A very long time ago, I was talking to a client about ways to increase their daily step count. I recommended a few ideas:
Park further away from buildings
Take the stairs instead of an elevator
And walk to your co-worker’s desk instead of calling them.
A few items were selected as homework, and we chatted about the results the following week. It wasn’t surprising to hear that my client’s step count had increased. Then came the question that stumped me - how can my spouse increase their step count? They work from home, and these strategies don’t work for them.
Fast forward to 2021 - I myself am working from home, have no commute, no parking lots, and all of my meetings are virtual. Pretty much all of the strategies listed above are useless to me. The walk from my office to the kitchen is 25 steps. Do I want to walk to my refrigerator and back 200 times? No, but I’m going to need to get creative to get anywhere close to 10,000 daily steps.
Here are a few strategies that I’ve incorporated to increase my daily overall step count while working from home:
Dedicate your commute time to taking a walk.
Finding yourself with more time in the day but missing out on steps? Repurpose your commute either to or from the office and replace it with an outdoor walk.
Schedule a walking work meeting.
This one takes a bit more planning, but where applicable schedule a meeting that you can call in on while another co-worker takes notes. The next time you have a meeting with them, switch roles and be the note taker so that they can walk.Set aside micro breaks throughout the day for walking.
Benefits from walking include increased energy levels, improved mood, and better sleep quality. Taking micro walk breaks throughout the day can contribute towards the recommendation of achieving 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week.Find a walking buddy to help keep you accountable.
Take this opportunity to connect with family members, friends or your new “at-home co-workers.” Finding someone, or something, to keep you accountable will help increase your overall daily step count - like my steadfast walking accountability puppy, Sherlock (pictured below).
We hope you these suggestions helpful. Looking for additional fitness support? If yes, please reach out through the contact us button on the top right corner of your screen.