An important part of embracing a healthy lifestyle is by being active and keeping your body moving throughout the day. And what easier way to accomplish this than by walking?

There’s been no research to suggest that 10,000 steps is the magical number, but research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activityestablishes that healthy adults typically take between 4,000 and 18,000 steps/day and that 10,000 steps/day is reasonable number for healthy human adults.

So how can one go about making sure that they walk 10,000+ steps every day? This post discusses some unique and creative ways you can go about embracing this new habit into your life.

1. Walk a pet

Walking a pet is an effective way of getting some time off from your phone, spending some rare cherished moments with nature, and also spending time with pets, which is, as suggested by scientists over the years, an excellent way to boost your mood.

If you don’t own a pet, you can volunteer to be a pet sitter. This will not only help you get your daily step count in, it will also make an excellent source of extra income.

2. Take the stairs

This is a no-brainer but incredibly effective. Avoid elevators and always take the stairs, especially if you have to climb upstairs as this acts as an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise.

3. Take ‘active’ breaks

When you take a break in between work, don’t spend that sitting down and scrolling through your phone. Instead, you can walk around the room, go to the balcony and stare outside for a while, or simply stretch a bit and work your muscles.

You can also combine this with the Pomodoro technique to boost your productivity while making sure you aren’t compromising on your health.

4. Get a treadmill desk

Working while you’re walking might seem like a bit of a stretch. but it’s an excellent way to increase your daily step count while also making sure you have a lot f creativity juices flowing inside your body.

You can also watch this talk by our in-house expert Sarah Milstein

5. Park away from the office

No matter where you are headed, park your vehicle a few blocks away from your destination. If you use cab services, ask the cab to stop a few miles away from wherever you’re headed.

This way, you can get in a few steps and also use that time on the road to organize your thoughts and prepare yourself for whatever is coming next.

6. Walk after meals

Science has proven that taking a 15-minute walk after dinner can help you digest your food better. So, after every meal, simply put your walking shoes on and go on a short walk to sid your digestion and get some me-time to declutter your brain.

7. Walk while you talk

Never take a phone call sitting. Whenever you see your phone buzzing, grab it, get off your desk, and start walking as you have the conversation.

8. Go on walk-meetings

This might sound like a new concept, but when a friend comes to you saying they need to talk about something important, ask them if they would like to have the discussion as you walk.

This is an excellent way to add more steps to your daily count and also bond better with your friends over this shared activity you two commence together.

9. Get a habit tracker

If you’re trying to build this new habit of walking 10,000 steps or more every day, you can turn to technology for help if you ever feel you’re struggling or faltering. Simply download a habit tracker that lets you mark each day on the calendar when you successfully stuck to your new habit. Seeing an unbroken streak will serve as the biggest motivator and keep pushing you on this new journey.

10. Have an accountability partner

You can also hire an accountability coach to help keep you on track. These are trained professionals who will hold you accountable for your new habit of using the Pomodoro technique and help you get back on track if you ever fall off the wagon.

So, what are you waiting for? Find a life coach from the world’s best coaching directory to unlock the next level in your life today!

Walking is one of the easiest, most fun ways of keeping your health in check. No matter what age you’re at, what kind of work you do, or where you live, you can easily incorporate walking into your daily routine and add it as a viable form of exercise in your daily habits.

While researchers are still conflicted about the exact number of steps one needs to walk daily, some studies claim that walking 10,000 steps every day is a good start. But for someone who has never walked a lot and mostly leads a sedentary lifestyle, how to go about including walking in your daily routine?

This post discusses five easy steps you can apply to your life right now to start walking more often. These are science-backed tips you can add to your life from today onwards and watch the visible change it brings to your overall physical and mental health.

1. Stroll with friends

Going on a walk all by yourself can be hard if your job requires you to sit in front of a computer all day long. You can start small and build this habit gradually by going on a stroll with your friends every evening. 

Walking with friends is a great way of getting your body used to walking more as you can laugh, share stories, and have fun. It will feel more like a fun activity than a workout session. It will also go a long way in building a habit you’ll forever be grateful for.

2. Boost the intensity

While strolling with friends is a good way to incorporate walking into your daily routine, it might not be very effective health-wise as you won’t be walking fast. You can take care of this by slowly increasing the pace. If your friends refuse to follow the pace you set, you can start embarking on your daily walks alone.

Start by playing music in your headphones and choosing tracks that have a high beats per minute ratio. The fast-paced tracks will pump your heartbeat and make it easier to walk faster without thinking too much about how hard a task you’re accomplishing.

3. Head out after a meal

While scientists are not sure if working out after a meal is a good idea, some form of light exercise disguised as brisk walking never hurts. 

This will act as a great mood-booster, and you can walk all those calories away. A quick post-meal walk can also help clear sugar from the blood,according to the American Diabetes Association. This will prevent spikes that can take a toll on people with diabetes or who are at risk of developing it.

4. Put your phone away

Looking at your phone all the time while walking will require you to be hunched all the time and lead to bad posture. To prevent this from happening, you need to keep your phone away.

Don’t keep it at home. Instead, get a fanny pack or a small pouch to be slung over your shoulders and keep your phone inside it. Get some Bluetooth earphones that allow you to listen to music while being hands-free as you walk.

5. Use a steps tracker

Having a fitness tracker app on your phone or wearing a Fitbit on your wrist as you walk is a great way to count the daily steps and keep yourself motivated. When you know you need to walk a fixed number of steps daily, you will feel even more inclined towards doing it if you have a tracker to count how many steps you have already walked. This will also put you in the mood to celebrate better once you’ve accomplished your daily steps goal.

Bonus: Have a partner

Having someone else do it with you can make building any new habit easier. If you can’t find a friend who’s also learning to walk every day at the same time as you are, you can hire an accountability coach to help keep you on track. These are trained individuals who will hold you accountable and help you get back on track if you ever fall off the wagon.

You can also turn to technology and download a free habit tracker. This is a great way to mark your progress on the calendar and use it to motivate yourself to keep pushing on.  ,