How do I get to 15k-20k steps a day with a full time job ?

[happilyretired]

I want to walk 20k steps a day, six days a week for the coming 3 months. When I get in the "normal" BMI range I'll drop my steps down to 12k steps six days a week. Unfortunately I am barely getting 7k to 8k steps a day.

I work from home. I try to walk around my house during my coffee breaks. I have a 30 minute lunch so I dont walk around during lunch.

I start work at 7:00 am because I want to get to the gym early in the afternoon. I have tried waking up at 5:45 am to go out for a walk but its too early for me. I always fail.

After work I go to to the gym. Afterwards I go for an hour walk. I walk at a relaxed pace because I want to use my fat as fuel instead of glycogen. At the end of the day I am at 7000-8000 steps.

Some people reccomend running but as I mentioned earlier but I dont think I can be on low calories, go to the gym AND do running all together. It will be too much for my body.

(On a side note Is 15k-20k steps 6 days a week bad for knees/joints ?)

My stats: 178cm, 93kg, Male, 1720 calories per day

tl;dr: I want to do 20k steps a day, six days a week(120 steps per week) for the coming three months. Then go down to 12k steps a day six days a week for the rest of my life. Unfortunately at the moment I only get 7000-8000 steps a day.

 

[linka81]

@happilyretired Could you get a walking pad and standing desk to walk while at home? I'm about to start studying/school from home and I'll be confined a lot more often so that was something I'm saving up for.

 

[letmebeyourshelter]

@linka81 You could also do some other exercises rather than just walking. 30 minutes of vigorous exercise can burn as many calories as walking for a couple hours. I have an under the desk cycling simulator so I can pedal while I’m sitting for work that might be something you could use.

 

[akara]

@linka81 Good idea!

 

[anonymous18]

@happilyretired Why do you want to make it to specifically that many steps per day?

 

[mommajulesberry]

@happilyretired if you dont have the time i would probably rather just get your lifting and enough steps for health (7-8k is ok) in and then cut food intake instead. the difference between 7 and 20k is probably 3-500 cals which is big but not a life changer if you have solid nutrition habits since you dont seem to be a bikini competitor who can’t afford to lose any more food to get stage lean.

 

[dinafrancis]

@happilyretired A calorie deficit is all you need to lose weight. You'll burn fat as long as you're consistently in a deficit.

But dude, 20k steps a day is a LOT. To actively go walk that would be about 10 miles. I did the 10k a day on average for a few months without dieting and it was still fucking exhausting going for a 5 mi walk after work every day. Both mentally and physically exhausting.

7-8k steps is great, I'd just stay there. Walk more when you have free time, but don't stress when you don't have time.

 

[amivivi122]

@happilyretired I go for a walk on conference calls that I don't have to talk on. I also take something like a wrap or sandwich and eat it when walking during lunch. I also walk for 15 minutes every 2 hours. It is doable if you put in the effort. I hope you find a way to meet your goals!

 

[blazer70x7]

@happilyretired Dude you can only get as many steps as you have time for. 20k steps takes hours worth of walking. So you either spend hours doing it, or you reduce your goal. It's not rocket science.

However at 1720 calories you're already eating in a good calorie deficit, so why are you also wanting to add in 20k steps? The amount you are eating probably doesn't even give you enough energy to be doing that reliably.

 

[1stjohn0666]

@happilyretired If you are overweight then best to avoid high impact exercise. There are 20 mins low impact workouts on yT about 2000 steps. Do that first thing in the morning. Also gradually increase the speed and distance of your daily walks.

 

[lalady59]

@happilyretired Don't worry too much about the energy source you're burning at the time of exercise. Our bodies kike to maintain balance. If you burn off glycogen during the workout, your body will access fat reserves while you're inactive and allow glycogen to rebuild. My honest advice is do as much work as you can maintain contsistently without hurting yourself. Don't stress over the details

 

[orufan]

@happilyretired Easy, cheap alternative that I did for a few weeks is walk in place. I have a standing desk at the office and want to increase my daily steps without losing productive or spending $100s on a desk treadmill, so I just walked in place. However, I stopped because going from 3K steps a day to 10K and standing for a good 6 hours was rough on my legs. I really cant see how I used to work 12hr shifts in fast food XD. Ohhhh the luxury lol

 

[waylon101]

@happilyretired I mean with only 1720 cals a day, 15,000 is alot of steps. Especially with the gym too? For reference i work on my feet as a server and i usually average 10,000 ish a day and the gym. From the way you mapped out your day for us, it sounds like you are pretty much already maxed as far as steps are concerned. I have a stationary bike that i ride for cardio and you can get a couple thousand steps in in 30 mins but honestly your activity level seems pretty high compared to most and at only 1700 cals it just a matter of time before you shed alot of weight. It sounds like mentally you are hitting your limit too as far as steps. Honestly man like i said i walk 10,000 a day at work and i only hit 15,000 steps like once a month, i have never hit 20,000 and i have had some REAL long days literally walking for like 10 straight hours

 

[southern_at_heart]

@happilyretired So that is a highly aspirational goal. And f you can average 10k and stand rather than sitting at your desk, that would do it.

 

[princeadewale]

@happilyretired 20k steps is about 3 hours total walking.

 

[genjesus]

@happilyretired The way I do it is walk to do chores, like even if it’s just to get a few vegetables, I take an obviously long way to the grocery store but come back an efficient route because then I’m carrying stuff.

 

[122333nic]

@happilyretired I walk during meetings when I know I only need to listen. Have it on my phone.

 

[timothykurnia]

@happilyretired I work full time, 4 10hr days a week. I fill my walking gap with a fitness hula hoop I got on Amazon. The hoop it self is tight around your waist and you spin around a weight on a rope. It's fun and effective.

 

[lurch66]

@happilyretired You don't have to do 15-20K right from the beginning.

Slowly, build towards it.

Start with may be 3K.

The most important thing ia to stay consistent.

 

[lydiathyatira]

@happilyretired i’m in a step challenge right now with work and i walk about an hour on lunch, an hour after lunch, then i go to the gym—which you can count as steps—or i play soccer. now i’ve added, when i can, a really long late night walk if time allows after sport. averaging ~12km this past week. before the challenge i was doing about ~6km per week