Getting your 10k steps (minimum) is all the rage these days. And while I do think increasing our overall movement on a day to day basis is a must do good thing, I adhere to a 8-10k range or whatever feels doable without causing me extra stress.
Side note: Here’s a great article on the 10k myth…
Given my personal circumstances, I’m not able to get out for a daily 30-60 minute walk. I just can’t squeeze that plus all of my other work + personal commitments in right now.
That said, I’ve found a few creative ways to help me get to the upper limit of my step count on an almost daily basis.
- I love dancing, and I love dancing with my kids even more. So whenever we get a chance, we dance. We have homepods all over the house, so music is available in every room whenever we want it. Even if it’s 5-10 minutes, I dance! Boom – increased step count!
- I play with my kids! I get down on the ground and crawl around. We also play chase regularly or some kind of indoor dodgeball. Boom – increased step count!
- I don’t wait in front of the microwave while it’s on. I walk around. Every 30 seconds to 1 minute adds up. And the same goes for the blender. I don’t just stand there and wait. I walk. Boom – step count increasted!
- This may be an unpopular one, but when I fold laundry, I don’t fold and then put it all way. I fold some, put that away, fold again, put away, etc. This keeps the piles from becoming too overwhelming, and I get my steps in. Boom – increased step count.
- When I’m doing a strength workout, I jog in place in between sets and circuits. Boom – increased step count.
- I don’t do this every night, but when Vishnu and I are catching up in the evenings, I’ll jog in place or walk around the living room. (He’s used to my creative ways!). Boom – increased step count.
- I never park close to the entrance of the grocery store. Ever. Boom – increased step count.
- I randomly jog in place every now and then. Boom – increased step count.
- For every 45-50 minutes of sitting and working, I walk around my room for 5 minutes. Boom – increased step count.
- This one is a new one for me, but something I’m not going to stop doing no matter how weird I may look. Sometimes, because traffic is unpredictable, I get to K’s bus stop 5-10 minutes early. It’s a huge parking lot, so I just get out of my car and make loops around the lot. This has increased my step count from 1-3k (depending on how late the bus was). Boom – increased step count!
How do you creatively increase your step count? Please share!
