CHANGE #3

Walk 10,000 Steps a Day

SIMPLY PUT… Strap on an activity bracelet or an inexpensive pedometer and track how many steps you actually take in a day. Whatever that number is, add to it until you get to at least 10,000.

Here’s why: Since walking burns around 100 calories/mile and a mile is around 2,000 steps, walking 10,000 steps a day equals 5 miles and burns close to 500 calories (extra if you weigh more than average). That equals 3,500 calories a week (or one pound) and 182,000 calories a year!!!

If 10,000 steps a day sounds like a lot, first consider that the average person is already walking roughly more than 5,000 steps daily. So you’re already more than halfway there. Then consider that there is no easier exercise assignment than “walk more,” so appreciate it now while we’re in the early Changes.

And if 10,000 steps a day happens to be a few extra outside your comfort zone, fantastic. I love that space. That’s where all the good stuff happens. That’s where you take chances and face your fears and that’s where real change occurs. While the rest of the world relies on the safety and warmth of their comfort zone, I want you to spend a little time each day outside it.

Forcing yourself to reach 10k steps is one way to do that.

To track all those steps, you don’t have to go out and buy a multifunctional exercise fitness bracelet or watch, especially if you don’t have the money or don’t need any of the other technologies typically built into them. Instead, just go to the drugstore and buy yourself a ten-dollar pedometer.

Yeah, it may not look as fashionable (my mom wears one that could easily double as a wall clock, but she gets her steps in!) and it may not be 100 percent accurate, but even those high-tech fitness trackers aren’t all calibrated in exactly the same way. If you wore five on each arm and walked a mile, I’ll guarantee none of them would come up with the exact same number of steps. Even if your pedometer is off by 1,000 footsteps, it’s fine. You won’t be doing any athletic disservice to yourself. Remember, you’re only using it as a gauge.

Once you have something to track your steps, start moving and figure out how much walking you need to do to reach 10k. At the end of the day, if you only see the number 8,000 sadly blinking back at you, well… I’m sorry to tell you this but you’re 2,000 steps shy. (No, Mom, you can’t “make it up tomorrow.”) Find a way to reach your goal before you go to bed.

Get moving and reach that 10,000-step finish line before the end of the day, whether it takes walking around your house, hiking up and down your staircase, or marching in place during commercial breaks. (“No fast-forwarding through commercials!!” said literally nobody, except the person aiming for 10,000 steps.) And trust me, the first time that happens to you, the first time you’re saddled with cramming in last-minute steps just to hit 10k, your walking habits will change almost immediately. The next day, you’ll actively look for ways to get those missed 2,000 steps in a lot earlier.

Ways to Get Your Steps in…

• Choose a subway/bus/train stop or parking spot farther from your office.

• Use a bathroom on a different floor at work.

• Walk around the practice field watching your kids play sports instead of just bench warming.

• Pace while you’re on the phone.

• Find the farthest parking space at a store—the one no one uses unless it’s Black Friday and the lot’s full.

• Never use another drive-thru again. It’s either walk in or you get nothing.

• Anytime you’re forced to stand or sit and wait for anything, opt to walk or march in place instead. You’ll get steps in and you’ll look cool. Well… Let’s just say you’ll get some steps in.

• Make it a ritual to take a five-minute walk after every meal.

• Make it a habit to walk the mall three times before hitting the stores.

Two More Things to Remember…

In addition to my 10k steps, there are two things I do all the time that have made a huge difference in my life, two things that used to be a challenge for me but now just come naturally.

• One is keeping my stomach engaged throughout the day, holding it tight as if someone were about to punch me in the gut. (I’ll explain this further in another Change.)

• The other is contracting my gluteal muscles. (Yes, that’s my way of saying I’m constantly squeezing my butt cheeks whenever I walk. Clearly I’m very fancy.) It’s a simple trick that secretly works the muscles that make up your derriere, and now you have 10,000 mini opportunities to do just that.

When I first tried it, I had to remind myself every few seconds, which turned into every few minutes and eventually once or twice daily. Now it’s so second nature to me that even if I just get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I still squeeze my glutes with every step. (An interesting visual, now that I think about it.)

It takes time and practice to get to where it will become routine for you too, but it will. And I’ll be straight with you: Doing it for a few minutes a day really doesn’t add up to a whole heck of a lot. But use this tactic with your 10,000 steps and you’ll burn even more calories each day while simultaneously strengthening and shaping your glutes.

