Do you know the one healthy habit reported across all Blue Zones (the areas in the world with the highest rate of centenarians)? Walking. Less sitting, more movement. This isn’t a post about how many steps you need a day; I’ll leave all of the experts to battle that one out. Instead we’re covering subtle shifts to sneak your steps in, mindset motivators for more movement, and habit stacking tips to make it stick. Plus I’ll share a few bonus tricks I use to get to 12K a day:

Before we get to the good stuff: friend to friend – do what works for you. These are the methods we have tested and found to be most impactful, but I’ve also gone through seasons with injuries, illness, and/or just plain not feeling like getting it in. One thing I will say though, I always feel better after I move my body; whether it be a walk around the neighborhood, a Team Body Project workout, or a dance party with Grey. And I know you will, too.

Set a (loose) step goal.

I give myself a range based on how I feel after hitting that number each night. When I walk 10-12K steps in a day, I sleep soundly, my mind is more clear, I have more patience, and feel like I am nurturing my mind and body in the best way. Some days I feel like it’s all I can do to get to 10,000 – and instead of beating myself up that I didn’t make it to the top of the range – I celebrate it! Any movement is a win!

There are days where I’m under the weather, or a commitment keeps me mostly sedentary. But there are also days where I’m on my feet all day and make it to 15K without even realizing. That number may be low, or high for you, depending on what season you’re in. And while I was speaking metaphorically there, I mean it literally, too. We have lived in the snowy tundras of New York and Chicago and I know the bone-chilling cold or two feet of snow outside makes it near impossible to get out and walk. Which brings me to our next tip:

Outside the Box.

EDUCATE. I know we’re getting out of “hustle culture” and embracing a more slow living = good living lifestyle, but I still feel the need to multi-task, when appropriate. For instance, popping my AirPods in (on sale here!) and choosing a 30 minute podcast for a neighborhood walk gives me a superhero feeling of exercising my body and mind at the same time. This could be music for you, an audiobook, or perhaps a walking meditation of sorts where you hyper-focus on the beauty of your surroundings.

TWO BIRDS. In that same vein, make it indoors! You don’t need a fancy treadmill, though I love seeing the work from home setups with the standing desks. A fun tip I use a few times a week is to put on the “cardio” setting on my Apple Watch when I’m in cleaning mode. It is shocking to see how many steps you get in when you’re vacuuming the house, and even cleaning toilets. You know the endorphins you get when you finish a workout? The same goes for looking around at a clean home. Talk about a win-win. I like to put some power behind the movements – fast paced, tightening my legs while I move – and sometimes I even wear ankle weights while I do it.

CONNECT. A virtual walk and talk is one of my favorite “dates” with my best friend. We actually schedule it on our calendars, and it’s the closest we’re going to get to an actual walk together when we’re thousands of miles apart. This is great for a planning call for work where you don’t need to be in front of a screen, even returning Chatty Cathy’s call you have been putting off for too long. I see you car-callers. Instead of dialing from your dash, try from your walk and I know you will be hooked!

PERIMETER LAP. This hack is one of my sneaky ways to trick my brain into going the extra mile. If I’m at the store, I do an extra lap around the perimeter after we’re done shopping “in case we forgot something we needed”. Sometimes, we did in fact need a bag of apples. But even if we didn’t, boom!, a few hundred more ticks to the daily total. We do the same after walking Gemma. As long as we don’t have to run out the door for something, I’ll add five more minutes to go up the street and down the other side.

Habit Stacking.

I am very likely the most forgetful human you know – and this was the best tool I learned last year. I employ the habit stacking trick to virtually everything in my life: taking vitamins, exercising, school runs, work flow, and yes, extra steps. The way it works is, you “stack” the new item you want to add to your routine with something you’re already doing religiously. For example, walking a puppy is new to me and figuring out how to squeeze it in and when was a challenge. I pick Grey up from school at the same time every day and it is a non-negotiable. So I “stacked” Gemma’s walk onto a part of our routine that had already “stuck”. Ever since we made it a must, and found a time that worked, walking Gemma became a habit.

Another example of habit stacking that has been in motion like a well-oiled machine for two years and running is our Team Body Project workouts we do every morning – no excuses. We found a way to weave it into our day so Jon and I can both complete it immediately after coffee, before work and the craziness of the school run, while Grey is eating breakfast and the house is still quiet. Once you deem something a non-negotiable and put the plan into action, you’re more likely to make it stick.

Staycation.

You know when you’re on vacation and you walk everywhere getting to know your new surroundings? What if we did the same in our own town? We can’t possibly have hiked every trail and traversed every park in the area. What about museums – even libraries! Let’s make a plan (hold me accountable, too, please!) to start scheduling trips in and around our city. A lake walk on the weekend, a lunch-break park date mid-week. This will not only help us get extra miles logged, but the research shows that we become more motivated and inspired when we put ourselves in new-to-us situations and experiences.

Happy moving, kind friend. I'm here doing it with you, and cheering you on along the way! In need of extra motivation or a great podcast to listen to? Leave us a note in the comments - we are so happy to help!