How to Get 10,000 Steps a Day? Tips and Tricks

The idea of walking to your workplace may be daunting for some people. Covering all those steps on the road could be cumbersome and time-consuming. If you’re such a person, you should definitely keep reading to uncover the wonderful benefits of these walks. What you may consider a punishment is probably a blessing in disguise!

Studies have shown that walking 10,000 steps daily can help a person stay fit and healthy (1). Although everyone has a different physique, setting a goal could help determine a baseline. You can get a fitness tracker to track your daily activity and understand how your body responds to the walks. It could eventually become your favorite time as you get more time to think, have clear thoughts, and be more productive throughout the day.

This article covers all the basic points to get you started. You’ll learn how to get 10,000 steps a day, how it can help transform your body, and how much time it takes to cover. Let’s get rolling!

What Is a Way to Get 10,000 Steps a Day?

For individuals who live generally sedentary lifestyles, striving to increase your step count by any amount can have positive effects on your health, both in the short- and long-term. With many people around the world working jobs where they spend the vast majority of their time sitting, as well as students, achieving a goal of 10,000 steps per day can feel daunting or unattainable.

Often, this goal becomes easier with some basic additions to your daily routine. The following ideas may help give you the boost you need to hit your 10,000 steps.

Join a Club or Find a Workout Buddy

Walking with a group makes you accountable, and your workouts are more fun. There are many other perks such as less loneliness, more gossip, and a cheerful time.

Fitness trainer Brianna sets a pretty cool example in this matter. After the pandemic, she missed walking with her friends who had left New York City, so she made a TikTok video inviting her followers to join her for a walk instead. She was surprised when hundreds of people showed up!

Now Brianna leads a walking club called City Girls Who Walk. They meet every Sunday and hundreds of people of all ages join the walks.

Walk in Place During TV Commercials

Stand up during the commercial breaks and walk in place when watching a live TV show. Research has shown that getting up and moving around for a few minutes every half hour can help counteract the downsides of sitting for too long (3). Even short bursts of activity, such as stepping in place during TV commercials, can positively affect your health and lifespan.

Use an Activity Tracker

Pedometers have come a long way with tech advancements. A vast range of fitness gadgets is available to help you monitor the steps you take throughout the day. These include fitness trackers, smartwatches, and fitness apps on mobile phones.

Activity trackers can be a great way to stay motivated and reach your fitness goals. Seeing your progress throughout the day can boost your confidence, keep you focused, and encourage you to keep pushing forward. Australian researchers conducted a study on over 160,000 people (4). It showed that wearing a fitness tracker led to an increase of approximately 40 minutes of walking per day, or around 1,800 extra steps.

Get a Dog as a Pet (or borrow one)

Dogs have a thing for taking long walks. And you can’t deny it when those puppy eyes look at you with love, pleading to go for a walk!

Research published in Scientific Reports in 2019 showed that dog owners are four times more likely to meet exercise guidelines than people without dogs (5). Over half of the dog owners surveyed walked their dogs briskly for at least 150 minutes per week. An earlier study from 2017 found that dog owners walked an extra 22 minutes and took 2,760 more steps each day (6).

If you don’t own a dog, offer your services at the local animal shelter. It could be an excellent social service!

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Design an Indoor Circuit

Not everyone has a park nearby where they can go daily. A practical alternative could be to design an indoor walking track. This doesn’t mean using chalk and paints. Simply imagine a space that is convenient to take a few steps. You can also climb the stairs in your apartment at certain times of day. Activities such as running in place and shadowboxing are other strategies for squeezing in the steps.

Walking 10,000 steps a day for a month can result in a healthier and happier you. Getting 10,000 steps a day can be challenging, but once you start building a routine around it, you’ll regret it when you can’t go for walks.

How Long Does it Take to Get 10k Steps a Day?

In ancient Rome, distances were measured by counting the steps taken. The term “mile” actually originates from the Latin expression “mila passum”, which signifies 1,000 paces or roughly 2,000 steps.

Studies have suggested that the average person’s walking pace is 100 steps per minute, which implies that it would take just under 30 minutes for them to cover a mile (7). Consequently, to achieve the recommended 10,000 steps daily, you must walk approximately four to five miles, which translates to roughly two hours of walking.

