The great thing about walking is that anyone can do it! You can walk fast or slow, big steps or little steps. You can walk for 20 minutes or you can walk for an hour. You can walk on the flats or up a hill. (I feel like I should be rhyming like Dr. Seuss!) You don’t need to break a sweat and you don’t need any fitness gear other than a good pair of shoes that support your foot. Here’s the breakdown:
- 1 mile = 2000 steps and this is approximately 100 calories
- 1 pound = 3500 calories
- To lose 1 pound in a week, you need to burn 500 calories a day.
- 10,000 steps per day will get you there!
- 5 miles is the equivalent of 10,000 steps.
Set aside time during your day to go for a dedicated “fitness” walk, not just logging steps to your desk and the bathroom and the grocery store. Set aside time to go for your walk, whether it be on a treadmill or outside. Pull your zipper up! Engage your abdominals by pulling in your stomach and imagining zipping up a tight pair of pants. Keep your zipper “on” throughout your fitness walk. The rest of the day just make sure you have your tracker on your person and log your steps. Other ways to get more steps are:
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Park further away from your destination
- Get up every hour from your desk and take a lap around the office
Pedometers, Fitbits, Apple watches, iPhones all have trackers on them to log steps. Some are more accurate than others.
Pedometers need to sit on your hip…if not placed correctly you miss steps.
Iphone – you need to have it on your person at all times to be accurate, otherwise you only get a representation of the times you hold it and are moving.
Fitbits and Apple Watches are the best because they are on your person and you have most likely accurately measured your stride length with it. They are by far the easiest and best measurement of steps.
So, start walking! 