Hitting my step count has become a core part of my daily goals. While it’s easy now, it hasn’t always been so natural for me.
When I started in 2017, I was getting about 8,000 steps per day. Most of this was due to the 25 min walk each way to the office. Getting to 10,000 was quite straightforward. I only needed to add about 20 mins of walking each day. I managed to increase this to 15,000 steps a day in 2019.
Then Covid hit and we were all working from home. 15,000 steps became 1500… on a good day.
I was determined to get back to my 15,000 average. I’ve had to come up with a lot of different tactics to keep up with my daily step goals (see below). One could say I care about my steps a little too much.
I’m so obsessed with hitting my step counts that I managed to walk 10,000 steps a day while in Covid Hotel Quarantine when entering Australia in 2020. The room was only 27m² / 291ft².
Why measure step count? 🔗
It’s the easiest measure of my overall activity.
This came from when I read Ikigai. The idea that movement throughout the day is key to overall health and longevity.
(i have mixed feelings on the book, but more on that another time)
As the author puts it, “Studies from the Blue Zones suggest that the people who live the longest are not the ones who do the most exercise but rather the ones who move the most.”
[Ogimi’s residents] don’t go to the gym or exercise intensely, but they almost never stop moving in the course of their daily routines.
Ikigai (Chapter 8, p135)
My simple measurements:
- <5,000 Steps - Lazy Day
- 5-9,000 Steps - Slow Day
- 9-12,000 Step - Good Day
- 12-20,000 Steps - Active Day
- 20,000+ Steps - Very Active Day / Walked Across New York.
Is it the best or only measure? Debatable. Does it work for me? 100%.
What does 1,000 steps look like? 🔗
On average we walk about 100 steps per minute. 10,000 steps is 10 minutes of walking. Easy.
100 minutes a day of walking! Nobody has time to go on hour long walks every day.
That’s why we need to keep in mind the idea of constant movement. Move throughout the day and soon enough you’ll find yourself hitting the 10k steps without thinking.
My tips to getting to more steps in your day. 🔗
Overall my advice boils down to “Be Less Efficient”. The world has become optimised around laziness and I’m one of the worst offenders. This can also be our superpower - can we optimise for convenience and health? I think so!
At the end of the day I treasure the inefficiencies. By hitting my step goals, I no longer have to worry about fitting gym sessions in. My whole day is more active - you burn more calories and overall feel better. The gym becomes a bonus, not a necessity.
(💙 = my favourites)
Take an activity you already do and add steps to it. Unlike actual multitasking, walking doesn’t take much cognitive load.
- Wander your home while brushing your teeth (+200 steps, 2x a day)
- Wander your home when on work calls - turn off the camera, chuck on headphones, and pace around.
- When waiting, pace around. At a doctor’s office, or a meeting, or after ordering your takeout.
Focus less on optimising for time. You didn’t need to “save” every minute of your day. An extra 2-3 mins here and there won’t disrupt your day.
- Park further away - not only do you add 100s of steps each time, but you will never stress about the perfect spot again.
- 💙 Take the scenic or less efficient route - you don’t need to use Google Maps to determine the exact walking directions. Accept the extra few mins.
- Take the stairs. Skip the escalator or elevator, you can walk up 1-2 flights of stairs.
- Take multiple trips with your laundry / unloading groceries.
- When going to the bathroom, skip the closest spot.
- When getting up for a break (or to grab a snack), do a short 60 second wander around.
- 💙 Instead of taking a Taxi, Uber, or Bus… walk. I follow a simple 10 minute rule -> if it’s less than 10 minutes, walk. If walking is only 10 minutes longer, walk.
- Take public transport instead of driving. You also gain time on the bus / train since you’re no longer actively driving.
Make chores your exercise. It hit me one day - who do I order food delivery, but also schedule time for to go on a walk? It’s silly.
- Actually go grocery shopping - can easily add 1000 steps to your day.
- Pick up your food instead of getting delivery - you support your local restaurants AND get some steps in.
- Make a habit of tidying up. You don’t have to Marie Kondo your home, but the extra trips to add up.
Introduce new habits to increase steps.
- 💙 Go out to get coffee. I have a great espresso machine setup at home, but I still go out to get coffee most days. It’s not cheap, but it’s a nice 15 minute break and adds 1000 steps.
- 💙 Drink more water - more water means more bathroom breaks, which means more steps. Not to mention, you’re probably dehydrated.
- 💙 Go for a daily walk. I know answering “how can I get more steps?” with “walk” sounds silly, but hear me out. Every morning i go on a 30-40 minute walk along the water. It takes such little effort (unlike the gym) that you can still be half asleep when you start. It’s my moment of peace before the day begins. Sometimes I listen to podcasts, sometimes I think about what I want to achieve in the day, sometimes I just wander. It’s become more of a meditation than anything.
- Have lunch outside of your home / office - even if you’ve made your own food, walk to a nearby park to eat it.
- Use Apple Watch Stand Reminders - when you receive these, go for a short 60s wander around. Get a new glass of water. Do a lap of your home, or office. (How to turn on: Activity App > Account (Top Right) > Notifications > Stand Reminders)
If even 1 of these tips helped you, then I’m happy. If you have any good tips to share, please send them to me :)
Stay active!