Recently, I switched wearables to the Fitbit Surge 
. I set my daily goal at 12,000 steps and was off to the races. With my normal daily activities putting me in the 4,000 to 5,000 step range, the remaining 8,000 to 9,000 steps were obtained by walking/running on the treadmill at the gym or on a long walk with the dogs – or both. This level of activity generally put me in range for my daily calorie burn goal of 2800 calories per day. It also helped me exceed my daily goal of 6 miles per day.
It wasn’t until recently, on a day that I had explored a new hiking trail in the area, that Fitbit sent me an email advising me that I had attained 20,000 steps in a day and thus had earned the “High Tops” badge. I was happy to achieve the goal, even though I hadn’t planned it. Being one to love checking goals off my list I checked the Fitbit dashboard to see what other badges there were to obtain in this area. I thought the next one to work towards was the 30,000 steps in a day badge – or the “Trail Shoe” badge.
I thought I would be awake from 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM, taking an average of 2,000 steps per hour for a total of 15 hours. I knew that I would have to make an effort to achieve this number of steps in a day, as it is not something that will happen easily. Considering that 15,000 steps is approximately equal to 30 miles.
STARTING THE 30000 STEPS DAY
As I moved through my routine morning, I found myself stepping on the brain. When I woke up, I hit the running ground just before.
I fully dressed myself and then proceeded to walk back to the closet to find the next item of clothing. While I was there, I aimlessly wandered around before finally taking out an item from the closet. I realized that I dressed very inefficiently. In a similar manner, I walked in circles around the bathroom as I brushed my hair and brushed my teeth.
As the day went on, I increased my speed, but I realized that my current speed wasn’t sufficient. By this time, it was approximately 8:30 AM, and I had already taken about 700 steps. Instead of sitting on the porch and supervising, as I usually do, I decided to walk around the yard until both tasks were completed. This way, I could take the dogs out to the backyard for their needs. Doing that became my next task.
PICKING UP THE PACE
At noon I took one of my dogs on a walk on a nearby trail. I was slightly at his mercy because he likes to stop and smell EVERYTHING. However, I was able to increase my pace to about 750 steps per 15 minute increment. We only walked for about an hour due to his special needs then headed home.
Each individual step holds significance when in typical situations, not particularly productive. Instead of gathering multiple items at once while completing my tasks, I would make a separate trip for each item to maintain tidiness. It was also crucial for me to minimize multitasking while tidying the house, as it allowed for the possibility of increasing my step count through vacuuming. Although I experienced a renewed burst of energy, I reverted back to being a bit unproductive for the following hour or two.
EPIC WORKOUT
As I headed straight for the treadmill, I abandoned my usual strength training and focused clearly on my goal of finishing 30,000 steps for the day. I had less than half of my goal left at 5:15 PM, so I began my workout. I went to the gym after work, as it was nearing 5:00 PM, and my husband was at school for the night.
POST WORKOUT
It was killing me, and the steps I was counting were not a few. I found myself wishing I could put on my Fitbit while showering. Although I knew I had to temporarily put the brakes on to clean up for dinner, eventually. After my workout, I spent a little time walking aimlessly around the halls and the yard with the dogs.
I was so anxious to move back and be seated for the meal, I squirmed in my seat and finally, when we were seated for dinner, I still wasn’t quite there mentally! It was a wild mission for me, I felt like everyone in the restaurant was looking at me strangely. I even took the opportunity to walk around the parking lot in circles, as if I was casing vehicles or planning to steal something, which is not something I would normally do. I was frustrated. I was heading out to dinner with a friend and my husband, and before leaving, I cleaned up and put on my Fitbit.
FINISHING THE MISSION
The “trail shoe” Fitbit badge was mine. As I rested my head on my pillow, my step count for the day reached 30,324. I had been classified as “active” for a total of 203 minutes. Ultimately, I ended up covering a distance of 15.72 miles. The amount of calories I burned throughout the day was an incredibly impressive 4328! Despite feeling a bit tired, I managed to distribute my effort evenly throughout the day, which helped me feel less fatigued. After returning home from dinner, I completed the remaining 1500 steps in the comfort of my family room, pacing back and forth behind the couch.
HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE THIS GOAL
If you are not currently very active on a daily basis, I do not recommend setting a goal of 30,000 steps per day. It is likely that you will injure yourself, and it may deter you from being active for at least the next few days.
Every week, aim to raise the target by an additional 500 steps per day. Strive for consistency in maintaining this level for the following week, and if successful in consistently reaching that minimum number of steps each day for a whole week, proceed to increase the daily step goal by 500 steps. Take the maximum number of steps achieved within a continuous 7-day period as the initial benchmark for setting a daily step goal.
If you ever feel overwhelmed, reduce your target to your previous achievable goal. Once you exceed the range of 20,000 steps, you can gradually add 3000 to 5000 steps to your daily goal. When you reach the range of 15,000 steps, you can begin by increasing your daily steps by 1000 to 2000 and test this for a week.
TIPS
An advisable guideline is 1/2 to 1 quart of water hourly when engaging in brisk walking. Make sure to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day.
Think about all the ways you can increase your steps, including walking to the coffee shop instead of meeting a friend, walking instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and watching TV while marching or taking the dog for a walk.
There are numerous advantages you will experience: reduced blood pressure, enhanced glucose levels, boosted circulation, improved cardiovascular fitness, and overall well-being.