We all have step counting in our smart phones and 10.000 steps is usually the number recommended to do daily. But reaching that amount can be challenging.
Stephanie Taunton Personal Trainer at the Gym BFT Be Fit Training explains why it is so important to include steps counting in our daily routine. She breaks down how our body energy is spread daily; and how to reach that number doing a few changes in our daily routines.
Steps are part of our Total Daily Energy Expenditure which is divided in Resting energy expenditure and No resting energy expenditure.
The resting energy expenditure is the energy that our body uses to keep us where we are, being our base line. If someone is in coma that is the energy the body is spending during coma, which is 70% of the total body energy.
The no resting energy expenditure composes all our daily movement: moving hands, moving the mouth while talking, etc., in that segment is where steps are. That type of energy represents 15 % of our total energy.
The other 15% of energy to reach 100% is the food we ate and the time we spent at the gym.
That means that if you are trying to lose weight, going to the gym represents only 5% of the effort while steps are adding 15 % to the goal!
Her main tips to increase step counting on our smart phones are:
- Park further away from the gym, work, shops or Uni.
- On lunch breaks walk around the block a couple of times.
- Walk to work or Uni if close enough.
- Plan your walk ideally for the morning. So, it will be out of the way early and you don’t have to worry about it later.
- Find new routes or locations to mix it up
- Instead of taking the lift or escalator, walk.
- And finally, my favorite: Window shopping!
Listen to the full explainer on the health episode of AFTRS FM!
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