Walking your dog, walking with your child to the park, walking to and from the parking lot, taking the stairs instead of the elevator can all be parts that together add up to 10,000 steps in a daily exercise routine.

Here are few more ideas:

• Take the stairs as often as possible
• Park several blocks from your destination or park at the rear of the parking lot 
• Walk the last few blocks instead of riding the bus all the way to work 
• Get off the elevator below your destination and walk up a couple flights of stairs 
• Park at the opposite end of the mall from where you need to shop 
• Walk to do shopping or other errands

Using Your Pedometer
How many steps are you taking each day? The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends at least 30 minutes of daily walking five or more days a week. That adds up to about 10,000 steps each day.

You can use a pedometer to count your steps. 

Try wearing your pedometer all day to monitor your steps.  You’ll probably be surprised by how many steps you take in an average day.

At the end of each day, tally your total steps in the walking log. One step is approximately 1 ½ feet, so 3,500 steps is about one mile. 17,500 steps is approximately five miles.