Wellbeing | How to Sneak 10,000 steps into your Daily Routine

Rachel Emily Doing up shoe laces with gold Apple watch series three and Nike Trainers and Leggings

When I worked in retail 10,000 steps a day was a breeze, I could do it by 11am. Now I find myself walking around my car a few times to get an extra couple of hundred at lunchtime or to the printer and back a few times more than I need just to edge closer to that magic 10k.

Experts recommend that 10,000 steps daily can help maintain our health and well being. Just 10,000 steps. It can't be that hard can it? Working mainly in an office I didn't realise how hard it can actually be.

The other week I finally spent my birthday money from James and bought myself an apple watch and now I'm back to being addicted to tracking my steps. To help me get there I do set goals throughout my day, so I should have completed 5k by lunchtime and around 7.5k by the time I get home from work to help but here are my other tips and tricks for how to sneak 10,000 steps into your daily routine.

Rachel Emily Looking at Steps on Apple Watch Series Three Gold

Park Further Away and Walk a little extra

Take the space at the back of the car park, or park down the road. It's surprising at how many extra steps this helps you do. If you catch the bus, then get off a stop early and feel energised by those extra steps home.

Take the Stairs

Don't choose the lift. Don't choose the escalator. Take the stairs.

Stairs are a great way to up the step count and they also work additional muscles compared to walking on a flat surface. Living in a bungalow for 26 years made stairs a novelty but when I lived on the 8th floor in Cardiff I really noticed a difference in the strength of my legs.

Shop In Store

Online shopping is tempting because you don't need to put a bra on, or make up or even get out of bed. Studies show that you can do over 10,000 steps on a two-hour leisurely shopping trip. Just two hours can hit your daily target. Just beware while it's healthy step-wise, your bank account probably won't look so peachy afterwards.

Social Walking

Instead of meeting a friend for a coffee, or dinner, why not embrace a walking meet up? Choose a local park, or explore what's around you. You can still gossip, catch up and enjoy each others company but this time you burn the calories rather than consume them.

Drink more water

Stay with me on this one. If you drink more water, then you need to use the loo more which equals more steps. Also refilling the water that you are drinking also means you have to get up and move about. More steps. Drinking lots of water is also really good for you so this is a good habit to get into although be warned the number of toilet trips at the start is crazy...but lots of steps.

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Wednesday 6 June 2018