Do You Actually Need 10K Steps a Day?
You’ve probably heard that 10,000 steps a day is the magic number for health and fitness. But… is that actually true, or is it just another arbitrary goal that the internet ran with?
If you’ve ever stressed about hitting your steps or felt like you’re failing if you don’t reach 10K, this episode is for you.
What I discuss:
Whether 10,000 steps a day is really necessary
How to sneak in more movement without even thinking about it
Easy ways to increase your daily steps (even if you sit a lot!)
If you loved this episode, you’ll also love 418: 3 Reasons Why Walking More Leads to More Fat Loss
https://www.juliealedbetter.com/embrace-your-real/3-reasons-why-walking-more-leads-to-more-fat-loss
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Transcript:
00:00
Hey, hey, beautiful human, Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello, and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace your Real podcast.
00:37
You've probably heard that 10,000 steps a day is this magic number for health and fitness. But is that actually true or is there another arbitrary goal that the internet ran with? If you've ever stressed about hitting your steps or felt like you're failing because you're not reaching this 10K step goal every single day, this episode for you is for you. We're going to be breaking down whether 10,000 steps a day is really necessary, how to sneak in more movement even without thinking about it and, last but not least, easy ways to increase your daily steps even if you sit a lot throughout the day. But before I dive in, I want to share this review. It comes from Miss Vireen. She gave a five-star review and said love this podcast. This podcast has helped me so much in my fitness journey. Julie is so informative and I've gained so much knowledge and encouragement from listening to her podcast. I also use her Movement With Julie app for my workouts and absolutely love having my workouts already laid out for me, and the best part is I can do it all from home. Thank you, julie, for pouring so much into this podcast. I love this so much. Thank you so much for tuning in. I'm also so grateful that the Movement With Julie app is helping you. If you guys are not familiar, I have a dumbbell-only workout app. Five brand new workouts every single week, released on Saturdays at 12 pm Mountain Standard Time, and all you genuinely need is a few pair of dumbbells in a small space. If you have a bench that does incline-decline, that's optional. I always give no-bench alternates, but you really genuinely can do these workouts anywhere, anytime. They go at your own pace. Video demonstrations for every single movement. So if you want to learn more, you can go to sale that's salemovmentwithjuliecom. And if you are a brand new subscriber, you get 50% off your first month. So thank you so, so much. I'm so grateful that this podcast is helping you and that the app is helping you and thanks for taking time out of your day to send in this review.
02:18
All right, so let's dive into today's topic how many steps should you actually be getting? Well, recently, in the movement with Julie Private Community Group, the ladies were talking about how many steps they were getting each day, and so I thought that this would be an awesome topic to kind of discuss on the podcast. What is the number that these ladies said that they were hitting? An overwhelming number of you guys said that you aim for 10,000 steps a day and I get it. 10,000 steps, I hear all the time, is the goal. Like that is so much the craze right now of what people say. But I think that really, this is like this arbitrary number that's completely like. It really isn't based on some magical study. It's actually started as like a marketing campaign decades ago in Japan for the pedometer, which is crazy, and then it made its.
03:08
And so does that mean that walking 10K steps a day is bad? No, of course not. Walking is an amazing way to stay active. It's a great way to improve circulation and really keep your body moving, increase that net, which is non-exercise activity, thermogenesis, and the list goes on and on, but if you're stressing about hitting an exact number, it's really time to shift your focus. Like the real number you should be aiming for daily is something that's actually attainable for you right now. Like we don't need to add another thing to our list that actually isn't feasible. That will ultimately make us feel worse about ourselves, and so we really do need to set ourselves up for success.
03:44
And one lady inside the Moomoo Julie Facebook group realized like her baseline was 3,500 steps a day, and so she made it a goal to double that, to get 7,000 steps a day. I personally think that that's a perfect approach Like figure out what you naturally get and then try to increase it by 2,000 to 3,000 steps. Like once you're consistent with that, then, if you want to, you can try to increase that again. This way it actually feels feasible. And so all that to say my answer to how many steps you should get a day is really like okay, as many as you can fit into your lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed. Studies have shown that you know 6,500 to 7,000, maybe even 8,000 steps a day. That can provide major health benefits. And even if you're not hitting that right now, remember that more movement is always better than less, and so, instead of obsessing about this number, think about how you can move more naturally throughout the day. So if you struggle with getting in more steps per day, let's kind of dive into a few tweaks that can be super helpful. A lot of these ideas came inside the Moomoo Julie private community group and they're things that are working well for them to hit around 10,000 steps a day. So let me kind of break this down for you.