On average, most people can easily walk about 1,000 steps in 10 minutes. This is faster than you walk in a grocery store but slower than when you walk rapidly to reach your workplace. Maintaining a 3 mph pace, you could theoretically hit 10,000 steps in approximately an hour and 40 minutes. However, we don’t usually rack up all these steps in one go. It’s more about combining our everyday movement with some dedicated walking to hit the target.

As most people naturally get around 4,000 steps daily, reaching 10,000 would require adding an extra hour or so of purposeful walking to your routine. For further guidance, you should talk to a certified fitness trainer who can guide you on a steps-per-day goal based on your age and current fitness level.

Read more: Follow These Steps on How To Make Sun Tea Safely

Has Anyone Lost Weight Walking 10,000 Steps a Day?

Yes, it’s possible to lose weight by walking 10k steps daily, but only when it’s done in conjunction with a well-managed diet. Ultimately, no amount of exercise can make up for an overly indulgent diet, so always remember that your diet is just as important as your exercise routine. 

An average American covers 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day, but there’s some evidence that increasing your daily strides can have surprising health benefits (8). One of those benefits is weight reduction. Research from 2018 published in Obesity showed that taking 10,000 steps a day can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight (9).

One of the most asked questions regarding step count is – how many calories are burned in 10,000 steps? The answer to this question varies greatly depending on many individual factors such as your walking speed and stride length, weight, gender, age, and genetics. However, if we assume the average adult covers approximately 5 miles over the course of 10,000 steps, we can estimate that the average person will burn 500-750 calories, assuming a casual to moderate walking pace. Keep in mind this number also doesn’t take into account the calories being burned as part of your basal metabolic rate, but only the extra caloric expenditure from the activity. If you average 10,000 steps per day for a week, you can assume the average person burns an extra 3,500-5,250 calories over the course of that week! It’s easy to see how this can add up to significant health benefits. 

How to Do 10,000 Steps a Day at Home

With a few carefully designed strategies, you can eventually hit your daily 10k goal at home. This may require initial planning, but you won’t need to leave your house, so that’s a pretty appealing perk!

Below, we offer some tips that could help you in this regard:

Get a Treadmill

For those who can afford it, purchasing a treadmill is an excellent option to get your steps in without going outside. Some people even choose to make a small workspace on it so they can work and slowly walk at the same time, which will help them reach their step goal and get things done. If you choose to attempt the ‘walk while you work’ strategy, keep things simple with a low (or no) incline and a speed that doesn’t require significant concentration to remain working.

Learn to Walk In-Place

Do you want to sneak in some extra steps without stepping out? Here’s a simple trick: walk in place while watching TV.

Limit yourself to 30 minutes a week and make the most of this time. Instead of just sitting on the couch, get up and move around. You can pace around the living room or do some stretches. Either way, you’ll add to your step count without leaving the house. Not only will this help you reach your daily step goal, it’s also a great way to reduce stress and boost your overall well-being.

So next time you’re tempted to veg out in front of the TV, use the time to exercise!

Jump Rope

This exercise is another fantastic way to cover 10k steps. It’s an aerobic exercise that can improve your cardiovascular health, boost coordination, and strengthen your muscles (10). Also, let’s not forget the fun that goes with it. You just need a jump rope and some open space and then you’re all set to hit your milestones.

One of the best parts about jump ropes is there are several variations of this exercise. Feel free to add fun by trying different rhythms or incorporating dance moves. If you have company, jump rope games such as double dutch or group patterns can bring variety and excitement to your workout.

Clean the House

This is one of the most underrated forms of workout. Believe it or not, when you work around the house, cleaning, dusting, or mopping, you’re shedding extra calories. Everyone has their way of getting things done, so try to set aside 15 minutes to focus on areas of your house that need cleaning. This makes the task feel less overwhelming, and you still get to burn calories and add to your step count.

The above-mentioned tricks make it clear that getting those 10k steps at home is relatively easy. You can assume a walking circuit in your lounge, hop in place, or simply dance around. In addition to helping you stay fit, these activities also allow you to burn off steam, which is much needed for some workaholics!

