I have to admit that I love my Fitbit. When I first got it I wondered if it was really possible to get 10,000 fitbit steps in a single day. There is some research that proves that 10,000 steps in a day has real health benefits.
In fact I have written about my Fibit a couple of times here on the site, and the fact that it has been on my arm for well over a year is a testament to how it has affected my life.
So since the beginning of using my Fitbit I have tried to setup my day to get my 10,000 steps in. Even better if I can hit that goal earlier in the day so that I can shoot for a big number!
How I Guarantee Myself 10,000 Fitbit Steps a Day
[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”400″ identifier=”B00N2BWF6Q” locale=”US” src=”https://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/41pXbnxiiJL.jpg” tag=”calputerbusin-20″ width=”350″]Here are a few tips that helped me get to my step goal, in fact my average is nearly 12,000 steps a day and I have to assure you that it is tough work for me, and it does not come easy.- I am not a runner
- I have a desk job
- I am a computer nerd that loves to be on Windows desktop or MacBook Pro
So with a few things against me here are a few tips that I can offer on how to get 10,000 steps in no matter who you are.
Make sure to start the day with steps – I get up in the morning and I have to take the dog out, feed the dog and cat, get my lunch together and start the car. Really what I do is get a bit of momentum in the morning so that I have a bunch of steps in even before I have had breakfast
Get short walks in throughout the day – I make sure that I have to move around at work. Being a deskbound IT guy I have the choice often to call or email someone, or just go over and talk to them.
It is much healthier to get up instead of sitting all day. In fact studys show that we should get up and move at least once an hour.
Have a long walk in the afternoon – I love to take my dog for a walk right after work. In fact we have a special route that we take that is about 25 minutes walk and about 2500 steps.
This helps me unwind in the afternoon and get ready for the evening. Also my little dog loves to get out and have me talk to her along the way (people must look at me a little weird).
Have a walk in the Evening – Often, depending on the weather I will take the dog out later in the evening before going to bed. This is the time I take to kind of reflect on the day for 10 minutes or so. Our dog Belle loves these walks too as it is dark and the smells outside are a bit different.
Joining a gym – Somehow I have 3 gyms that I can workout in right now but really I usually use the gym to do weights. If I feel like I am not getting enough cardio in though I will go and walk on the treadmill with a little jogging mixed in.
Keeping Walking On Track Through The Day
Now That I have the times for my walks, here are some stepping strategies to keep me on track at all times. To get 10,000 fitbit steps a day you need to be sure to make the most of your time and motivation.
Setup 16 hours a day for 250 steps per hour – Last year Fitbit put on a new section to the iPhone and Android apps that allows you to set a time range and it will track the hours in which you get at least 250 steps.
I think they try and pick 10 hours or so but it is customizable, so I changed mine to 16 hours that I am up.
I review this every few days just to see if there are times in the day that I am just not getting enough steps. I find that this is a great target since we should be getting up every hour anyway.
Track everyday to find holes in your daily schedule – Along with the part above I also look at my day to seen when the downtimes should be uptimes.
I always have at least a couple hours where I did not get 250 steps. These are badly designed hours in my book that I improve going forward
Think about activity all the time – Parking farther away from the building or store, taking stairs instead of elevators, making sure I have to walk around the house to get things. These all look like efficiencies in our schedule but planning some inefficient time helps us to get some more steps in and clear the mind.
Make excuses for short walks – We have a grocery store a few blocks away, maybe a 10 minute walk and if we just need a couple things I will resist driving to the big grocery store and instead just walk down to the store and back instead.
I especially like doing this in the Winter as it is cold here in Calgary and finding excuses to get out in -20 weather are really hard to come by 😉
Lower your stress level – I find that if my stress level is high that I will always be in a rush. So this is a push/pull kind of strategy. If I feel stressed from home or work I will be apt to walk less. In these situations I will make an excuse to just go for a short walk to calm myself the hell down and at the same time I get a bunch of extra steps in.
This is good for me in two ways, lower stress, get exercise!
One of the really great things is the community aspect of Fitbit and there are two ways that I take advantage of this. Both with strangers and new friends
Compete against Friends – First there are workweek hustles and Weekend Warrior challenges where you find people and compete against them for those day or days, or weekend to see how gets the most steps. Find me here and friend me on Fitbit
Fitbit City Groups – Second, most Cities have a group where all the people in that city on Fitbit, or most anyway, are tracking. For instance here in Calgary there are 912 people tracking and in any given month I am between 100 and 120th for the city.
This motivates me to work a bit harder to move up a few steps
I hope this list of ways and strategies for how to get 10,000 Fitbit steps a day in is useful to you. If you have any more ideas please share!
