Spoiler alert, it’s getting 10,000 steps in per day. If you’re a runner I wouldn’t personally count those because we’re looking to add in non-exercise-related movement.
I aim to get a minimum of 10,000 steps in per day. And no, I don’t do this all at once! It’s typically spread out and consists of one long walk of 30-45 minutes and then some mini walks or just my walks to the toilet or fridge adding up! 🙂
I started tracking steps during the pandy when I was sitting at a computer all day and was having trouble falling asleep at night. I was working out 5 or 6x per week but I still wasn’t very tired. I had went from having a very active, in-person job of coaching and training clients to being sedentary.
Then, I was listening to a podcast with Dr. Kelly Starret and he mentioned that when someone in the military has trouble sleeping they prescribe some additional non-exercise-related movement, aka walking. A light bulb went off and I quickly realized that I had only been getting in 3-5,000 steps per day.
So I started walking, tracking my steps, and ever since it’s become my number one health hack!
Walking 10,000 steps per day also burns anywhere from 500-700 additional calories. The average hour-long gym session burns anywhere from 200-400 calories.
Both of the above figures are not 100% accurate however they give us a starting frame of reference. They are both dependent on your overall body size. The larger you are, the more calories you will burn.
The point here is that most people think the only way to lose weight is to work out. That’s far from the truth. And research shows that there is an upper limit for exercising to burn calories but it’s not yet fully understood.
Walking is free, you can do it anywhere, and it’s pretty much accessible to anyone at any age. Like I said earlier, it’s my number one health hack for weight loss and general health now!
Walking 10,000 steps per day helps with sleep, mental health and clarity, is great for your joints and muscles and can help turn your body into a calorie-burning furnace if you’ve been struggling to lose weight. Couple this with some higher-intensity exercise and resistance training sessions and you’ll start to see some amazing results happen!
