How Moving 20,000 Steps a Day Changes Your Body and Thoughts
It may seem radical to target this figure. After all, 20,000 steps roughly equals 15 km in distance. Prevailing headliners in many articles and health recommendations steer us towards 10,000 steps a day. It is not that 10,000 is insufficient – for many people, this is a fantastic start and everyone must work up gradually from 5,000 to 10,000, and beyond depending on fitness level. Today, more are embracing 20,000 as a game-changer.
If you’re already swimming or spinning intensely every other day or close to it, then your workout choices might be sorted. For the vast majority of office-bound professionals (software developers, lawyers, project managers, accountants, consultants, executives, and all those others typing like there’s no tomorrow), your days are spent sitting before your screens, sitting in board meetings, sitting in an airplane, sitting in the car, sitting on the train, sitting at client dinners, and finally sitting at your doctor’s office.
When you aim for and execute 20,000 consistently, many things change in your life because they simply have to.
Achieving this requires strategic time control. The idea is not to interrupt your work days with huffing and puffing on the treadmill. Running will come naturally to those who are already predisposed towards it, and for the rest, the gradual increase in fitness will eventually inspire you to pick up this amazing sport. To start the build, you’ll need to consciously plan on how to best use your time, how to create more time, and how to change your lifestyle to make this happen. You must have a step counter on every day, or a reliable way to measure your distance.
Examine each day the night before. What does your schedule look like and how can you seamlessly and subtly fit in these steps?
This article focuses on one typical scenario. The routine day with scheduled meetings and desk work in your usual office location or WFH day. Be ready to wake up an hour earlier to pre-start your day with 5,000 steps. It can be very motivating to walk around your neighborhood with a black coffee (or low calorie beverage – NOT a highly sweetened and creamy cappuccino) listening to an interesting podcast. Music also sets the tone for a calm or energetic day. It is your opportunity to reflect in silence, to feel gratitude, to plan your day’s conversations, and to remind yourself of your resolutions. In wet weather, hop on a treadmill at home if you have one, or simply get an umbrella and boots. The trick is to plan ahead so that there is no friction, no excuses that stop you at dawn. In the initial stages, there is no need to be extremely ambitious with your goals. Some people aim very high and expect to run 5 miles at 5 am. That requires tremendous discipline and is something normally borne of an athletic background. It is best to make it easy and fun for yourself. Whether it is the alone time, music, talk show, or coffee that gives you a little buzz, focus on that as you roll out of bed.
During the day, be laser focused on counting. The vortex of calls and emails can and will chain us – but it doesn’t mean you have to be less productive if you’re walking around. In fact, stepping away from your desk will likely lead to better circulation and a mental boost. Creatives often report their best ideas occurring to them when they least expect it. Social connections are enhanced when people see you away from the confines of your office. Some ideas:
Walk to work! Even time-pressed CEOs do it. If you live within a 45 minutes walk, this is an incredibly productive way to use your time, if you can structure family responsibilities to allow for it.
If you have the choice between a short drive, or a longer public transport commute – switch the convenient driving choice around several times a week.
Walk to grab your coffee, but double the distance to get there.
Take a bathroom break in a very long meeting even if you don’t need one; if you chair the meeting, plan for numerous breaks – this will improve the overall mood in the room
Park as far away as possible; if you have enhanced privileges or simply can’t bear the thought, loop around the parking lot a couple of times before entering the building
Park further away to pick your child up. If they can walk, more movement will likely do them good as well.
Get a walking mat for your WFH days; or if your company provides those at work, even better
Take all long calls standing up or pacing in a private room where available
In the last 15 minutes of a lunch break, walk as much as you can. Walk 90% of the entire lunch break if you happen to be solo.
When you do this consistently for two weeks. your mind and body will start to feel much more energized. Again, the key word is consistency. Because you found a way to be consistent with it, you’ll start to see time as a resource that can be shaped around your physical needs, rather than deprioritizing your health because work and life obligations ran away with the day. That daily consciousness allows you to be in the right mindset every day, leading to more mindful food choices as well.
If you do not overcompensate with more food (snacking on biscuits during walks is counterproductive) is very likely that you’ll experience subtle weight loss within the first 2 weeks. Time spent on your feet means time away from the cookie jar. If you make it to three weeks, the habit will anchors and more weight starts to peel off. The expected calorie burn for 20,000 steps is up to 1,000 calories. A pound equals 3,500 calories.
It is a subtle and calm way to get exercise in without devoting headspace to outfit changes, gym memberships, sports buddies, waiting for good weather, or waiting to have enough time tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The real change comes in your mental outlook on life. Because you have shown so much fortitude and intention in achieving this, that same calm and confidence carries you through a myriad of other challenging situations as well. All that time spent on daily reflections and learning podcasts deepen your understanding of yourself and the world around you. The positive energy you encounter through like-minded health buffs on their walks or jogs become familiar sources of body positivity.
