14 Creative Ways to Reach 10,000 Steps a Day

The 10,000-steps-a-day idea started way back in 1964 just before the Tokyo Olympics. It was merely a marketing strategy made by a Japanese company to sell a pedometer called the Manpo-Kei.

What started as a clever sales campaign has now become accepted globally as a way to stay healthy among adults. For current and aspiring cheerleaders, this practice also works effectively in boosting your fitness.

Not to mention, the practice works more wonders by helping you sleep better at night and preventing you from having a heart disease. Are you interested in achieving 10,000 steps every day? Follow these creative hacks!

1. Take the stairs

Avoid elevators and escalators. As much as possible, get to your desired floor using the stairs. This path burns more fat than just walking around.

2. Park far from the main entrance

At the grocery, office building, squad practice, or audition venue, take the farthest parking spot. The best part of it is, you have lesser competition when parking.

3. Utilize your backyard (if you have one)

Mow your lawn, do gardening, and rake the leaves. Any activity that forces you to use your legs at home, just do it.

4. Don’t use the closest restroom

If you’re at work and not in a hurry, take the restroom from another floor or the other building.

5. Walk to lunch and after

Don’t take your lunch at your table. Go to a restaurant nearby. This tip is also good to reduce stress and the feeling of office monotony.

6. Move while taking calls

Pace around while talking with a family member or friend throughout the phone. You can do this while talking to a superior or colleague as well. Just stay away from noisy areas.

7. Get off the bus or train one or two stops early

As long as you’re not late for a meeting or work, don’t get off your commute near to the place. Get off a stop that’s enough to add more steps to your day while not taking too much time to walk.

8. Have a dog

Taking care of a dog is a fun way to add activity to your life. Choose breeds that are very active like a Border Collie because they require walks every day. You may also train it to take a doo-doo outdoors only every morning. It will force you to go out and walk.

9. Add walking to your social time

Catching up with friends? Don’t just settle for sitting in a cafe for hours. Make it a walking coffee date!

10. Set walking breaks

Whether you’re at work or at home, you must make sure to stand up at every hour. One way to remind you of this is to set an alarm. You can also buy a smartwatch and turn on the setting which alarms you when you’ve sat for too long.

11. Walk between errands or chores

If the market or grocery is near to your place, walk to it.

12. Make the most of the time for arriving early

If you’re very early to arrive at the office or a meeting even when you’ve gotten off a stop earlier, use that time to walk around until everyone else arrives.

13. Invite a walking buddy

There will be times when you’ll forget to follow the tips on this list. Why not invite someone else to help you be accountable? This can be your partner, your best friend, or a coworker.

14. Do laps around the store

Even if you’ve bought all the items on your shopping list, take an extra look around. Maybe there’s another fruit or vegetable you want to buy.

For me, the best way to make 10,000 steps daily is to wear a smartwatch and set the “steps done” displaying along with the time. Because once you see that you’re still far from reaching your step quota, you’ll find ways to reach it. If you can afford or own a smartwatch, start wearing one now. It’s really helpful!

Did you find this article helpful? Visit PRO CHEER LIFE™ for more professional cheerleading resources. Read these blogs as well!

Need a Great Workout Routine for Your Pro Cheer Audition Prep?

Pro cheerleaders stay fit, flexible, and strong so they can give out their best performance in the arena. However, achieving that wow-worthy, toned physique doesn’t happen overnight. You need to arm yourself with the right daily workouts.

Thinking of becoming a pro cheerleader?

We are offering you our fun, FREE (for a LIMITED time) POM FIT™ INTRO CLASS that teaches you beginner-friendly cardio moves.

To take your cheerleading fitness to the next level, we also have POM FIT™: GAMEDAY1™ - a series of challenging full-body cardio classes that include a body stretch class, kick stretch class, abdominal workout class, and more.

Join a POM FIT™ class below:

POM FIT™ INTRO CLASS (Free for a LIMITED time)

POM FIT™: GAMEDAY1™ (USD 27.00)