Tomorrow kicks off our Happy Healthy Holidays Challenge! I posted three workouts on Monday, and will have a brand new PLANKSgiving workout for you tomorrow that requires zero equipment, minimal space (perfect for a hotel room or guest bedroom), and only takes 20 minutes. Between those four workouts, I think we have to workout portion of the challenge covered for this week, so lets talk about how we can get in 10,000 steps a day!
Some of you may have jobs that keep you on your feet for a good part of the day, but for those with desk jobs, fitting in 10,000 steps can be hard and something we have to work at a little bit. Not to say that it's a negative thing to have to work towards 10,000 steps, it just might be something we have to get a little strategic about. Here are the tricks I use to git extra steps into my day.
Sneaky ways to fit in extra steps:
- Walk laps around your house while talking on the phone with friends. You'll be shocked how many steps you can fit in during a 30 minute phone call with your friend.
- Catch up on your leisure reading while walking on the treadmill. I love fitness magazines, so I try to read them while walking on the treadmill to do double duty.
- Every time a commercial comes on take a lap around your house. Try to make the biggest loop around the inside of your house as possible. If you have stairs you can go up and down, that's even better.
- Use the restroom that is furthest away from you rather you are at home or at work. If you're like me, and have to go every 30 minutes, this one can really add up quickly!
- Take a preview lap around the store before you begin your shopping. This is my favorite thing to do when I'm at Target. I do a lap around the whole store and then dive into my list. :)
- Walk to the end of your street and back when you go to the mailbox instead of heading straight there and straight back inside.
- Park further away when running errands. I'm talking at the very back of the lot.
- Take your shopping cart all the way back inside the grocery store instead of the cart return chutes.
- Walk your dog up and down the block one time instead of just taking them out in the front yard to use the restroom.
- Set your timer while your working on the computer and get up every 10-15 minutes for a quick walking break. If you work in an office, go up and down the stairs one time or take a lap around the office. If you are at home, do a loop around your house or walk to the end of the block and back if it's nice outside.
- Whenever you are waiting for something to heat up in the microwave, take a few laps around your house. I know this one seems silly, but steps are steps people! I also walk around while I am waiting for the bottle to finish in the bottle warmer.
- You are suppose to brush your teeth for two minutes so why not fit in two minutes of extra walking as well?
- Walk to the corner store, Starbucks, or the grocery store whenever possible. There is a Red Box about .75 miles from our house that we walk to whenever we want to rent a movie.
Cute walking buddies always help!
Those are some of the things I try to do on a daily basis to increase my step bottom line. I'm sure there are 1,000 other creative ways to fit in more steps, but those are what work for me!
Your total caloric expenditure is made up of three primary parts..... 60-75% resting metabolic rate, 15-30% activity thermogenesis (exercise), and 10% thermic effect of food. Of the 15-30% of caloric expenditure that comes from exercise, the majority is expended through nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) or spontaneous physical activity such as walking. Research has shown repeatedly that increasing your NEAT can help you increase your overall daily caloric expenditure by a significant amount and therefore ward of weight gain. That is why walking 10,000+ steps a day can have such a positive impact on your overall health and waistline!
So get to steppin!
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't forget to check back in tomorrow for your Planksgivig workout. I will be sure to post it bright an early for those of you wanting to fit in a workout before you start cooking, watching football, or hanging out with your family and friends!
What do you do to squeeze more activity into your day?
In health,