Green Planet Content Creation

Flicking through the I newspaper this week, I paused on a short health article. The title: “Walking 10,000 steps a day lowers risk of early death”.

I had previously read there was little evidence behind the 10,000 steps a day for better health claim – the figure came from a marketing campaign for pedometers. However, this latest research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that participants walking between 9,000 and 10,500 steps a day cut their risk of early death by 39%. And these benefits held even if people were sat down for the rest of their day

While greatest benefits were seen among those walking up to around 10,000 steps a day, increasing step count above 2200 each day brought benefits. So upping your steps can be beneficial to health even if you can’t hit the coveted target.

Taking a walk before or after work, or in your lunch break, is one way to increase your step count. But what about hectic days when you can’t fit a walk in?

10 Ways to Increase Your Step Count

When sat at my computer writing articles, each hour I’ll get up and walk around for a few minutes. That’s one way to walk more steps if you are desk-based, but how else can you add some extra steps to your day?

• Walk around while you are speaking on the phone

• Rather than emailing or phoning someone, meet face to face if they are a short distance away

• Take the stairs rather than the lift or escalator

• If driving, park in the spot furthest from where you need to go

• Take the bus or train if you can, as you will naturally get more steps in than driving

• Get off the bus one stop early

• Aim to walk journeys less than one mile

• Get creative and organise walking meetings

• Walk about during advert breaks or after each episode when watching TV

• Grab a coffee in a reusable cup and catch up with a friend while you walk

These incidental activities can all help you increase your daily step count, but what is your favourite way to get more steps each day?