Steps matter … more than you think. It’s not so much the actual steps on our step counter, but that steps are a really good indication of how much we’re moving. We thrive on movement – it’s associated with good health, longevity and better sleep. Exercise reduces inflammation, improves our response to stress and reduces our likelihood of heart disease and other nasties like cancer and diabetes.
We burn about 20% of our daily energy/ calories through regular daily movement … so it’s a weight loss hack too for people on a fat loss diet and wanting to lose weight.
So how many steps should you be doing? This is a very personal goal, so I tend to ask people to focus on ranges and work out an average they can then build up gradually – realistic lifestyle changes that are sustainable will have more impact in the long term. Although 10-15k steps a day might be optimal, this will seem like a far away dream for most people, however, don’t be disheartened; some steps are always are infinitely better than none. Firstly; don’t be sedentary! Work out your average steps and look to increase gradually, maybe by 10-15% a week. If you’re trying to lose weight and you’re not monitoring your steps, you’re really missing an important weight management hack. There is an advert by a weight loss diet company doing the rounds with someone saying “I lost weight without doing 10k steps a day” – of course you CAN! … but that doesn’t mean you should!
Even modest amounts of exercise will produce significant health benefits compared with zero. Daily movement/ steps/ walking are the most underrated health promoters. This is why I always talk to my Personal Training clients about daily steps and the important role they play for fitness and exercise. Along with sleep, diet and nutrition, daily movement is one of the foundations of good health. Workouts and training are important, but movement, rest, nutrition are the blocks we build on.
Steps – What’s the Big Deal?
