Since I have started my fitness and weight loss journey I have realised one thing... most days I don't do half as many steps as I should do to help me make progress on my journey. This really needs to start to change though as if I increase those steps I am going to feel so many benefits and my journey should really be helped and those scales could start to drop more often. There are a variety of reasons that I don't do as many as I would like but the main one is my lifestyle I guess, I work an office job so I am behind the desk all day then I come home and 90% of the time I am working on the blogs so again I am stuck behind the desk getting things done and the blogs certainly keep me busy so I just like to get on with things and don't take any breaks meaning I could be sat at the desk until it is bedtime.

There really is no reason for me not to be increasing my steps a whole lot more than I currently do though, if I just planned my time out a bit better I would be able to hit my target if not increase it each day with no issues. The I could do what I need to do once those steps have been hit, for example I could do a few blog bits before Liam gets home from work then we could head out on a walk, come back and just relax, I could always take a few nights a week off from blogging and do my steps instead and even relax with some video games after for a change. If I carry on the way I am doing I will be at that burn out stage soon which I am doing all I can to prevent so the walks would be a nice incorporation into my routine. There are plenty of really nice walks around where we live too so there isn't really any excuse for not going out and enjoying those views whether it is just a quick walk or one that is a little bit longer. 

On those days where I have managed to really increase my steps in the past I have felt great at the end of that day and the next day although sometimes my legs do feel a bit heavy after those days but I guess that is to be expected as my body just isn't used to it yet, I am sure this will start to ease off once I start hitting those higher amounts of steps each day rather than having a low day then super high day. The plan is definitely going to be to gradually increase my steps so that my body can get used to changes rather than going from one extreme to the other and here is how I plan on increasing the steps...

Walking to & from work

This is something I have been doing a lot of lately and planning on continuing. I live pretty close to where I work so I am also trying to plan out a bit of a longer route to add more steps but I try to avoid bringing the car unless I really need to and I no longer ask for lifts even when it is raining. The walk is one I should have always been doing but the habit is finally sticking.

Getting out on evening walks

There really is no reason for me to be sat behind the desk every evening so whilst the weather is still on my side I am going to try encourage Liam to go on some evening walks with me. Even if we just do this on two week nights it is much better than nothing and is going to benefit both of us, no doubt it will help me come up with more content ideas too as the fresh air really gets my creative mind flowing. 

One long walk a week

The evening walks might only be half an hour each but I want to get out on 1 walk a week that is at least 1 hour. We started doing these on a Sunday during lockdown and it would be great to get back to doing these. They will probably be on Sunday's as they are our quietest days but trying different routes and places all together will be great. I would love to go on some walks in the Dales on these days.

Visit new places

Liam recently signed up for us both to be English Heritage members so we now have a whole lot of options where we can go for free whilst exploring new places. Liam is really into his history so he will love going to the castles that are on the list and I already know you get in plenty of steps when visiting these sorts of places. 

Moving more during the day at work

This is a bit of a big one for me as I am absolutely terrible when it comes to moving during the working day, I usually move to grab a drink or head to the toilet but that is it. By the time I have finished at 5 my step count has barely moved and honestly I am seizing up, my legs start to ache. Time has been flying by at work recently but I just need to remember every hour or so just to get up have a quick stretch and walk around the office before getting back on with work. This should not only help me physically but also mentally as I am getting a much needed break.

No weekends sat at the PC 24/7

Running 3 blogs is obviously time consuming and on the weekends where I don't have the football to go watch I am again sat at my PC all day working on creating new content. Just like with work I don't take enough breaks but that will be changing and after every task is complete or after an hour I will be getting up and moving around a bit. Again this should also help mentally as I will be away from the screen for a bit having a well earned break which should leave me heading back to the screen nice and refreshed. 

So there you go those are the ways I am planning on increasing my steps as I say it will be a gradual increase to ease my body into it but I am really looking forward to seeing how many I can begin to hit daily and hopefully soon I will be at that 10,000 steps daily mark.

Do you do enough steps during the day?