Andie Thueson » Wellness » Healthy Living » Tips for Healthy Living » How To Get 10000 Steps A Day? 50 Simple Ways To Do Just That!

How To Get 10000 Steps A Day? 50 Simple Ways To Do Just That!

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Fitness trackers have become all the rage and are a great way to push and challenge you to stay more active throughout your day.

When I first got my fancy dancy fitness tracker, I figured getting 10,000 steps a day was something I was already pretty close to doing; chasing three kids all day long seemed like I was getting that daily step count I needed to. But the joke was on me; 10,000 steps is a lot of steps and not necessarily easy to do without making a concentrated effort. I was getting somewhere between 5-6k “naturally.”

In fact, the average person only gets around 3,000-4,000 steps every day. As humans, we live a very sedentary lifestyle. The best way to change that is to sprinkle some steps into our days! Being active is so important to our overall health. Even just a quick walk every day for 10 minutes has been shown to make a difference. So if 10,000 steps a day sound like a lot and overwhelming, start where you are! Start with short walks, and work yourself up to 10,000 k steps.

So grab your activity tracker, step counter, steps meter, smart phones (step tracker apps), Fitbit, Apple watch, or whatever pedometer you’re using, and let’s CRUSH your daily step goal!

Photo of Andie walking phone in hand figuring out how to get 10000 steps a day!
Confused about how to get 10000 steps a day? I got you covered! With 50 simple and efficient ways to help you meet your goal!

So if you have set a goal of moving more and adding more physical activity into your day, setting your first goal of 10,000 steps daily is a great way to start regardless of your current fitness level. So to help you hit those daily steps goals, you will need to add A LOT of extra steps. I am inherently lazy, or as I like to refer to it, “efficient use of my energetic resources.” So if there is a more efficient way to do things, I’ll do that.

So if you are asking yourself “how to get 10000 steps a day”, you are in the right place!

Before we dive into my cheat sheet of the best ways to up your number of steps – let’s answer the why! Why should you set a goal of 10,000 steps? What’s in it for you?

Awesome Health Benefits of 10,000 steps daily!

Mayo Clinic research has found that walking for regular activity can help reduce your risk of these common health problems:

  1. Lowers risk of heart disease
  2. Obesity – helps with weight loss and weight management
  3. Diabetes
  4. High blood pressure
  5. Depression

