How do you get those extra steps in?

[zapleahy]

I live about four miles from my workplace and although I haven't yet walked all four miles to or from work, there are a few games I play during the week to increase my stepcount.

Some days I'll take the hillier, windier, unnecessarily long route to BART (San Francisco's heavy-rail rapid transit system). Almost always, I forgo the escalator for the stairs. Today, that act alone added 5 flights of stairs and over 250 steps to my morning journey.

My other favorite "cheat" is high stepping in place. Sure, I may look a little odd bouncing up and down while typing at my makeshift standing desk, but it feels good to keep the blood flowing and the legs moving! 

What do you do to get your extra steps in?

[MCarr]

I really don't think it does.  Sometimes I even put the music stations on the TV and walk to the beat of songs.

[QueenAnn]

I still walk my Wal-Mart store every morning, but this past summer I started walking our two cemeteries in the afternoon. It is peaceful and educational. I was walking a minimum of 10 miles a day in the summer. Now that it is Winter I have upped my morning Wal-Mart walk to 2 hours which is <6> miles then I try to go out to Lowes in the afternoon and walk for 30 mins. I do manage to get in 8 miles in a day.

[jenk0131]

When I am cooking and waiting for something to finish cooking, i walk laps around the kitchen or through the house. 

[jazzyone]

i love to walk the wal-mart, in my home town, never tried the lowes,i go to the mall to do 10,000 public places are a great way to workout

[SunsetRunner]

I walk around my house and my town " it little town" and go up and down on stairs. That it also go hike, run.

[DoyleBingster]

I work in a laboratory that's part of a larger facility, so I often find myself getting 8,000+ steps in a single shift.  Then there's working out and doing all the other nonsense that goes with everyday life. 11,000 seems to be what I hover around on the daily.

[MCarr]

11,000 is awesome.

[CharlieMurphy]

I work in an office and spend a lot of time at my desk.  So since I drink so much water, everytime I head to the bathroom, I dash up and down 4 flights of stairs.  Easily get 30-40 flights of stairs in over the day, and a great way to get your extra steps in 🙂

[trishe]

For a number of reasons, walking is my main workout, and I do put some speed to it. I can do that at lunch. 

For my hourly reminders at work, I go upstairs to the ladies room. If it's the end of the day and I'm short, I fast walk in place. Sometimes I "jog" on my rebounder. If I need a LOT of steps, I watch Leslie Sansone indoor walking program. Believe me, you get in steps and a real workout. 

[Gtkozik]

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@USAF-Larry wrote:

It was bitterlly cold outside today, -9°F windchill, so it was off to the treadmil & elliptical for exercise. I had planned to do 3 miles on the treadmill, and them move to the elliptical.  I looked for movies I could stream to the tablet while working out, and found an old Jame Cagney WW I movie that I put on and took off walking. Next thing I knew, I had gone over 6 miles on the treadmill, and the movie was coming to the end....

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How good is the elliptical? All I do is treadmill but recently took break from all form of exercises. Trying to switch things up.

[MCarr]

Maybe I should try to watch a movie, too.  Awesome.

Elliptical is good for a change of pace.

[Running777]

I love my elliptical! My best workouts include this great equipment my heart rate goes to my training zone quickly. It is also great for interval training! I increase the incline sparsticlly & use my arms with the moves😁 just out on another Cacgney movie

[Cyc]

MCarr

watching TV while exercising is great... more fun and get your fitness in at the same time.


cyc

[MCarr]

Makes the time go by faster.

[DanFletcher]

If I'm short on time I focus on ways to do multiple things at once. This makes it much easier for me to justify spending some time on a walk.

So I'm not spending 30 minutes walking- I'm walking and getting some groceries from the shop.

Recently I've started dribbling a basketball while I'm walking the dog. So I'm getting some steps in, exercising the dog, and getting some basketball practice in all at the same time. 

[RAS0604]

A mini personal sized trampoline! I'll put on my favorite shows for the night and walk or jump in place to get some extra calories burned or to reach my goals for the day!

[trishe]

 Also great. I have one, just don't watch as much tv as I used to do.

[NellyG]

I really liked the suggestion of putting each item away one at a time when drying dishes! It sounds weird, but works for me. When my 250 steps vibratiin goes off I often practice dance steps till I reach the 250. It gives me something positive to do while doing steps

[MCarr]

Whatever works is good.

[GrindTheTime]

I'll take the stairs at work if I just need to take my person upstairs without anything with me, I walk home from work (2.5-3.5 miles depending on the route), I started on Boxing day, I went sales shopping then walked home carrying the bags, 37,000 steps that day (my most still), it seemed so much effort at the beginning, then I used it as a tool, I'd go to the big supermarket on the way home (I get robbed of steps if I push a trolley, I was in there for 30 minutes one day and did 25 steps), I now walk home through 2 parks which stopped the hassle feel that pavements were giving me, I see the bus I would usually take home and now I refer to it as the "quitters bus", I'm very capable of walking this every day, it always adds a few thousand steps to my days