by To achieve your health and fitness goals, you literally have to put one foot in front of the other over and over again. Sitting is the new smoking in our lives. Even if you do structured workouts every day, your health relies more on movement than on prolonged sitting. This leads to the need to walk more. When it comes to daily step counts, people talk very enthusiastically about the health benefits of 10,000 steps, outside of the usual exercise routine. But how do you get 10,000 steps a day?
This number may seem intimidating at first, but let’s break it down and make it all simpler for you. Health Shots contacted Dr. Apoorv Dua, MS Orthopedics,
Sports Injury & Joint Replacement Consultant, Dr. Dua Specialty Clinic, New Delhi, to understand the easy ways to perform the 10,000 steps with office work or otherwise.
Why should you take 10,000 steps a day?
Taking 10,000 steps a day has long been celebrated as the magic number to reach on the pedometer or fitness tracker. ButThere is no scientific proof of the benefits of taking 10,000 steps per day. Recent studies have highlighted that fewer steps are also sufficient for daily moderate exercise. The 10,000 fitness goal is more of a marketing gimmick. The benefit is to motivate people to walk more.
How to do 10,000 steps a day?
Getting 10,000 steps a day in our daily life can be a challenge if you are too used to sitting for a long time. However, our expert makes it simple for us with these easy-to-follow steps.
1. Dance like no one is watching
Grooving to your favorite tunes not only improves the mood, but with every dance step or move you make, you get closer to your 10,000 step goal. Play a song of your choice and dance until the end.
2. Play sports
Indulging in a sport you love can help you achieve numbers. You can also involve your partner to make the evening more fun.
3. Treat yourself to more household chores
Some people find household chores monotonous and unproductive. On a day off from your gym or yoga class, you might consider lending a hand with daily household activities. “Activities like sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, dusting, and cleaning can help you get more steps than you can imagine,” says Dr. Dua.
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Also read: Silent walking: Know why you should start your day with this physical activity
4. Make the most of your cooking break
Cooking as an overall process can be time consuming. “While waiting for the kettle to boil, the stove whistle to sound or the microwave to ring, take advantage of these wasted minutes and take a walk,” suggests the expert.
5. Walk and Talk, Literally
Take this idea and you will thank us later. We all love our daily conversations with our colleagues or loved ones, and they are part of our lives. When it comes to idle conversation, requiring no task to be accomplished, literally walk and talk. This is one of the easiest ways to reach the “10,000 steps per day” goal.
Even while watching TV, don’t waste your energy on advertisements. Instead, move during commercial breaks.
Read also : 30 minutes of exercise or 10,000 steps a day: an expert reveals what suits you best!
6. Orient work from home towards fitness
If you work from home, sit less and move more. Don’t keep a water bottle nearby. Instead, make a habit of drinking a glass of water every hour.
7. Say no to online delivery and go to the nearest market
We have the world available at the click of a button. Online deliveries have made life easier and we have lost the charm of getting our groceries or other groceries delivered from nearby stores. Avoid online delivery apps for your orders and instead walk to local stores so those steps are counted.
8. Take a few steps to your desk
Walk to work instead of taking a car or public transportation, if possible. Park your car far from the office or as far away as possible in a shopping center parking lot. Get off at a bus stop or subway station early and walk to your office and back home.
