“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)
As a philosopher creating an analogy, Lao-tzu’s “journey” could be just about any long range goal. Anyone who hopes to travel down the road of fitness and health, however, will find the journey easier by taking 10,000 steps everyday.
The Surgeon General of the United States urges adults to make sure they get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. Many people take this to mean they need to join a gym and find an hour (30 minutes workout time, 30 minutes travel time) somewhere in their day to meet this requirement for good health.
Often, people begin enthusiastically, but give up after a couple of months, worn down by cost and scheduling hassles. To get the most out of any exercise program, it must fit easily within your day. Recently, fitness experts discovered an exercise concept that does just that, the Ten-thousand Steps concept. Taking at least 10,000 steps each day provides the roughly 30 minutes of exercise suggested for heart health.
The Ten-Thousand Step approach was created in Japan about 40 years ago. Embracing the philosophy that each individual component is important to the whole, focusing on the actual steps, instead of distance or time, makes exercise a more mindful occurrence. Rather than striving to perform movement for a set amount of time each day, the program encourages adding movement throughout the day.
As society becomes more mechanized, we move less, and therefore don’t burn as many calories as our ancestors did while they worked through their days. The key to taking 10,000 steps in one day is finding more reasons to take even a few extra steps.
You’ll need a pedometer to keep accurate track of how many steps you take each day. Most sporting goods stores have a wide variety of pedometers at an affordable price—some under $20. The most basic pedometer simply counts the number of steps you take, and is reset by pushing a button. Other models reset themselves automatically at midnight, or come with displays which tell you how many miles you’ve gone and/or how many calories you’ve burned. The most important factor in choosing a pedometer is to find one that secures easily to your clothes, so you don’t have to constantly worry about it falling off.
Since the average person’s stride is about 2.5 feet long, 2,000 steps equals a little over one mile; 10,000 steps is about 5 miles. What’s that? You don’t have time to walk 5 miles everyday? The great thing about this approach to exercise is that no one is saying you have to set aside a specific time to walk 5 miles. You simply aim to walk as often during the day as you can---from the car to the office, down the hall to a coworker’s desk, or around the mall—every step counts towards your day’s total.
Clip your pedometer onto the waistband or your pajamas or robe when you first get up in the morning. Believe it or not, you’re already working towards your daily goal as you stumble to the bathroom. Don’t forget to attach your pedometer to your workday outfit when you get ready for work. When you get ready for bed at night, take a look at the total. It’s amazing how many steps you’re already taking each day!
How fast do you have to walk? Only as fast as feels comfortable to you. The speed of your steps is not as important as the number of steps. Of course, the more energy you put into your steps, the more calories you burn while building bone and muscle. To begin with, just focus on making walking or climbing stairs a habit. You will probably find yourself picking up the pace later, as walking becomes a natural part of your day.
Even if you are sedentary, and only rack up 1,000-3,000 steps a day, you can add heart-healthy exercise through the Ten-thousand Step approach. Studies show that every step you add to your daily total enhances your health. If you have been very inactive for a long period of time, start adding steps slowly.
Most experts advise taking a 20% approach: wear your pedometer for a day and write down how many steps you took by the end of the day. Add 20% to that number for the total number of steps you want to aim for the next day. Try adding 20% more steps each week, always stopping to rest when needed.
Soon, finding ways to add steps becomes a sort of game. You’ll find yourself looking for the parking spot farthest from the store instead of closest. Vacuuming becomes a way to exercise your heart as you add steps going back and forth, back and forth. Get to know your neighborhood, watch the seasons changing, take your dog for a walk. If you don’t have a dog, check with your local animal shelter or humane society about volunteering to walk the dogs waiting for new homes. It not only adds steps to your fitness regime, helping others feels good inside, too.
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