How to Set a Daily Step Goal

Walking is a form of low-impact, moderate-intensity exercise with a range of health benefits and few risks. As a result, the CDC recommends that most adults aim for 10,000 steps per day.

How to Set a Daily Step Goal

Daily Step Goal
Increasing daily physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. A daily step goal can be a great way to work towards this. By setting a daily step goal, you are more likely to meet this target than by simply trying to fit in 30 minutes of brisk walking each day. Be sure to set an achievable daily step goal based on your particular fitness levels and other factors to avoid getting discouraged rather than encouraged about meeting your daily steps targets.

What’s a Good Daily Step Goal Recommendation?


image source The Healthy
You’ve probably heard that people should try to get 10,000 steps a day for optimum health. This is an arbitrary number, but it is a great daily step goal to aim towards. Of course, it’s not feasible or realistic for everyone. Start with a daily step goal that feels doable to you, and gradually work at increasing the number of steps you take over time. Everyone has a different starting point, and that’s okay! The important thing is to set up a routine that will help you get in more activity each day. 

Staying Motivated to Reach a Specific Number of Steps
Setting daily step goals can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. Some people like to keep their daily goal number in sight all day and work towards achieving it, using a pedometer or a wristwatch that counts steps to track the exact steps they take each day. Others prefer to set average daily step goals such as reaching 5,000+ by 10:00 am then another 3,000 before lunchtime and finally 7,000 more steps before going to bed at night.

Is Setting a Daily Step Goal The Right Strategy?
A daily step goal can be a great way to make sure you aim for a reasonable amount of physical activity each day, as long as it’s something that works for your lifestyle and fitness level. For those who want a concrete daily step goal to work towards, aiming for 10,000 steps per day can help you easily achieve this number.

Although daily step goals should suit the needs of the person setting it as much as possible, there are also online daily step calculators available which calculate your daily target based on how many days per week you want to exercise and other factors such as age or weight.

Do Some Physical Activity


image source women's health
Getting to the point where you can walk 10,000 steps each day can feel daunting for most Americans. For those who want a concrete daily step goal to work towards, aiming for 10,000 steps per day can help you easily achieve this number.

Calories Burn By Walking 10,000 Daily Steps
As a general rule of thumb, 10,000 steps is equal to walking about five miles. This varies a bit depending on your stride length but it’s a good goal for beginners and those who don’t have much time in their busy day!

Another popular estimation is that walking one mile burns 100 calories. So, if you walked 10,000 steps each day, you’d burn around 500 extra calories. Over time this will add up, especially if your daily calorie intake remains consistent based on your body’s daily caloric needs.

About Exercise Intensity?


image source NASM blogs
As you adjust to walking a certain number of steps each day, you will be able to walk at a more brisk pace. You may even decide to add some running into your routine