Hi, Friends!  So last night as I took the pup for her last walk of the day I thought about what really motivated me to do so?  It was the fact that my watch said 8,700, therefore not over 10,000 and I just can’t miss it when I’m so close!

If you are not on the 10,000 steps per day bandwagon yet, first, I admire you for holding out so long – I did the same with skinny jeans and second, I slightly love tap the back of your head because there really is nothing easier you could do to protect your health than walking a little extra per day.

Research shows again and again that sitting at our desk for hours and hours throughout the day increases our risk for weight gain and chronic disease, regardless of if we workout!  So what did we do?  We got standing desks, which was a fine solution and does burn more calories, but now research is showing that it isn’t enough.  Your body needs movement, not just in the morning or at night, but all throughout the day for optimal health.

There are tons of fitness tracker options on the market from phone applications (like motion X), to wearable devices starting now at around $80 bucks.  In the past I’ve owned a Fit Bit and I currently wear a Vivo Active.  Each one has pluses and minuses, you can get them to literally just count your steps all the way to monitoring every workout, heart rate, sleep and bathroom habits.  Okay, just kidding about the last part, at least so far.  The point is there is something out therefore for everyone, for every price point, technology comfort level, and activity level.  There is really no reason not to monitor your steps!

 

How To Get 10,000 Steps Per Day

1. Get a fitness tracker and find out how many steps you take now!
2. Start your day with a short 15-30 minute walk.  This helps to get your body moving for the day and loosen tight muscles that develop when your sleeping.  When you go from sleeping to sitting within the hour your muscles stay constricted with the lack of blood flow!
3. Incorporate short mental breather walks throughout the day like right before or after lunch
4. Park farther away
5. Walk somewhere you would normally drive (that is in walking distance) – LIKE THE MAILBOX (you know you got those sunglasses on doing the drive-by mail stop, walk down there people!)
6. Go the farthest bathroom possible (drink lots of water so you have to go frequently)
7. Take the stairs instead of the elevator
8. Play with kids and/or pets
9. Play a Zumba video
10. Last ditch effort –> Do side shuffles back and forth while watching TV–> I’ve seen my MIL do this, it’s great movement for her and awesome entertainment for us!

Have you had a tracker for a while now?  Are you regularly getting 10,000 steps?  I often challenge my clients (and myself) who have been wearing a fitness tracker regularly to not wear it during their workout and ONLY wear it during the day.  So if I go for a 5 mile run in the morning, then sit for 10 hours on end and rack up 1,000 steps during that time.  Sure, I’m over my 10,000 steps for the day but I still only moved around for ONE hour out of all 24 hours in the WHOLE day!

52 HEALTHY HABITS IN 52 WEEKS SERIES:

The 52 Healthy Habits Series is about ditching the diet mindset and making small changes to improve health overall naturally leading to a healthy body composition, increased energy and improved health. Please follow along and check out the past weeks!

• Week 52: Healthy Habits Wrap Up
• Week 51: Nightly Reflection
• Week 50: Limit Harmful Chemicals
• Week 49: Find Your Tribe
• Week 48: Cultivating Positivity
• Week 47: Healthy Thanksgiving Tips
• Week 46: Check In
• Week 45: Mobility – Foam Rolling
• Week 44: HIIT Training
• Week 43: LISS or Steady State Cardio
• Week 42: Limit Alcohol
• Week 41: Eat White, Wait What?
• Week 40: Eat Blue & Purple
• Week 39: Eat Green
• Week 38: Eat Yellow/Orange
• Week 37: Eat Red
• Week 36: Learn Which Foods to Purchase Organic
• Week 35: Read the Ingredient List!
• Week 34: Focus.
• Week 33: Chew Your Food!
• Week 32: Meditation
• Week 31: Gratitude Journaling
• Week 30: Plan & Revamp Dessert- 20 Healthy Ideas
• Week 29: Two fistfuls of veggies per meal
• Week 28: Get In Veggies At Breakfast
• Week 27: Healthy Veggie Snacks
• Week 26: Nourishing Fats for the Gut (Healthy Digestion Part 4)
• Week 25: Keeping Regular – The Other Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 3)
• Week 24: Feed The Probiotics With Prebiotic Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 2)
• Week 23: Amazing Health Benefits of Probiotics (Healthy Digestion Part 1)
• Week 22: Check In
• Week 21: What You Will Learn From Recording Your Meals (Intuitive Eating Series Part 4)
• Week 20: Eat Until 80% Full (Hara Hachi Bu) (Intuitive Eating Series Part 3)
• Week 19: Limit Distractions While Eating (Intuitive Eating Series Part 2)
• Week 18: Gaging Your Hunger Cues (Intuitive Eating Series Part 1)
• Week 17: 10,000 Steps Per Day
• Week 16: Assess Your Caffeine Intake
• Week 15: Decrease Sugar Intake
• Week 14: Healthy Coffee Creamers (upgrade yours)
• Week 13: 3 Month Check In
• Week 12: Sleep Enough & Sleep Better
• Week 11: Schedule Your Workouts
• Week 10: Pack A Healthy Lunch (5 Ways to Create Endless Combinations)
• Week 9: Prioritizing Protein
• Week 8: How and What to Meal Prep
• Week 7: Create & Stick To Your Healthy Meal Plan
• Week 6: Get Enough Omega-3’s (Fight Inflammation)
• Week 5: What Is A Healthy Fat & How To Get Enough (Include Healthy Fats)
• Week 4: How to Spot A Healthy Carbohydrate (Upgrade Your Carbs)
• Week 3: Tips to Increase Veggie Intake (Eat Veggies)
• Week 2: 15 Healthy On the Go Breakfast Ideas (Eat BF Challenge)
• Week 1: Tips to Drink More Water