Exercise in everyday life is important and taking just enough steps is always seen as particularly helpful for your health.
Did you think so? The magic number of 10,000 steps can be traced back to a Japanese advertisement and has stuck in our heads.
Here we will explain to you how you can get 10,000 steps a day and what significance this seemingly miraculous number has.
The magic number and the background
Have you ever checked how many steps add up every day on your smartphone or on a fitness watch when you don't pay attention to them? A large proportion of people here take between 3,000 and 5,000 steps.
As a result, it was believed that 10,000 steps was a good number with a positive effect on the body. The origin of this is an advertisement from Japan that advertised the effect of 10,000 steps around 50 years ago.
Since the number sounds magical and appealing, it was examined more closely. And various studies have actually come to the conclusion: Anyone who walks 10,000 steps a day is getting enough exercise and is doing something good for their body!
Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends this number of steps, which many people strive for in everyday life.
How can you get 10,000 steps a day?
At first, 10,000 steps sounds like a lot because we don't move much these days. Long marches, walks or even hikes are not necessarily part of everyday life. The result is perhaps 5,000 or 6,000 steps a day.
But there are various tricks for how the number of steps adds up. Here are the best 5 ideas for taking more steps a day:
- A short walk during the lunch break
- Get off the bus or train one or two stops early
- Intentionally park the car further away from the destination
- Use the bike for all shorter journeys that occur in everyday life
- Do errands on foot and use new routes
Of course, anyone who rides a bike doesn't know how many steps have been taken. But that is not an argument against cycling, as various apps allow you to convert cycling routes into steps.
This will tell you directly how many steps you have already taken and whether you have reached the magic number. Or you should take a few more minutes or steps by bike. House and garden work is also a great option for collecting significantly more steps.
Shopping with parking your car a short distance from the entrance adds up here, as do short walks during your lunch break or after work. It doesn't always have to be a long hike, as many small activities add up in the end.
Alternatives for your own four walls
But what happens in winter when it's not so easy to move outside and do sports? Or even just going for a walk to reach your desired 10,000 steps a day? Of course, there are also good alternatives for your own four walls, as we are aware that walks are not always possible.
How about, for example, a walking band , which can also be found in our online shop? Walking or walking is done casually and is probably easier to do than training on one of our cross trainers or even on an air bike .
Is walking easy enough or do I have to really work up a sweat?
In fact, in terms of exercise, collecting your 10,000 steps every day would be enough. This means you don't remain idle, you exercise to a healthy extent and can replace endurance sports up to a certain point. The only thing that should not be forgotten is that when you go for a walk you don't put as much strain on your fitness as you do when jogging, on the cross trainer or on an exercise bike.
You protect yourself from lack of exercise, but you won't be able to achieve great sporting success. This also applies to muscle building, which requires special exercises and training equipment. In summary, it is healthier to get 10,000 steps over a long period of time than not to exercise at all.
Plus, walking regularly is much better than starting a sport and then only sticking with it for a month. Walking provides enough exercise, but of course it doesn't make you an athlete.
Conclusion on the 10,000 steps a day
So it's not that difficult to get the desired daily step count, even without hiking or long walks. An app or a fitness watch can undoubtedly help you keep track of this goal and actually reach the magic number.
