1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to boost physical activity just a little 4 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: by aiming for a thousand more steps per day than 5 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: you are used to getting. So, the fitness industry has 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: done an amazing job of making the goal of getting 7 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,879 Speaker 1: ten thousand steps a day seem like the be all 8 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: and end all for a healthy lifestyle. But the ten 9 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: thousand step goals specifically isn't really supported by research. I mean, sure, 10 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: being active is good for your health, and you can 11 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: stack the studies showing that for miles, but the specific 12 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: ten thousand step target isn't one derived by research in 13 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: the sense that they had some people walk nine thousand 14 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: steps a day and some walk ten thousand steps a day, 15 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: and the ten thousand step people just shown with radiant 16 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: health compared to the others. It is just a nice, big, 17 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: round sounding number, that is all. So if aiming for 18 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:19,199 Speaker 1: ten thousand steps either isn't feasible or isn't particularly motivating 19 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: to you, what could be well? One option is to 20 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: aim for one thousand more steps per day then you 21 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: are currently getting. This will be pretty doable, and the 22 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: more time spent up in walking, the better. This challenge 23 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: raises a few issues, of course. I mean first, how 24 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: do you know how many steps you are getting per day? 25 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,839 Speaker 1: You can get a fitness tracker or pedometer pretty easily 26 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: these days, but many of us have been walking around 27 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: with one inadvertently. The iPhone routinely tracks steps taken in 28 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: the health app. Just tap the little hurt icon and 29 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: it will come up. If you haven't been looking at 30 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: this app. It is a bit of an eye opener 31 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: to see all your daily steps recounted for as long 32 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: as you have owned the phone. Wow. Possibly a little creepy, 33 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: but also useful. And perhaps you don't carry your phone everywhere, 34 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: but you probably have it with you a lot enough 35 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: to know about how much you move around, and certainly 36 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,839 Speaker 1: often enough to see if this number changes. So look 37 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: at your usual tally and then figure out what one 38 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: thousand more steps would be. Then figure out ways to 39 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: get more steps. One thousand steps turns out to be 40 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: only about half a mile, so it won't be hard. 41 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: Park a little further away, take the stairs instead of 42 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: the elevator, use a bathroom that's farther away from your desk, 43 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 1: go for a walk on your brake. If you are 44 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:58,359 Speaker 1: working from home, you could walk around the yard, or 45 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: even do something that seems a little silly, like taking 46 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: the trash cans back up from the curb one at 47 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: a time on trash Day instead of doubling up go 48 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: return a few items to their homes. You might also 49 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: consider how you could change your environment to increase your steps. 50 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: It has been fascinating to me that since moving to 51 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: my new house, I have wound up taking about two 52 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: thousand more steps per day than I was taking in 53 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: the old house. Some of that is unpacking, which will 54 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: go down over time, but there are more stairs and 55 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: the rooms I use frequently are more spread out. My 56 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: office and bedroom are on the opposite side of the 57 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: house from the kitchen, whereas in the old house they 58 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: were on the same side. It's not a lot of 59 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: steps each time, but it does add up, as does 60 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: the longer walk to where we park our cars. It 61 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: is not right by the entrance as it was in 62 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: the old house. Now I am not suggesting you move 63 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: to get more steps, but it's worth thinking about changing 64 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: the rhythms of daily life. You could decide that your 65 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: favorite coffee shop is the one that's a little further 66 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: from your office. You could decide that you enjoy going 67 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 1: to the bigger grocery store, which means more steps down 68 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: the aisles. And you could decide that it might be 69 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: safer to walk your kids to the bus stop on 70 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: darker mornings, which means you are doing more walking, maybe 71 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: with your dog. There's a reason dog owners tend to 72 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: be more active. Someone has to take the dog out, 73 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:39,600 Speaker 1: whether you want to or not. The environmental requirements change, 74 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: and so you change to be more active too. If 75 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: you increase your steps per day, I'd love to hear 76 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,280 Speaker 1: how you do it. You can let me know at 77 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura Vanderkamp dot com. In the meantime, this 78 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 79 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear 80 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 81 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 82 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the 83 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: number four then breakfast p o D. You can also 84 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i 85 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: heeart Media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out 86 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: with all the letters thanks so much. I look forward 87 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:41,479 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of 88 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 89 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,839 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 90 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.