It’s a no-brainer.  The more you walk each day, the more physically active you are.  Fitness experts estimate that an average of 6,000-10,000 steps per day is the “magic number” of strides required to prevent weight gain over time. If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a weight loss, the number may be even higher. Adding steps also has added health benefits: increased aerobic fitness,  improved muscle tone, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.  Plus, walking is easy and convenient, can be spread throughout the day in short bouts, and easily done on vacation or while traveling for work.

How many steps do you think you take each day?

How many steps do you actually take?  Don’t know?  Buy a pedometer: a small, inexpensive, step-counting gadget that’s worn on your waistband or inside your pocket.  Fancier models can even compute distance walked and calories burned.

Start by wearing the pedometer every day for one week. Put it on when you get up in the morning and wear it until you go to bed in the evening. At the end of the day, record your daily steps in a notebook.  At the end of week, average your daily steps over the past 7 days.  You may be surprised how many or how few steps you get in each day.

Increase average daily steps each week by 500 per day until you average 10,000 per day. If you currently average 3,500 steps each day, your goal for the following week is 4,000 each day. The next week’s goal would then be 4,500 each day. Continue to increase each week, and you’ll be averaging 10,000 steps in three months time (~13 weeks).

Need ideas to step it up:

• Take a walk with a co-worker at lunch.
• Walk the dog, walk your neighbor’s dog.
• Go for a walk with a spouse, friend, or child after dinner and on weekends.
• Use stairs instead of escalators and elevators.
• Take a spin around the mall or grocery store before shopping.
• Park as far as you safely can from all entrances.
• Plan outings in parks, amusement areas, outdoor tracks.
• Play frisbee.  Play tag in the yard.
• Carry your golf bag for 9 holes.
• Buy a used treadmill on ebay.
• Go up and down the stairs in your home or apartment during commercials.

Depending on your stride length, 2,000 steps is roughly one mile.  10,000 steps  is the equivalent of 5 miles.