to double your daily steps from 5,000 to 10,000, you will consume around 1,800 more calories per week (at 1.80 height and 76 kg body weight – click here for the steps in meter calculator)!
That corresponds to a good kilo of fat within a month that you can shed. Alone through more everyday movement!
Cool, isn’t it!