10,000 Steps a Day to Keep the Doctor Away
10,000 Steps?
About 40 years ago in Japan the idea was developed that walking 10,000
steps a day will help you keep fit and healthy without the need for
additional exercise. So ideally, between the first plundering steps to the
bathroom in the morning, to the last few as we crawl into bed at night, we
should have walked 10,000 steps, which is roughly 5 miles or 8 kilometres.
OK, miles and kilometres make it sound a little scary so how about
turning 10,000 steps into time. I’ve found I usually walk a kilometre in
about 12 minutes at a decent pace, so I could easily walk a bit slower and
still do a kilometre in 15 minutes. So I could walk my whole 10,000 steps
within 2 hours!
The even better news is that most of us walk around 4,000-6,000 steps a
day without even thinking about it. Even the laziest of us who sit at
desk all day do around 2,000.
But one thing’s for sure; you won’t know how many extra steps you
should be taking, unless you know how many you’re already walking.
Q: How do I find out how many steps?
A: A Pedometer, or step counter.
From £12.99 you can buy a basic pedometer, which will count your steps when activated and
clipped to your waist. Primarily pedometers count steps, but they can also
include extra features so you can see distance walked, calories, time, have a
panic alarm etc...
Once you have a pedometer use our
Daily Step Chart to record
the number of steps you take each day and then work out your daily average
for the week.
Getting to 10,000 steps a day
So now you know how many steps you normally walk a day it could just be
a case of cancelling the milkman and walking to the corner shop each day.
Or if you’re stuck at a desk all day, you could be miles off 10,000
steps a day.
If you do have a way to go to reach the 10,000 steps a day target,
build up slowly. Aim for an extra 10% or 500-1,000 steps a day. This way
you can ease the change into your routine and stick to it, you're also
much less likely to do yourself an injury by doing too much, too soon.
You may also find setting S.M.A.R.T.E.R objectives helpful as well as
motivational. See my example below:
Specific I will aim to do an extra 1,000
steps a day on top of my normal 6,000.
Measured I will remember to put my
pedometer on as part of getting dressed in the morning.
Agreed Some girls in the office are doing
this with me so we can motivate each other.
Realistic It’s only an extra 20 mins
walking a day.
Timed I should be doing 7,000 steps a day
by next Sunday.
Enjoyable I’m going to treat the dog for
longer walks, take the kids on an adventure at the weekend and walk to the
new restaurant I want to try.
Recorded I’ll put my
Daily Steps Chart on the
bathroom door so I wont forget to fill it in before I go to bed, and plot
my weekly progress on my 10,000
Steps A Day Graph.
Where to find the extra steps
Below are a few ideas on where to find those extra steps to get you to
10,000 steps a day:
- Park at the far end of the car park
- Instead of dropping the kids off in front of the school, park a
couple of streets before it and walk them the rest of the way
- Don’t go round the shopping centre or supermarket in a logical
order, you’ll be amazed how far you can walk going back and forth
- Take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator
- Give the dog an extra 5 minutes on his walk
- Stop emailing colleagues in the same office, instead go over and talk to
them
- Go for a walk during your lunch break, walk to get your lunch or to
find somewhere to eat your lunch
- Get up and do something, run up and down the stairs for example
during TV ads
- Walk to the corner shop instead of driving or popping in on your way
home
- Walk to friends houses instead of driving
- Get friends and family out of the house for a game of football or
frisbee
- Take friends or family on a picnic or go on an outing somewhere and
explore
How to record your steps
Below is a Daily Step Chart to record your results. It will
automatically average your steps for the days you've walked each week. You can print
a larger version to fill in offline. I’ve also included a printable graph so you
can plot your weekly progress till you reach your target of 10,000 steps a
day.
|
10,000 Steps:
|
Traditional style pedometer that counts steps and calories
only.
|
£12.99
|
|
|
The motivational Omron HJ 113 E Step Counter accurately
keeps track of every step, every day and has a 7 day memory.
Blue
|
£29.99
|
|
 |
One of the best folding treadmills available and great
value for money, the Reebok i-run treadmill comes in 4 stylish
colours.
White
|
£495
|
|
|
Advice, tips and training programs for all levels, includes walking log
|
£9.99
|
|
|
Record aerobic and strength training exercises on our
weekly workout cards. Great for motivating you to do
more.
|
£6.99
|
|
|
