According to The Walking Site, sedentary people typically walk between 1,000 and 3,000 steps a day. Walking 10,000 steps a day, which works out to roughly five miles, represents a significant increase in activity level. This kind of regular cardiovascular exercise provides benefits like weight loss, decreased risk of heart disease, a stronger immune system and better mood. If you've been living a sedentary life, try to find a way to slowly increase your number of steps per day so those 10,000 steps are as enjoyable as possible.
Pedometer
If you can walk on a track or route of known length, you don't have to worry about counting steps; just keep going until you reach whatever portion of five miles you're aiming for, and gradually increase your goal as your stamina improves. But if you want your during-the-day walking to count, try wearing a pedometer. It'll count every single step you take, and you might be surprised by just how much physical activity you already do during the day.
Exercise Machines
A few home treadmills and elliptical trainers have step counters that translate your distance walked or run into steps taken so you can easily add your at-home exercise steps to the number your pedometer has tracked throughout the day. Even if your home exercise machine doesn't have a step counter, you can make the conversion yourself. According to The Walking Site, the average person's stride length is about 2.5 feet. So multiply the number of miles you've walked by 5,280 to convert it into feet, then divide by 2.5 -- or your own stride length, if you know it -- to get the number of steps you've taken.
Hiking to Shop
One of the benefits of counting every step during the day is that every little bit really does add up. For example, next time you go to the grocery store or movie theater, park at the far end of the parking lot, and walk in. Those extra steps count toward your daily total. If you go to the mall, park at the far end of the mall, and walk through the mall to get wherever you're going.
10-Minute Increments
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you do your aerobic exercise -- like walking -- in moderate to vigorous bursts of at least 10 minutes at a time spaced throughout the day, the cumulative benefits are similar to if you'd done one long workout session. So don't worry about getting those 10,000 steps all at once. Instead, aim to get at least 2,000 steps in before work; a brisk morning walk with the dog should do it. Then aim for 4,000 to 5,000 steps during your work day, with activities like pacing while you're on the phone, walking down the hall to visit a colleague instead of sending e-mail, and taking a brisk walk for half your lunch hour. That leaves another 3,000 to 4,000 steps for an after-work workout or family walk.
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