Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

10 Tips for Walking 10,000 Steps a Day!

GettyImages-1392938623 (1)Striving to achieve 10,000 steps a day is a great way to move your body more and improve your overall health. Don't let the thought of 10,000 steps hinder you from trying. Start small and work your way to 10K a day this month!

10 Tips for Walking 10,000 Steps a Day:

1. Get a pedometer or fitness tracker: Wearable devices like Fitbit, Apple Watch, or smartphone apps can help you track your daily steps. These tools can motivate you to reach your goal and provide real-time feedback on your progress.

2. Start small: If you're not used to being active, begin with a lower step count and gradually work your way up to 10,000 steps a day. Set achievable milestones, such as adding 1,000 steps per week until you reach your goal. Try breaking up your activity into manageable chunks throughout the day.

3. Find a walking buddy: Walking with a friend, family member or co-worker can make the activity more enjoyable and help you stay motivated. You can encourage each other to reach your step goals.

4. Make it part of your routine: Incorporate walking into your day. For example, use the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away from your destination, or take a walk around your neighborhood after dinner.

5. Set reminders: Use alarms or notifications on your phone or fitness tracker to remind you to get up and move throughout the day. This can be particularly helpful if you have a sedentary job. Consider scheduling it into your workday or even ask your team if they would like to have a walking meeting.

6. Choose scenic routes: Walking in pleasant surroundings can make the experience more enjoyable. Explore parks, nature trails, or other scenic areas in your community.

7. Mix it up: Vary your walking routine to avoid boredom. Try different routes, paces, or include some uphill terrain. You can also listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks to make the time pass more quickly.

8. Track your progress: Each day log your daily step count and review your achievements regularly. Celebrate your milestones to stay motivated. 

9. Stay consistent: Consistency is key to achieving and maintaining your 10,000-step goal. Make walking a habit and prioritize it in your daily life.

10. Adjust your goal as needed: Your schedule and fitness level differ from the next person. If 10,000 steps a day feels unattainable or too easy, adjust accordingly to suit your needs. 

Your main goal is to be active daily and make it a daily habit. While 10,000 steps is a common goal, any increase in daily activity can have significant health benefits. What is your favorite app or fitness device for tracking steps?

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Topics: employee health and fitness worksite fitness walking tips walking for health

Senior Living: Walking in Awe

Do you walk in Awe?GettyImages-1432465103 (1)

A few days ago, a resident handed me an “invitation to an Awe Walk.” He had picked it up from a nearby park. He thought I’d be interested in the topic and brought me a copy. This was my first-time hearing about Awe Walking, so I was intrigued! The document invited me to not just simply focus on the present, it was deeper than that.

So, how does one take part in an awe walk? It’s as simple as choosing to walk in awe. It’s the intentional decision to focus on things around you rather than yourself. Instead of focusing on your to-do list or exciting weekend plans, choose to shift your attention externally to the beauty around you. The word awe can be defined as a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. Of course, it may not be the first time you’ve seen the leaves change from green to deep orange and red, but the beauty and mystery can still be stunning.

Why walk in awe?

Choosing to walk in awe shifts our attention to things outside of ourselves. This change has big mental health benefits. An 8-week study facilitated by the University of San Francisco showed that choosing to walk in awe had the following benefits: increase in daily compassion and overall well-being, a decrease in anxiety and daily negative emotions.

While you become more distracted from the stressors in your life, you’re making room to notice and pay attention to things other than yourself and your own concerns. When we look away from our wants and needs for a moment, it can improve one’s love of life, relationships, and worries. Decreased levels of stress can lower blood pressure, improve sleep and digestion, and decrease muscle tension. Although an Awe Walk can be done in all settings, natural, indoor, urban, there are added health benefits of being in nature. Walking in awe can be a good reminder of how small we are in this big world and vast universe. It’s a great way to help us improve our perspective on certain things or life overall.