*Source Mayo Clinic

50 Creative and Efficient Ways To Meet Your “””10,000-step goal”””

  1. When you head to the grocery store, make extra trips around the perimeter.
  2. Pace when you brush your teeth.
  3. Use the restroom upstairs or downstairs instead of the one right by you.
  4. Walk around the block while your child is at their lessons.
  5. Pace the room when you are waiting… at the doctor’s, dentist, airport, any time you’re stuck waiting.
  6. Park far away instead of fighting for that primo spot!
  7. Before you head outside to check the mail, take a lap around your entire house,
  8. If you can walk to the store instead of driving, do that! Especially if you only need a couple of items.
  9. Always pace when taking a phone call. I walk laps around my dining room table and living room.
  10. Walk your kid to school instead of fighting the carpool line.
  11. Headed to a mall? Mall walking is a GREAT way to get some serious window shopping and major steps in.
  12. Set your timer to get up every half hour or so and walk a loop or two.
  13. Instead of making your kids get stuff for you (guilty!), get things for yo’ self!
  14. Just say no to escalators and elevators–always make it a life choice to take the stairs!
  15. If you have to visit two relatively close stores, park midway between the two and walk to both.
  16. Make an after-dinner stroll with the family a daily “thing.”
  17. On date night, always include a leisurely walk around the area where the restaurant is.
  18. Instead of playing “pack mule” with the grocery bags, take em’ in one at a time.
  19. Empty each dish one at a time from the dishwasher, putting them away before grabbing the next.
  20. Play hide and seek with your kids.
  21. Instead of “fast forwarding the DVR during commercials,” get up and pace!
  22. Mow the lawn.
  23. Walk your kids to the park and then walk laps around the perimeter.
  24. When you put your clothes away, do it one item at a time!
  25. Pace when folding laundry.
  26. Vacuum more often – my house definitely needs it!
  27. Walk to the gym.
  28. Go for an early morning walk around the neighborhood. Play tag with your kids.
  29. Pace when cooking.
  30. Don’t go to bed unless you meet your goal – take laps around the room to get it in! Get your significant other involved!
  31. Walk in place in the shower – just don’t slip!
  32. Get your dance on! Turn the music on, and it’s an instant family dance party.
  33. If it’s less than a mile, choose to walk.
  34. Before I make myself a snack, I walk our stairs twice.
  35. Walk while typing an email or text.
  36. If you’re on FB, Instagram, or Twitter while on your phone, PACE!
  37. Walk your house following the floorboard line throughout your entire place.
  38. Play Duck-Duck-Goose with your kids.
  39. For every time your kids say, “I’m bored,” they have to lap the neighborhood with you.
  40. Get some fresh air and go hiking.
  41. Go to your local high school and walk the track (if it’s less than a mile walk!).
  42. Always return your shopping cart to the cart return one aisle over.
  43. March in place!
  44. Put some spunk in your step – the more you mosey and move while walking, the more calories you burn.
  45. Do an evening clean sweep. Walk your house and put away stuff that needs putting away one item at a time! (multiple benefits here)
  46. Walk to visit a friend. I’m sure your stopping by will brighten their day!
  47. Explore your neighborhood on foot. Check out different routes and walking paths if you have them.
  48. If you have a desk job, instead of messaging someone get up and walk to their desk.
  49. Put the remote down and walk to change the channel or adjust the volume.
  50. Set a goal to do a 15-minute walk every day – this daily walk will help you get outside and is a good place to start!

I hope this list of 50 simple tips helped to answer the question of how to get 10000 steps a day. I am a big proponent of simplicity. And if 10k steps a day seems like an overwhelming task, start small – start with a goal of 5,000 steps a day and gradually, over time, increase your daily step goal by a few hundred. The goal is to increase your daily activity and create a new daily routine to help you to move more by the end of the day. And the prize in all this? Good health! Moving more and walking every day will help your overall health and well-being improve one step at a time!

Much Love,

Andie's signature

10 Comments

  1. Becky @ bybmg says:

    Such great tips. As a new fitbit user, I’m excited for these! Thanks!

  2. Thanks for the tips! I ride a bike so put Fitbit in pocket. Get about 3200 steps for a half hour ride. Don’t know if accurate or not. In grocery store make sure to swing arm with Fitbit! Looks funny but will get steps! I don’t have any problem getting to about 7500, so tips helped me think of new ways to get to the 10,000!!

  3. Liz @ The Clean Eating Couple says:

    This is so awesome!! We just got fitbits, and I’ve been trying to get to 10,000 everyday. Going to test some of these out 🙂

  4. Nitromenix says:

    Very interesting topic, regards for posting.

  5. Milsner Fitness says:

    Such a great and informative blog post! I really enjoyed the range of creative ideas that were listed as to how to get your steps in. Currently during quarantine, I find myself searching for new ways to get my steps in and stay active, and this post gave me many new ways activities to try out! Thank you 🙂

  6. I struggle with this. These are great tips especially the dish and laundry one item at a time trick!

  7. These are great tips, I used some of them the other day, and they really helped me get to 10k steps.

  8. Love this!! It is a struggle sometimes, but your list is totally doable! Thanks!

  9. Perfect timing! I just got a new fitbit yesterday, and I will be trying several of these ideas!

  10. 5 stars
    This is so helpful! I just got a new apple watch and tried out some of your tips to reach more steps, and I was able to reach 10k! Thank you!

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