Friday's Fit Focus

10,000 Steps Each Day

What does it mean to be sedentary? If you work in an office and sit most of the day, but have active pursuits outside of work, where do you fall in the spectrum? A general guideline is that we should all strive to take 10,000 steps each day. Ten thousands steps is almost five miles based on the average stride length of 2.5 feet. Sedentary individuals take approximately 1,000-3,000 steps a day, which is anywhere from .5-1.5 miles.

To measure how many steps you’re taking each day, try using a pedometer. Many models are very inexpensive and they just clip right onto your clothing. For accuracy, choose a pedometer that you can program to measure your daily distance based on your stride length. (Instructions on how to measure your stride length will be included.)

If you find that you’re falling well short of the recommended 10,000 steps, don’t feel that you have to make huge…um, strides to get to the 10,000 mark. Make an effort to add a couple of hundred steps every few days and work toward your goal slowly but surely.

There are many ways to increase our number of steps. Here are just a few:

 Take a walk with your partner, child, or friend
 Walk the dog
 Use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator
 Park farther from the store
 If you live in town, just walk to the store!
 Get up to change the channel
 Window shop
 Plan a moms’ walking get-together
 Walk over to visit a neighbor
 Go outside to walk around the garden or do a little weeding
 Wander around your home instead of sitting down while on the phone

The weather is perfect for walking outside right now. Take advantage of it!

Jacque Butler is the owner of JB Fitness in Glenwood, Iowa. http://www.jbfitnessiowa.com/ For tips on fitness & nutrition, you can follow JB Fitness on Facebook.