What Difference Will You Feel from Getting 10,000 Steps Every Day?

What is the deal with trying to get 10,000 steps every day?  To be completely frank, the number is an arbitrary one. It was chosen in 1965 in Japan as a target for a pedometer called “Manpo-kei”, which translates to “ten thousand steps meter” in English.  It was a marketing tactic for the gadget that was, for whatever reason, accepted as the universal goal for the amount we move around on our feet each day. 

Should You Aim for 10,000 Steps Every Day?

In truth, we each have an ideal target that may be exactly that amount or nowhere near it. However, if you haven’t been moving around too much and you start making this your goal every day, then trying to get 10,000 steps every day can help you to enjoy a spectrum of benefits that you may not be feeling from your more sedentary lifestyle.

The 10,000 steps every day goal is typically considered to be a great jumping-off point for the average healthy American.  By starting there, you can learn more about your appropriate activity level and can adjust your daily stepping goal to become a better fit.  Maybe you’ll need to shave off a few thousand at the beginning until you build up your fitness level. Perhaps you need twice that much because you’re already quite active. The key here is to get started.  It’s always recommended that you speak with your doctor to help discover exactly where you should be aiming with your daily fitness.

What Difference Will It Make to Your Life?

Once you get started with 10,000 steps per day on a regular basis, particularly after you’ve been quite sedentary, you’ll start to notice the following overall benefits. 

• You’ll pay more attention to your healthy lifestyle.  Once you’re making an effort in one category, you’ll find that your curiosity will be piqued in other categories, such as in what you eat, getting enough sleep, and managing your stress. After all, those factors will all make it easier to get 10,000 steps per day. They’re heavily linked!
• You’ll feel mentally refreshed.  Just as walking around is good for you, it can also do wonders for clearing your mind and boosting your mood.  Whenever you feel like you’re in a mental fog, get up and walk around a little bit. Focus on what you’re doing. This is easiest if you’re able to leave the room or go outside.  When you sit back down to focus, you’ll find that it’s much easier to do.
• You’ll get some physical activity. Getting 10,000 steps per day will often mean that you’ll have to have walked for a stretch. That means that you’ll have added some exercise to your day, which is great for your overall and cardiovascular health.
• You’ll sleep better. The right sleep supplement can work wonders for getting a great rest at night, but you’ll typically find yourself sleeping even better when you’ve been physically active enough the day before. When you have a step goal, you’ll encourage yourself to be active more regularly than you used to be.