Tips and Tricks

Walking burns calories while strengthening your heart, legs, butt, lower back, and abdominals. Plus, it’s free, safe, and one of the most joint-friendly, risk-free forms of cardiovascular activity out there. But that doesn’t mean you can’t eke a little more from all 10,000 steps…

Give your walks a soundtrack… In a classic study out of Ohio State University, people who listened to music while walking felt less exhausted and went about 21 percent farther than usual.

… But pick the best type of tunes. Choosing songs with a faster tempo has been shown to boost a walker’s pace, so take advantage of it. (Not that I don’t love Barbra Streisand, but power walking all around town to “Memories” just doesn’t paint the most athletic picture.)

Quick Tip: Tap your foot with each song, then count how many times you tap your foot in one minute. For slow to moderate walks, choose songs that range between 90 and 125 beats per minute. If you’re a fast walker (and want to get more steps in), stick with songs that range between 130 and 160 beats per minute.

Then arrange your songs in the right order. Don’t just hit shuffle on your music player. Instead, make a playlist of your all-time favorite songs, then arrange them from least favorite to “can’t live without,” so your best songs won’t play until about halfway through your walk. That way, you’ll get a boost just when you need it most.

Don’t try to lengthen your stride. Just let your feet fall where they may. Trying to take longer steps so you’ll travel farther will only throw off your natural rhythm and body mechanics. To utilize all the muscles within your butt, thighs, and waist, your hips should feel as if they are rolling back and forth with your legs.

Stand straight and look forward as often as possible. Rounding your shoulders, tilting your head down, or leaning back prevents your weight from being evenly distributed, which affects how much oxygen you take in and compromises the muscles of the lower back. Instead, keep your chin lifted, back straight, and abs tight.

Give yourself a raise on the treadmill. Walk normally and your body is the only thing moving yourself forward. But on a treadmill, a motor pulls the surface backward, so your body never has to work quite as hard. Raise the incline to 1 percent so your muscles work as hard as if they were walking on a flat surface outside.

Keep an eye on your arms… Swinging your arms back and forth uses additional calories and helps counterbalance your legs to stabilize your body. Somewhere between nothing at all and the ridiculously hilarious but adorable sweeping arm swings my mom and her friends use is where I want you to live. Ideally, your elbows should be bent at a 90-degree angle. As you walk, pump your arms back and forth in a straight line (not at an angle), swinging your fists no farther forward than chest-high. As you draw them back, your fists should line up by your hips.

… Then use your arms to speed things along. Your arms act as gearshifts. The quicker you swing them back and forth, the more your pace picks up. So if you feel your feet beginning to drag, try swinging your arms faster and your legs should fall in line.

Glance down at your legs and feet. With each step, your toes, foot, ankle, knee, and hip should all be pointing straight ahead and be in line with one another. Land on the heel of each foot, roll forward onto the ball of the foot, and then push off with your toes.

If your toes seem to roll inward or outward, you could be either a pronator or supinator and may require special footwear to avoid aches and pains after this Change becomes a habit. In that case, contact a podiatrist or visit a technical shoe store that caters to runners and walkers.

Make adjustments when it’s hot. High temperatures, humidity, and direct sun cause your body to overwork itself in order to keep cool. Stay safe when walking in the sun:

• Don’t overexert yourself between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (That’s when the sun is at its peak and ozone and UV rays are at their highest levels for the day.)

• Wear lighter-colored, looser-fitting clothes made from breathable materials (such as CoolMax, SmartWool, and spun polyester) and avoid darker, tight-fitting clothing made from fabrics that trap heat and moisture (like cotton).

• Always wear sunscreen, even when it’s cloudy. And if you really work up a sweat on your walks, use an oil-based sunscreen instead of a water-based version so it stays on you.

The “So You Know” Science

If you think walking’s weak because it’s a low-intensity, low-aerobic activity, think again. Walking targets the same muscles that running does (the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, calves, and even the abdominals and lower back to a certain extent). And performed at an incline—either on a treadmill or up hills—walking can even burn as many calories and condition your cardiovascular system as effectively as running can, minus all the stress on your joints.

Countless studies have proven that, in addition to all the calories you’ll burn, walking every day also improves your body’s ability to consume oxygen, lowers blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” kind), raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” kind), and it even boosts your psychological and physical well-being.