Sneaky Ways To Hit Your 10,000 Steps A Day

We all know the drill. Ten thousand. That’s the magic number of steps all healthy adults should strive for each day to enjoy optimum health. Hitting that mark can sound daunting, especially if you are a fitness newbie or have spent a long spell on the bench. But sneaking those extra steps into your day is easier than you think – and with the latest fitness trackers and smart watches to keep you moving, it’s even simpler.

“Ten thousand steps a day is a safe and achievable goal for most adults, and it comes with so many amazing health perks,” says personal trainer Pete Hovell of Musta Global.

“Not only will it help you maintain a healthy weight and strengthen your bones, muscles and immune system, it will also boost your energy levels; improve your mood, memory and sleep; and reduce stress and anxiety.”

Sold? Try these top tips for adding more steps to your day.

Go For Mini Walks

Don’t have time for the recommended 30- to 60-minute daily walk? Build a few 10- to 20-minute bursts into your day instead. “If I could tell people to make just one change to their daily routine, factoring in mini walks would be it,” says Pete Hovell. “They really add up!”

“Ten thousand steps a day is a safe and achievable goal for most adults, and it comes with so many amazing health perks.” Pete Hovell, personal trainer, Musta Global.

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Track Your Steps

A good fitness tracker or smart watch is like a personal trainer on your wrist and can help you stay accountable to your fitness goals. “If it gets to 5pm and you can see that you’ve only notched up 1,000 steps, it might give you that extra push to go on a clip around the block before dinner,” says Pete Hovell. 

Shop The Best Fitness Trackers

• Your one-stop fitness shop, the Fitbit Charge 5 displays your exercise route and pace as you go with a built-in GPS.

• The Activity app on the Apple Watch SE 40 MID AL MID SP GPS

   has a three-ring display that offers daily reports on how often you stand, how much you move, and how many minutes of exercise you’ve clocked up.

Shop The Fitbit Charge 5

Shop The Apple Watch SE 40 MID AL MID SP GPS

Do Two Things At Once

Increase your incidental exercise by skipping on the spot while you wait for the kettle to boil, or march in place while you binge-watch your favourite show on Netflix.

Hit The Treadmill At Home

Consider buying your own treadmill or elliptical. No more worries about finding time to drive to the gym, or forcing yourself out for a walk or run when it's raining, freezing or dark.

Shop Home Gym Equipment

• The BH Fitness Vector Treadmill will up the ante with its automatic incline feature.

• Tricky knees an issue? The low-impact BH Fitness Crystal 2.0 Program Elliptical has a long stride length to help you close in on those step goals.

• Perfect for smaller spaces, the BH Fitness RunLab Treadmill can fold up and hide under the bed between power walks.

Shop The BH Fitness Vector Treadmill

Shop The BH Fitness Crystal Program Elliptical

Shop The BH Fitness RunLab Treadmill

Double Down On Housework

Stretch out completing your laundry by putting one piece of clean washing away, one item at a time, room by room. Steam mop floors every other day and rev up your usual vacuum rota with a model that’s actually fun to use.

Shop The Latest Stick Vacuums

• Breathe easier with the powerful Samsung BESPOKE Jet Complete Extra Cordless Vacuum: its five-layer filtration system captures up to 99.999 per cent of your home’s fine dust particles and allergens.

• Light and nimble and a blast to use, you’ll have to fight the kids over clean-up duty with the Dyson V10 Cordless Vacuum.

• Forget pulling tangled hair and fibres from your vacuum brush. The Electrolux Well Q7 Stick Vacuum has an internal self-clean blade mechanism that does the job for you.

Shop The Samsung BESPOKE Jet Complete Extra Cordless Vacuum

Shop The Dyson V10 Cordless Vacuum

Shop The Electrolux PURE Well Q7 Reach Stick Vacuum

Take A Podcast For A Walk

Is walking outside a bore? Plug in your headphones and tune in to an engrossing podcast. Time will fly.

Walk While You Wait

Stuck on an endless hold waiting for customer service? Stomp around the house until you get connected (then tell them how many steps you had to wait!).

Set Family Challenges

Motivation shared is motivation squared. Harness your competitive streak and bond with family (or friends) by inviting them to conquer exercise goals via a smart watch or fitness app (such as the government’s 10,000 Steps app).

Get moving to your nearest The Good Guys store for the best range of fitness trackers and home gym equipment, such as treadmills and ellipticals, or browse the best deals online.