Impact of Getting Steps in Each Day
Most of us have heard that getting 10,000 steps is a goal we should strive to meet each day but you may not fully understand the benefits of accomplishing this goal. There are many benefits that walking has including improving your mood, increasing your metabolism, stimulating your digestive system, improving sleep, reducing stress, and much more. Now having a goal of getting 10,000 steps in each day can be an end goal but it does not necessarily need to be your goal right out of the gate especially if you are just starting to incorporate getting more steps into your daily routine.
A good way to start out is just getting a ten minute walk in at some point of the day and slowly increasing the amount over time. Once you have a good amount of time built up, you can disperse your walking times throughout your day to help avoid long periods of time being sedentary or if your schedule allows, you can take a nice long walk. This is the beauty of getting steps in, it is up to you and what will keep you motivated and consistent. Consistency is the key to creating a habit of having more movement in your schedule throughout the day.
To get added benefits of walking, you can increase the amount of time you walk or you can increase the pace at which you walk. Both will help you to reach goals for getting more steps and will get you exercising. One last tip for getting steps in is to make the lifestyle change enjoyable for you. This can mean taking your dog on the walk with you or even a friend. If these options are not available you can also talk on the phone as you walk, listen to an interesting podcast, or even meditate. There are many more options out there to make getting your steps enjoyable, but as mentioned above you have to find what works for you. Happy walking!
If you are experiencing difficulty with walking after a surgery or injury, ProTailored Physical Therapy can help! Call us at (260) 739-0300 to schedule your consultation and take the first step towards recovery.