The Pedometer is Your Best Friend!

A pedometer is a fitness tool used to track how many steps you take in a day. 2000 steps is equivalent to 1 mile or 1.6km

The average sedentary person takes an average of 2-3000 steps per/day. An active person takes an average of 10 000 steps/day or 5 miles. (8k)

I recommend wearing one for a few days. Preferably on an inactive and then active day. Doing so will truly show you how a few basic lifestyle changes can make a huge difference in your overall fitness level.

Recently I did this very thing as an experiment for myself. One day I did my daily routine without getting off the subway early to walk, and without going for my usual jog in the morning. My result was roughly 4500 steps. (2.5 miles, 4km) The next day I did a run in the morning and walked everywhere instead of relying on public transportation. My result was 22000 steps (11 miles, 17.6km) Despite being a personal trainer and knowing how much of a difference little changes can make, I still found the results completely remarkable.

Try this challenge:

Figure out how much you are walking daily and try to beat it by 500 steps everyday until you reach 10000. This is the ideal number of steps you should take in a day.

Walking is an excellent weight loss and general fitness activity. It's low impact and it's a great way to explore your community and "sight-see." Try being a tourist in your own city and take some pictures while you're at it. It sure beats rush hour traffic and crowded buses!

Good luck!