“They say” for optimal health, you should aim to get 10,000 steps per day, or roughly 5 miles of walking in each day. I have heard it said that Americans get as little as 1800-3500 steps per day on average which works out to be about 1-1.5 miles per day. However, American’s who use Fitbits or other step tracking devices get an average of 7000 steps in the winter and 8000 in the summer.
I believe this to be true as I started wearing a fitbit 1 year ago and was averaging about 2000-3000 steps per day. I work from home and sit behind my computer most of the day. I decided that I needed to do better. I eventually joined a walking group on Facebook to get ideas on getting more activity during the pandemic and for community, a place to give and receive encouragement. My first goal was to get 5000 steps per day consistently. After I aced that, I upped it to 6000 steps per day, then 6500 steps per day. Now, according to fitbit, my average is 8,600 per day.
I accomplished this by incorporating a few of the helpful ideas below. But this isn’t just about getting more steps, it’s about being more active in general. And when I say active, I don’t mean you need to run a marathon or join a gym. There are simple things that you can do at home to improve your health and wellness. Some of these ideas came from my walking group on Facebook and others are things that I do myself.
Use the Restroom on a Different Floor
If your home is more than 1 level, go to a different floor to use the bathroom. This helps you squeeze a little more activity into your day. If you don’t have a second story, use the bathroom farthest away. Any time you take the opportunity to add extra steps to your day your body will thank you.
Use Youtube for Free Home Workouts
This is my go-to for activity, especially during the winter when it’s too cold outside for this southern girl. It used to be, in order to workout at home, you had to buy DVD’s…but now, with the magic of streaming and Youtube, you can get workouts for free!! Of course if you want to pay, there are plenty of apps that you can add to your smart TV and join for a fee.
My absolute favorite for walking inside is Leslie Sansone. She has workouts of all types for beginners and experts alike. You can find her workouts on YouTube or you can add her app to your phone or TV– go to walkathome.com for more information.
Walk the Stairs
According to Duke University, taking the stairs increases leg power which may be an important priority in reducing injury from falls. It can also help you achieve and maintain healthy body weight. Taking the stairs is also beneficial for healthy bones, muscles and joints.
In my walking group, a lady shared that she uses the stairs in her home for at least 15 minutes each day. She will walk up and down normally, then she will walk up and down sideways and sometimes she even walks up the stairs backwards…but she comes down normally to avoid risk of misstep and injury.
Walk in Circles Around Your Kitchen Table
This is another idea that I got in my walking group. This gentleman lives in a very small house, so, to get his steps in during the colder months, he decided to walk around his kitchen table in circles. He sometimes does it for several miles a day. This might work if you were on a conference call for work or catching up with a friend on the phone. Instead of sitting on the couch, get up and walk around a table.
Fold Laundry
This may sound crazy but I promise, folding laundry is great for your body. Once in a while, instead of getting help with the laundry, do it yourself. (in my house, I am the only one who does laundry so this is an easy one for me!) You can’t meet all your exercise needs while folding clothes, but it is physical activity that can help you reach your daily activity goals. Folding our king bed sheets is a workout in and of itself!!
Put Clean Clothes Away in Small Batches
Laundry requires you to move around your home, a low-intensity form of cardiovascular exercise, and lift objects, which offers some strength training. To get even more activity in, consider taking one piece of clothing at a time to put away. Or small batches of clothing. This will help you increase your daily steps.
Use a Pedal Exerciser
This is a great activity to do while working from home, spending quiet time reading a book or while watching TV. These pedal exercisers are relatively inexpensive and readily available. It not only helps tone your legs, especially that fat above the knee, it also improves blood circulation and heart rate.
Spring Cleaning
I think we all recognize that cleaning your house is serious exercise. To give it a boost, put on some fast music like dance pop, rock & roll or salsa. While you are doing chores try to remember to tighten your abs. When you are cleaning the shower door or scrubbing something, try to use exaggerated up and down movements, like large circles. Do lunges while you vacuum. And use a step ladder when you can. Climbing up and down a ladder is great for your legs!
Dance While Making Dinner
This is a very popular one in my house. The kids know, when mommy goes to the kitchen to make dinner, the music is going to be loud and there will be lots of dancing. They usually join me and we turn it into a fun cardio workout before dinner. If I am behind on my daily step goal, I know that I can normally make up for it during our kitchen dance party.
Play a Game
Two games that I recommend that are both fun and a great workout are dance mat games and balloon volleyball. You can find electric dance mats for 1 or 2 people. Depending on the mat, you can dance, run, do yoga, play games etc. Here is an example.
Balloon Volleyball is basically just hitting a balloon around the room trying to keep it from hitting the floor. It’s cheap and fun, especially if you have kids.
Of course, none of the suggestions in this post are really for diehard fitness fanatics. These tips are more for people who live fairly sedentary lives and would like to work more activity into their day. I challenge you to choose one of these activities to try today. Comment here and let me know which one you tackled.
