How to do 10,000 Steps a Day (in 10 easy steps!)

Like so many of us, I hate exercise! The gym is boring, exercise classes give me flashbacks to bottom-set PE, and a run has me feeling minutes from death before you can say ‘stitch!’

However, I have managed to find one activity that I can enjoy, and that’s walking. Walking is wonderfully low impact, requires no sports gear, and is easy to fit into your day once you know how. It’s also a great way to look after your physical and mental health at the same time, whilst you take in the scenery. Last month, I made a vow to spend more time on my one form of voluntary movement by aiming for those frequently hailed ten thousand steps a day, and I’m glad to say I achieved them. As well as feeling healthier, my local geography has improved and my pace is much quicker, so I’m planning to persevere with this resolution in 2025.

It’s important to note that the number 10,000 was, surprisingly, plucked out of thin air for a marketing campaign in Japan during the 1960s, and has no scientific evidence to back it. In fact, a recent study has put the magic number closer to 7,500 (Steve Calechman, Harvard Health Publishing, July 2019). Regardless, I think we can all agree that 10,000 is a much catchier number to go by, and the extra 2500 steps a day - that’s almost an extra million over the year - probably won’t hurt, especially for the gym-dodgers amongst us.

So, without further ado here are ten simple steps to get your step count up:

Step One: Get Claustophobic!
The easiest way to get yourself outside is to get uncomfortable inside. Try to notice how annoying the people you live with are, or, If you live alone, then pay attention to how insufferably quiet it is. Wouldn’t it be great to get outside and escape these four walls? Your shoes are calling…

Step Two : Find something to track your steps with.
Your phone probably does it already, but if you’d rather leave it at home then there are plenty of smart watches on the market with built-in pedometers.

Step Three: Find something good to listen to.
Music, podcasts, audiobooks - you know what you like. The miles really start to fly by when you’ve got something interesting to occupy you.

Step Four: Be bad at parking.
If you’re terrible at parking, then you’ll have noticed that the nicest parking spots are normally the ones furthest from your ultimate destination. Some might say that parking exclusively in these spots is a show of motoring cowardice, but I think we can rebrand it as a habit of the truly health conscious. So skip the parallel parking in the town centre and go for the quiet long-stay a few minutes down the road.

Step Five : Learn your long-cuts.
Building up a mental repertoire of scenic routes and detours to your frequent destinations is a great way to get in a few extra steps a day.

Step Six: Phone a friend.
This is another easy method to keep the walk more entertaining, and it’s a very efficient way to combine your exercise with your social life. You’ll also get to signal to everyone you walk past that you’re just so busy and so mysterious that you have to take phone calls on the go! (Even when you’re really just gossiping on a loop around the new housing estate!)

Step Seven: Use some of your lunch hour to get moving.
This is also a great way to keep your energy up in the afternoon and avoid that post-lunch slump that tends to kick in after an hour of sitting down and eating. And as a bonus, you’ll have less time for small talk with your colleagues.

Step Eight: Race against the sunset.
There’s nothing quite like a rapidly disappearing beautiful view to prompt you into a power walk. Think of a good spot to watch the sunset from, check when the sun goes down, and then leave the house with only just enough time to reach it.

Step Nine: Get Lost.
A foolproof method of getting lots of steps in is to not know where you’re going. Go somewhere new and resist the urge to find your bearings with the wonders of Google Maps. You’ll discover dead ends and hidden gems.

Step Ten: Take an expedition to the next town over.
There’s a great sense of achievement and adventure in making a journey on foot that you’ve only ever done before with wheels. Pack yourself a picnic and put on some walking boots - you’ll be surprised at how far you can go in a day. A great tool for route planning is to use the maps feature on Bing, where you can view all of the Ordinance Survey maps free of charge.

Written by Charlotte Harris