Do you know how many steps you walk in a day? It’s recommended that we walk 10,000 steps in any given day and if you’re not thinking about that and mindful, it’s easy to fall far below that threshold. If you have a job where you do a lot of walking then it’s probably not as much of a problem. But for those of us who spend the bulk of our day behind a desk, it can be a challenge.

How do I know? I’ve recently gotten hip to just how few steps I walk in a day. I spend several days during the week situated behind a desk working with clients either on the phone or at my office – that sure doesn’t require lots of walking! Other days I may be out and about going to and from meetings so it’s increased. But unless I’m getting in a workout at the gym, in addition to the rest of my daily routine, it’s really hard to meet that target (which is inspiring me to increase my workouts).

I was in New York City last weekend with friends and we went to the Museum of Natural History. After walking around for quite some time there and in other parts of the city, you’d think I’d easily have 10,000 steps, but no, didn’t happen.

Hence, the importance of pedometers. I bought a bunch of pedometers recently to test them out. I’ll be including one in my Don’t Worry, Get Healthy Starter Kit that will soon be debuting. It’s full of healthy information and products to jump start great health and using the pedometer is one of the single easiest things we can do to monitor and then improve upon our health. I’ve gotten completely motivated by seeing how many steps I take and how many I don’t. And it’s inspiring me to step things up.

And it’s not just me. Research shows that when we monitor our steps, it’s an important catalyst for increasing them. Check out Pedometers are Proven to Increase Exercise for more information on this topic.

Above all, I hope you’ll consider getting a pedometer yourself. Doesn’t have to be an expensive one with all the bells and whistles, simply a tool to help you tune into your body and increase your steps. Optimal health is only 10,000 steps away!

Do you have a pedometer already? Share your thoughts on how it helps you to monitor how far you walk.

Filed under: Exercise, General, Healthy Body, Pedometers, Walking