Good morning! Can you believe we are getting pounded with MORE SNOW today? While up in Vermont over the weekend, RM and I were talking about how much better the snow is when you don’t live in the city. I love winter and love snow but living in the city and having to deal with parking and snow removal has literally made me want to move away! With that said, please make sure to stay warm and dry this week- and be careful shoveling! If you need workouts to do, but can’t get to a gym, I’ve got lots on my “At Home/ No Equipment Necessary” page, as well as the Kitchen Chair Workout I posted last week.

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A few weeks ago, I wrote a post talking about tracking devices and asked you guys what you thought of them. Do they make us crazy? Are they good for motivation? Is there a time and place to use these devices? I really loved reading all of your comments regarding this topic, and since it seems as though there are a number of you who thought they are helpful and a good way to hold you accountable, I thought I’d share some tips for how I try to get my daily steps in.

I’ve always thought of myself as an active person; I’m always thinking about ways I can move more and never get really find myself sitting for hours on end. I just enjoy moving, but I have to admit that there are days where it’s hard for me to meet my 10K steps goal… especially if I don’t work out. Even though I’ve been pretty good about not obsessing over my Fitbit and my steps, it’s still fun for me to try and think of ways I can get more steps, ultimately leading me to be more active. And, the beauty of these tips/ideas is that even if you don’t wear a Fitbit, they can still help you get more movement in, which is never a bad thing 😉 I know some of these are common sense things, but sometimes life, shortcuts and laziness get in the way and we forget about little things that can add up and make a big difference.

Park far from the door

This tip has been around for ages, but that’s because it’s a good one! I’ve realized that if I park at the back of the parking lot, I easily get in at least 500 more steps than if I parked in the first spot.

Walk to do your errands

Often times if I go to a shopping mall and have more than one store to visit, I park somewhere neutral and walk to all the stores. Not only does this avoid having to get in your car and look for other spots, it forces you to get more steps in. Sometimes I even walk to the grocery store, which is about a half a mile away. This also helps me shop wisely since I know I have to carry everything back.

Take public transportation

If you live in or around a city, I encourage you to take the bus or the T. My T stop is about a half a mile from my apartment and then as I switch lines or walk up the stairs out of the station, I rack up so many steps.

Go grocery shopping

It’s literally amazing how many steps you can get during a grocery shopping trip. I usually say to stick to the perimeter of the building, but if I haven’t moved a lot during the day, I’ll go up and down every aisle to get in some extra steps. The beautify of this is that it doesn’t take that much longer!

Cook and clean

I’ve loved seeing how many steps I get if I putter around my apartment- cleaning, cooking, organizing- all of the little back and forth trips totally add up. And, rather than sitting on the couch watching TV, you’ll end up having a clean apartment and a fridge stocked with food 🙂

Walk/Pace while on the phone

I try to put my earphones on when I’m on the phone so it’s easy for me to walk around and get things done while talking on the phone (usually with my mom!). Sometimes on the weekend, I’ll go for a real walk (obviously not in this snowy New England weather) and make all my weekly phone calls. I was out with some of my old coworkers the other day and we were comparing Fitbit steps and one of them said if he’s going to be on a conference call that he doesn’t have to take notes on or really participate on, he’ll take it outside and walk around the neighborhood. One says he brushes his teeth while walking laps around the kitchen- whatever it takes, I guess!

Take the stairs

This is one of my tried and true ways to get more movement in during the day- while wearing a Fitbit or not, I love taking the stairs! Even though I’m only on the second floor at work, I still make sure to take the stairs every day. I also use the bathroom down on the first floor so I can get extra steps in during each bathroom break. May seem silly, but it helps! Athena says she walks up her 6 flights of stairs when she first gets to work, then she goes back down them to get her coffee and back up the stairs to get to her desk. That’s a great way to get some stairs in before the day even starts!

There you have it! Like I said, these are all fairly simple things, but since they do require a little extra effort on our part, they don’t always get done. I fall victim to laziness and shortcuts, too, so I have to consciously think about some of these tips each day in order to help me get more movement in. I’d love to hear your tips, too! What do you do to stay active during the day? What’s a thing you do to help you get more steps in?