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How to Get 10,000 Steps a Day When You Work in an Office

Those who spend 8+ hours a day sitting at a desk often and often spend their evenings sitting on a couch after the mental drain of working all day have quite a difficult time reaching any sort of fitness goals, including their step goals. If you spend most of your time at the office, you may wonder how to get 10,000 steps a day with a desk job.

We’ve rounded up some tips that could be helpful if you follow them religiously. Check them out:

• Cycle or walk to your workplace
• Get off public transport a few miles before your office block
• If you drive, park farther from your building
• Use a sit-stand desk
• Go for a walking meeting with your co-workers
• Set hourly move reminders (some fitness trackers and smartwatches do this for you)

These minor tweaks to your lifestyle can surprise you with the health benefits you may experience with consistency. Initially, you may feel tired and strange as you modify your routine, but don’t let this take a toll on your mind. Keep going, and you’ll eventually reap the rewards of the 10k steps.

What Happens if I Walk 10,000 Steps Every Day for a Month?

Walking 10k steps equals approximately five miles for most people. Having a general sense of average caloric expenditure based on the amount of steps you take is a good starting point to keep you motivated. As previously stated, you can assume you’ll burn 500-750 calories per 10,000 steps. If you average 10,000 steps per day for a 31-day month, you will burn an extra 15,500-23,250 calories over the course of the month just by walking! However, there are other benefits to increasing your step count besides calorie burn.

A few benefits you can experience if you walk 10,000 steps every day for a month include:

• Improved cognitive function: Taking your 10,000 steps outdoors in a natural setting can significantly improve your mental well-being and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, according to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine (12). Furthermore, research from 2023 published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports indicates that consistent walking can enhance your cognitive abilities and memory (13).
• Faster recovery: A 2018 study in Sports Medicine discovered that active recovery, such as a gentle walk after a tough workout or weightlifting session, can help your body’s recovery process (14). It improves blood circulation to your muscles, which helps prevent them from getting stiff and allows you to bounce back quicker.
• Improved mobility: Walking can do wonders for your joints. When you walk, your body produces a special synovial fluid, which acts as a lubricant for your joints, keeping them moving smoothly. This was confirmed by a 2019 study that was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (15).

Walking 10k steps a day carries many benefits for those who stick to it, come rain or shine. Also, don’t forget about the calories you lose when you cover those miles.

Read more: Build Your Wall Pilates Plan With These Exercises (Steps and Variations Included)

FAQs

• How many steps must I take to lose 1kg?

There’s no specific answer to this question because losing 1 kg of body weight is dependent on more than just exercise. You could take 10,000 steps every day for a year and still gain weight due to other factors, most commonly your diet. 

Remember, if weight loss is your ultimate goal, it starts in the kitchen. Your exercise routine won’t be enough to single-handedly make you lose weight if your diet isn’t leading the way.

• Does walking reduce belly fat?

Walking can help you reduce your body fat, including belly fat when your diet and other lifestyle factors are also well managed. However, remember that you can’t spot-reduce fat. In other words, you can’t specifically target the excess adipose tissue in an area of your body by performing certain exercises or movements that engage the muscles that lie beneath it. Fat reduction occurs when an individual consistently achieves a caloric deficit (expending more calories than are consumed). Body fat percentage will decrease in a relatively even distribution throughout the body, although the exact distribution of fat loss is dependent on variables such as your body type and genetics.

• Can walking give you abs?

Visible abdominal muscles are mainly a result of a low body fat percentage, but good muscle definition of the rectus abdominis also plays a role. As with the previous answers, walking can help you lower your body fat percentage so your abs can become more visible, but walking alone can’t make it happen.

• Does walking tone your butt?

Definitely! Walking can help tone your butt, particularly if you walk on hills or stairs, which work those glute muscles even harder.

The Bottom Line

Growing research suggests that prolonged sitting can be detrimental to your health. In fact, some state that sitting is the new smoking (16)! While this saying is obviously an overstatement, the sentiment behind it is self-explanatory.

For the billions of people around the world who spend most of their days sitting, incorporating a little extra movement into your day can lead to big rewards for your physical and mental health. Stay consistent and make it fun!