Walking and weight loss go hand in hand. In fact, if you aren’t giving walking a fair shot, then you should change that up right away!
The recommended amount of steps you should take per day is around 8,000. As a reference point, the average American takes 5,100 steps per day.
Walking has A TON of positive benefits, particularly if you’re looking to lose weight. It’s arguably the easiest form of cardio that you can adopt on a daily basis. So if you aren’t on this yet, then now’s your sign.
Getting to 8k steps per day is hard, let alone 10k. But if I can do it, so can you. I promise you that.
Below is a list of the best techniques I’ve used to consecutively hit my 10k steps per day.
This blog post is all about walking and weight loss!
WALKING AND WEIGHT LOSS
1. Walk Anywhere Under a 2km Distance (~2k steps)
Starting off very straightforward.
If you have to get to anywhere under a 2km (1 mile) distance, walk. Do not take your car, do not take the bus. Just walk.
Listen to your fave music or podcast. Take your friend with you. Bonus points if you take your dog.
2. Park in the Furthest Space (~200 steps)
You’ve definitely heard this one before, but I’m here to repeat it because it is truly a great suggestion.
Whether you’re going to the grocery store, to the dentist, to the bank or wherever you need to park, park in the furthest available spot.
3. Walk on the Treadmill Pre/Post Workout (~1k steps)
Depending on how big your steps are, you can hit approximately 1,000 steps in a 10-minute moderate-intensity walk.
And believe me, a 10-minute walk can go by really quickly.
So before starting your workout or at the end of one, hop on the treadmill. If you walk 10 minutes before AND after your workout, you just hit 2,000 steps (+ the steps you took as you were working out – more on that later).
And if that feels too daunting, then just split the 10 minutes: 5 before, and 5 after.
4. Plan Active Outings During Your Weekends (10k+ steps)
If you’re someone who REALLY cannot reach your step goal during the week, then try to make up for the difference on the weekend.
Plan some fun and active things to do and make up for those steps.
My personal favourite is a hike. There are hikes of all lengths and all difficulties. I truly believe that hiking is such a wonderful activity: pack a picnic, get your S.O. to tag along and you’ve got your entire day planned.
Make sure to check out AllTrails for some great hiking guides!
Other activities could be gardening, visiting your own city via a walking tour, going to museums, looking for Geocaches… even shopping is a good one!
5. Walk to the Further Bathroom/Water Fountain at Work (~100 steps)
This is straightforward.
Assuming that you don’t work in a MASSIVE building, go to the furthest bathroom or water fountain to get those extra steps in.
If that isn’t possible, then take the longest way to whichever one you chose to go..
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6. Take the Stairs Instead of the Elevator (~100 steps)
Another classic.
Take the stairs. Anywhere, everywhere, prioritize the stairs.
If you’re feeling kinda lazy, at least walk up the escalators. But just avoid the elevator altogether.
7. Walk to a Colleague's Desk Instead of Emailing/Calling Them (~100 steps)
), but they grow fond of it eventually.
If you have any short questions or whatever else that doesn’t need to be written down, just walk over and deal with it face-to-face. Besides having it solved much quicker, you’ll get those extra steps in.
And, at least with me, people enjoyed that extra socializing. I also got free food because they appreciated it. 8. Walk to a Library/Cafe instead of Working From Home (~4k steps)
This was the strategy I used most often.
I’ve never been able to study from home. Like ever. There used to be a library in my hometown that was open 24/7 and I would stay there until need be.
Anyhow, if you already go to a cafe to study, then pick one that’s a little bit further for those extra steps.
And if you don’t want to spend the money or don’t feel like getting out of your hoodie, then go to the library. I promise that you’ll encounter other sleep-deprived students or remote workers in PJs.
9. Pace Around Between Sets at the Gym (~1k steps)
Are you the type of person to stay sat between sets? Or the one who stands in place while texting?
Well, let’s add about 1,000 steps without any extra effort: pace around between your sets. Don’t just stand there, don’t just sit.
Anyhow, recovery is better for your legs if you walk around.
10. Follow 8k Steps Youtube Videos (~8k steps)
I don’t think I’ve ever read this tip before.
Get Youtube up on your TV, and follow any 8k (or 5k) steps workout. Within 30-60 minutes, you will have increased your step count by a SIGNIFICANT amount. Especially if you go for the 8k steps workouts, you’ll need to do little else for the rest of the day to hit 10k.
There are quite a few of these on Youtube, most of them are beginner friendly, and are even easy on the knees as they don’t require lots of bouncing and jumping.
This Sharona Hill workout gets you doing 30 seconds of simple walking followed by 30 seconds of light exercises so you can even get your heart pumping which is always appreciated!
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11. Pace Around your Home When... (~100 steps)
… Talking on the phone.
... Waiting for water to boil.
… Waiting for the microwave to beep.
… During the intro of an episode.
… Waiting for the bathtub to fill.
And so many more.
Instead of scrolling through TikTok or whatever, pace around, get yourself a glass of water or do a little dance.
Get those extra steps in!
12. Wake Up X Minutes Earlier to do an X-Minute Walk (~2k steps)
Out of all the suggestions here, this is the one that you might be able to do most consistently and will do a world of a difference in much more than your step count.
Wake up earlier to go for a light walk. I don’t care whether it’s 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or 60 minutes before, just go for a walk. If you want, you can run it, but don’t bother putting that added stress if you don’t want it.
You’ll feel incredibly refreshed after the walk, no matter how long it was.
13. Start a Challenge with Friends or Family (10k+ steps)
If you need accountability partners, then make it a competition with friends and family! Keep each other in check by sharing your stats.
Connect your Apple Watch or download a Step Challenge app like Strive. This always seems to be a good motivator even among the laziest people.
Walking and weight loss becomes that much better if you’re doing it together!
14. Complete One Household Chore per Day (~500 steps)
Super boring but useful if you have a busy day with a seemingly endless list of household chores to do.
Kill two birds with one stone by completing one household chore per day. Whether it’s vacuuming, mowing the lawn or deep cleaning a specific room, get it out of the way and collect those steps.
15. Take a Short Walk During Lunch break (~1k steps)
Bouncing off the accountability suggestion, find a like-minded coworker(s) and go for a walk after eating lunch.
Besides getting your steps in, you’ll be able to digest better and get your legs moving if you have an office job. Also, talking about random topics with a colleague will allow you to be refreshed when having to start working again… and who knows? Maybe you’ll make a good friend along the way.
Insofar as walking and weight loss, it has been shown that incorporating movements after eating helps.
No matter what suggestion you go for, you’ll have to put the effort in. Especially if you don’t seem to be able to get past 5k per day, it’s important to schedule dedicated time slots to get your steps in.
However, if you’re 1k-3k steps away from your goal, you’ll likely be able to get those extra steps in during your day-to-day activities.
This blog post was all about walking and weight loss.
Hope this helped!
xx LS
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