Will 10,000 Steps A Day Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals?The answer is… maybe! Walking 10,000 steps a day is now widely recommended by exercise experts as a target number for improving your health. The number was not developed from scientific research and it isn’t a magic number that will improve everyone’s health if everyone walks that many steps a day. Some people should walk less and some should walk even more. The majority of people do not walk 10,000 steps per day, which is equivalent to 5 miles a day. Most people only achieve 3,000 to 6,000 steps a day. Therefore, this target number is roughly equal to the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendation to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate activity above and beyond your normal daily activity on most days of the week. This means that if you can find ways to add extra steps to your day, adding up to 10,000, you will most likely be adding 30 minutes of moderate activity to your day as well. However, if you are a very active person and your daily steps equal 9,000, you will need to increase your daily steps to 12,000 to meet the Surgeon General’s recommendation to get an extra 30 minutes of activity. There has been some research to support the health benefits of walking 10,000 steps per day. It has been linked to weight loss, increased physical activity and reduced blood pressure. What I like about this target number is that it is something you can measure. If you tell yourself that you are going to “walk more” today, what does that mean and how can you tell if you have indeed walked more? Counting your steps and setting a number above your current number of daily steps gives you something you can work toward and measure your progress. How Can I Count My Steps? The best way to count your steps is to use a pedometer. A pedometer is a small device that is clipped onto your waistband or belt and will count each step that you take. Of course they can do much more than that, such as tracking your total mileage and calories burned, but a simple one is all you really need to count your daily steps. You can buy a good pedometer at a sporting goods store for about $15. Read this article and find the best pedometer for you. Research has shown that those who wear pedometers increase their daily step total by more than 2,000 steps, which is equivalent to a mile. Wear your pedometer and track your steps for five days to get a good idea of how many steps you take per day. If your daily step count is 6,000 steps or less, than 10,000 steps a day will be a good goal for you. If your step count is greater than 6,000, you will need to set your goal higher, up to 12,000 or 14,000 if you are looking to lose weight. Otherwise, 10,000 steps per day is a good number to maintain the current health benefits you are receiving from an active lifestyle. Follow the 10% rule Let’s say that you have found out that you take an average of 6,000 daily steps. Do not try to increase your steps to 10,000 tomorrow! You risk injuring yourself. A gradual approach is better. Plan to increase your steps by 10% each week. So if you take 6,000 steps a day, you will plan to increase your steps to 6,600 steps next week, then increase by another 10% the next week until you reach 10,000 steps a day. How Can I Add More Steps To My Day? Looking for some fun and easy ideas to add more steps to your day? This article provides ideas to
add more steps
that you can start using today.
|
