Well, it turns out the gym is not opening quite yet. Gyms will open in phase 2 of the “Opening up
the Big Sky Plan” so as of right now we have no idea when phase 2 will even begin. I am sure at
this point in your at home workouts you are doing 1 of 2 options: you have either given up on
the at home workouts because they just weren’t the same and new things are hard, or you have
embraced this new adventure, and fallen into a nice groove with your at home workouts. Either
way if you are at home not working, the activity level has taken a bit of a hit. Unless you work at
a desk job then it may be comparable to what it was, but this will be good information for you to
take away to start introducing this healthy habit into your life.
Did you know the average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles.
Some of that is due to our careers that require us to be sedentary. Overall that is not a lot. It’s a
good idea to find out how many steps a day you walk now, as your own baseline. Then you can
work up toward the goal of 10,000 steps (roughly 5 miles) by aiming to add 1,000 extra steps a
day every two weeks. Getting up every once in a while from the desk has so many health
benefits for your muscular and skeletal structure.
Walking is a form of exercise that’s available to most people. You don’t need any special
equipment other than some supportive walking shoes. Walking for regular activity can help
reduce your risk of these common health problems:
- Heart disease
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Depression
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes a week of
moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking. But you don’t have to jump feet-first into the
150-minute goal. Start where you are and gradually increase your activity week by week. Those
150 minutes a week can be divided in many different ways. Some people aim for 30 minutes of
exercise five days a week. Others fit in 10 minutes of exercise several times a day. If your
walking pace isn’t speedy enough to qualify as moderate-intensity exercise, those steps still
help prevent the problems that can occur from sitting too much during the day. Adding any
regular activity to your routine is beneficial. The 10,000 steps is just a goal. There may be days
you hit 7,000 and there may be days you hit way more, look at it as an overall average of just
doing a healthy activity. Plus we are going into summer and have many nice days ahead. This
goal will also give you the benefits of being outside.
Remember a 10,000 step goal should not replace your workout routine and if your goal needs to
be a little lower or higher that is totally fine. If wearing a step counter is not enjoyable, don’t wear
one, the point is to get moving a little more and create healthy habits.