The fad of counting your steps each day, have become extremely popular along with fitness tracking devices. Everyone is keeping an eye on their watch, to see whether they had or will be able to reach the 10 000 steps mark for the day. Although these fitness trackers are great with regards to getting the person to move more, bringing them to a goal of 10 000 steps for the day, won’t necessarily make you lose weight.

Meeting your daily step count, will not aid in weight loss if you are not watching other parts of your lifestyle or if you don’t increase intensity. There are other factors which you need to take into consideration, when you want to lose weight. If you use your fitness tracker to count the steps when you do go out for a run or walk along with the distance, then those amount of steps might help if the activity at hand’s intensity, are different on certain levels within the activity. What I mean by this is, that there are times within your walking or running session, that might have hill intervals on certain parts of your distance or that you might be walking or running faster/slower by times. The intensity level of the activity will ensure that you burn more calories and strengthen the muscles for example on a hill/downhill interval with regards to your hip flexors, quads, hamstrings and glutes.

Another factor is that you can reach your daily goal of 10 000 steps but if your diet is loaded with excess calories, you are not going to lose weight. What does this mean? If you do not burn more calories than what you take in, then you will either gain or maintain the weight. There should be a deficit. In other words, you need to burn (walk/run/exercise) more than the amount of food you eat. There are a lot of ways to monitor your calories intake or simply ensuring that you eat more fruits, vegetables, protein and less processed foods, bad fats and large portions.

Although the 10 000 steps per day indicate that you have been moving, please ensure that you take the time to do cardiovascular fitness which is walking, running, cycling, rowing, etc. But also make sure you do some sort of weight training session, twice a week. You do not need the equipment at home, everything can be bodyweight. I know many people dislike exercising but doing weight training sessions will build lean muscle which in turns increase your metabolism to burn fat throughout the day. It will also aid in your elderly days where you need the balance, strength and mobility which body weight training can help with. Do not just think about the now but about your future, older self as well.

Do not stop monitoring how much you move throughout the day but remember, that a proper meal plan (diet) along with exercise is crucial for overall health.

References: Journal of Obesity (2019; doi:10.1155/2019/4036825) https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2019/4036825/