04:52
Number one take steps in place while doing daily tasks. So if you're washing dishes, if you're folding laundry, if you're standing up doing some steps in place, these small moments really do add up. Number two walking around between sets. So instead of just sitting and scrolling between exercises like sets, reps, circuits, I typically have like 45 second rest or 30 second rest or a minute rest or two minute rest, depending on what workouts you're doing Instead, like, just get up and walk around during your sets, instead of just sitting down scrolling, like, have your water bottle in hand and just get, like, walk around the room that you're working out in, and a bonus here with that is that it really can help with recovery, that blood flow, that circulation.
05:33
Number three using a walking pad. You guys know I am a huge believer in my walking pad. It was literally like the best $170 that I paid on Amazon because I use it almost daily. Like I personally feel like I cannot live without mine. Now it has been a total game changer for me, especially postpartum and just working from home and also working on a computer. If I you know, during Blake's nap times, which is about three and a half hours throughout the day like spread out between his naps If I were to just sit down that would be three and a half hours of me just sitting down at the computer during his nap time. Instead, doing and having a walking pad and a stand-up desk really does allow me to get at least a solid seven, if not 10,000, steps during the weekdays. That is just manageable for me because I'm already going to be at the computer and so just putting it at 1.2, 1.5, 1.8 speed while I'm walking or while I'm working so walking while I'm working has been just a total game changer. I actually have my favorite one linked in my Amazon shop and I will link that in the show notes below so that you can easily go check that out. But I'm telling you it is such a game changer, even if you don't have a standup desk or if you don't work from home, if you are Netflixing or if you are even like your baby's playing, if you can have your walking pad in some main room where you can walk safely. Obviously, if they're like crawling, you don't want them near that at all, but if you can have it safely somewhere where they're playing, if they're maybe in a playpen, or just pull it out at night when your baby's already asleep and you're, you know, netflixing and chilling. If you can even just do 30 minutes of walking on a walking pad while you're binge watching a Netflix show. Total, total game changer.
07:18
Number four take a five minute movement break every hour, like set up a timer. Go, get up, walk around, do some quick laps around your home every hour. This is really going to help so many things, including productivity and concentration. Or, if you're at the office, get up, you know. Five minute movement break around the office every hour You're going to. Not only it's going to be beneficial for you, but you're also going to encourage other people that you work with, because they're going to be like, okay, what the heck are you doing? And then they're going to see how much happier you are and, just in general, just how much healthier you are, and you're going to inspire so many people.
07:50
Number five family walks. So if you have kids, make walking a fun family routine, bless up Now that we are post daylight savings like and it is darker later, I mean it is earlier, it is lighter later, that's what I meant to say. It is lighter later. Go for a walk. Personally, we've been doing it right before dinnertime, so like Blake will wake up from his nap, he'll play a little bit, I'll feed him and then we will go for a walk before dinnertime. And it has been so nice because it is lighter later and we all feel good and it helps us. You know, have a way to get fresh air every single day Keeps us moving. It also teaches kids early on the importance of movement and family time. Also, if you have dogs and you have kids, it's a great way to just get everybody out of the house and some exercise.
08:36
And last but not least, number six ask yourself like do I need to be sitting right now? If you're on a long call? Can you stand up in pace If you're watching TV? Can you get steps in place. If you're at your kid's soccer game, can you be walking around instead of just sitting down, like even walking around the field, while you're still watching them? Obviously, yes, you deserve to rest and sit, but if you find you've been sitting all day, these are the perfect moments to just get up and move.
09:00
So the bottom line here is don't stress about getting that 10,000 step mark just because everyone else is doing it or talking about it. Instead, I want you to find a goal that works for you. So, yes, I personally believe having a goal is great, but maybe it's 5,000 or 6,000 steps, not 10,000 steps. Whatever the number is, what matters most is consistency, because I don't want you to put something on your list again that you feel is unattainable and it makes you feel worse about yourself. So if you're not hitting 10,000 steps every day, remember you're still doing great. Keep moving, keep finding small ways to add in steps and, most importantly, make it work for you. If you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 418, three reasons why walking more leads to more fat loss.
09:45
I will go ahead and link that in the show notes below, as well as my favorite walking pad on Amazon, because I'm telling you guys, it is literally the best money that I've spent. I use it almost every single day and it's great. It just makes me feel so much better and it's so easy. You can roll it around. It's literally so compactable, like it is the best. It's just the best. I can go on and on and on about it, so I will again.
10:08
I will go ahead and link the one that I use on Amazon in the show notes below so that you can easily go check it out, but that is all that I have for today's episode. I don't want you to stress about that 10,000 step. Just find what works best for you. I love you so dang much, I mean it and I'll talk. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do.
10:42
First thing if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an a in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought the most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.