How many steps should I do per day?

When you're trying to become more physically active, it's good to set realistic fitness goals and monitor your progress. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Establishing the baseline: It's a good idea to determine your baseline activity, that is, how many steps you do on a typical day at the start of WalkSmart. This will help you to set a goal that is suitable and achievable for you. The baseline will also let you look back and see how far you've come! Set the pedometer to O and wear it for seven (7) days without looking at the step count or resetting. At the end of the 7 days, divide the number by 7 and you'll have your average daily step count. You may decide that you'll only wear the pedometer on weekdays in which case your baseline should be calculated over the 5 days from Monday to Friday.

2. Goal Setting: Now you have your baseline steps, think about what rate of steps per day you would like to increase your walking by.

3. Recommendations:

• For people with a baseline of 10,000steps/day or more, it's recommended that you maintain your steps
• If you are doing 8,000-10,000 step/day it is recommended that you increase your daily steps by 5% every 2 weeks.Eg. If baseline is 8,000 - your 2 week goal would be 8,400 steps/day.
• For people averaging less that 8,000steps/day, it is recommended that you increase by 10% every 2 weeks. Eg. If baseline is 4,500 - your 2 week goal would be 4,950 steps/day

Keep reviewing your target steps every 2 weeks using the recommendation above, until you reach 10,000 steps or your own personal goal.