You are probably quite familiar with the guideline to walk 10,000 steps a day. What isn’t quite as well known is that this adds up to 3,650,000 steps a year
Last year I walked 3,135,749 steps.
Which sounds a lot and it is, but it was also down on the last few years which is expected considering it was 2021!
I found this information on my FitBit as I have had one now for a few years. Perhaps you can find out how many steps you did in the last year too?
Some things that jump out to me about my 3 million steps
- These were mostly local walks on pavements but It’s a lot of steps if you are wearing the wrong shoes.
- Any calf stretches were part of my workouts rarely around the times of my walk. Anyone who has had plantar fasciitis (me and most middle-aged women I’ve met!) knows how important it is to both stretch and strengthen their ankle joint
- The intensity of the walks varied from photography walks which were very stop/start to walking up some of Edinburgh’s steep hills or climbing steps
- If I average 10,000 steps for 90 mins then 3,135,749 steps would take 313.5 hours
This has been a great example to zoom out on an everyday habit. It is low intensity and therefore easy to dismiss it. However, the high repetitions means that perhaps it needs a bit more attention that I sometimes give it.
Samantha Valand is a Pilates teacher, Yoga Instructor and Personal Trainer. Who helps women fall in love with exercising again after the menopause. You can find some inspiration over on the blog Samatha has a free newsletter and a fun way to sign up is through my 'Elements of Exercise | Post menopause Quiz' which help you figure out what type of fitness focus to set next using Elements of Exercise framework
