Healthier Me

Step to it!

Posted on 25th August 2011 | There are 0 comments. Why not be the first?

Do you walk ten thousand steps a day? Well, if you don't you're not alone. The average Brit is supposed to walk about three thousand, far short of the ten thousand target. Start incorporating more steps into your day and it will become a great, regular and healthy habit.

Ten thousand steps, about five miles or eight kilometres is admittedly a slightly arbitrary figure but has a real purpose. It helps promote weight loss (ten thousand steps equates to about 350 kcals) and if 30 minutes of brisk walking is incorporated, has a real benefit for heart health. There's also the advantage of helping reduce blood pressure and reducing the risk or improving control of type 2 diabetes. And don't forget that it's FREE!

The best way to start is to buy a pedometer; you don't need to spend much, about £5. That way you can see exactly how far you walk by clipping it to your belt first thing in the morning and removing it last thing at night. Knowing your steps mean that you can incorporate more walking into your lifestyle if you need, or if you already hit the target, congratulate yourself! If you fall short, try and take 500 more steps everyday until you regularly hit ten thousand.

Of course, if you lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle you may need to build up more gradually - perhaps adding 500 steps to your previous weekly average for the next week. And if you suffer from joint or mobility issues, a less impactful exercise such as swimming may benefit you more. If you fall out of the habit, because you're ill, have other committments or are on holiday, don't worry, just get yourself back in the habit as soon as you can.

So, how do you incorporate more walking into your day? Here's a BIG list of tips to help you:

• Get off the bus a stop early and walk the rest of the way
• Park furthest away from where you need to be in the car park
• Shop on your local high street rather than using a big supermarket
• Walk the dog
• Walk the kids to school
• Walk during your lunch break rather than sitting at your desk
• Use the stairs rather than a lift
• Walk up and down the platform rather than standing still when waiting for your train
• Use a cordless phone and walk up and down rather than sitting at your desk
• Change the TV channels manually rather than by remote, or leave the remote the other side of the room
• Better still, go for a walk rather than watch TV!
• Find a walking buddy and encourage each other
• Take your MP3 player and you won't even notice how far you're walking with your favourite music or podcast playing

And remember to always tell someone your approximate route, take a charged mobile phone and take familiar well-lit paths if walking in the evening.

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