Invitation to Walk in Awe

Consider attending or attempting your own Awe Walk. Take note of the nature and happenings around. Be enthralled in it almost like a child would. Take a moment to feel the warm sun on your face and touch the flowers growing nearby, how do they feel? What do you hear? Can you find the animals that are making that sound? Have you found the water that is trickling nearby? Don’t just notice the nature around you, experience it. Intentionally. Fully. Try these prompts on your next walk!

  1. Begin your walk by bringing attention to your breath. Take nice slow and deep breaths - let your belly expand more than your chest.
  2. Notice your steps on the ground. Do they make a soft sound? A loud crunch? Do you feel anything? This warms up your awareness to the sensations that are easily forgotten on an unintentional walk.
  3. Be open to experience an Awe Walk. Allow things to spark your curiosity. Do you notice something that gives you a sense of pleasure or surprise?
  4. What catches your eye? Is it the wispy clouds in the sky? The windy path or maybe the comfort of a path you’ve traveled before? The color or smell of the flowers?
  5. Allow this sense of wonder, excitement, inspiration carry on into the rest of your day and further.

Try an Awe Walk! Tell us about your experience!

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Topics: walking active aging senior living senior living activities walking for health

5 Reasons Spring is the Season to Walk

Need some inspiration to get moving this spring? Here are five reasons walking may help you kick start your spring fitness routine and your commitment to moving again after a long winter. No matter if you’re a beginner or a lifelong lover of walks, sometimes you need new reasons to lace-up and move.   

NIFS | Neighborhood Walk with Dog

Nice Weather

Typically springtime means it’s warming up, but it's also just cool enough to enjoy the sounds of nature before the sweltering heat sets in for the summer. Springtime weather also means the walker can experience the flowers and trees blossoming into those bright beautiful colors that make us fall in love with this special time of year! Use the opportunity to get out and soak up some Vitamin D (just don't forget your sunscreen) and increase your serotonin levels, which is known to put some pep in your step and a smile on your face.

Social Connections

Starting a springtime walk is a great opportunity to interact with other people, and research shows that social connections can positively influence your health. In addition, fitness trends predict that most people are more likely to start a new habit right after the New Year and just before summer, making spring the peak time to invite a friend for a walk. The support gained through social connections can also make getting outside on a regular basis more fun and consistent.

Fight Depression

Winter is the season correlated most highly with depression. Many believe there are three major factors behind this. First, there is the holiday season with all the stresses of shopping, travel, and overspending. The second reason may be the dearth of sunlight and the scarcity of vitamin D that people are accustomed to absorbing from the sun. Lastly, people are just less active in the wintertime due the frigid weather. Therefore, springtime is a great time to shake off your dibble downer dumps by walking outside and smelling the fresh spring air! Try three 30-minute walks a week and you may be surprised how effective it is; in many ways, it can be considered the cheapest antidepressant!

[Read More: Tips for easing seasonal depression]

Burn Off Winter Weight

Yep, winter’s over and just maybe you had your share of dessert and the occasional extra helping of your favorite dish. No finger pointing needed; springtime is here, and daylight savings time has arrived, so it’s time to put this in the past where it belongs. This means that you will have all the sunlight needed for a late afternoon fat burning session. Like any form of exercise, walking burns calories and, therefore, fat. Try the walking routine below to maximize your fat burning efforts.

  • Warm up at a comfortable pace for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Walk quickly for 1 minute.
  • Return to a comfortable pace for 1 minute.
  • Repeat this pattern for a total of 30 minutes.
  • Cool down the last 2 minutes at a slow pace and then stretch.  

Spring Back, Move Forward

Spring back is only an expression but ask yourself this question. Have you fallen off the wagon of activity and making healthy choices? Well, don’t fret! Take time this season to spring back! The answer for any good knock down is a greater comeback. Spring in definition means, to leap, to jump, or to arise from. Take the term to heart and commit to spring walking. 

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Topics: walking tips spring back beginners walking program walking for health starting a walking program