The surprising benefits of counting your daily steps

For my recent birthday, my daughter gave me a mug emblazoned with the words: “Ask me about my step count!”

She thought this was hilarious.

I must admit, it does come up occasionally in my conversation repertoire, although I’ve never thought excessively so, but obviously she thinks otherwise.

Occasionally I do like to mention my record step count of 104 000 steps in one day, achieved while running the Comrades Marathon last year, so it could be linked to this.

But up until recently, I have been quite casual about counting my steps, as I generally lead quite an active lifestyle.

However, many of my family, friends and colleagues don’t and they often complain about aches and pains, and general poor mental health.

ALSO READ: Is the early bird always right? Rethinking success timelines

To me, an active lifestyle is the start of the solution to these problems. And really an ideal starting point is simply to walk more and get those steps in.

According to World Health Organisation data, insufficient physical activity is responsible for 3.2 million deaths each year – the fourth-most frequent cause worldwide.

Recently, I have become a bit more fixated on reaching the touted magical 10 000 steps per day target.

I’ve realised over weekends I can easily achieve this, but on weekdays when I’m desk-bound and chasing deadlines, come the end of my work day, I’ve achieved a paltry sum of somewhere around 3 000.

So I’ve consciously decided to work on this by taking a few simple steps (pardon the pun).

For example, I won’t seek out the closest parking to the supermarket entrance and opt to walk a little further.

ALSO READ: The truth about healthy living

This has other benefits too – parking is easier to find and more spacious, and easier to get in and out of, also contributing to lower stress levels.

I also take my daughter to the park every second day, with added benefits of spending time outdoors and us spending more time together and building stronger bonds.

Every night, at around 7pm, I turn to my trusty Garmin to check my balance and determine if I need to chase more numbers.

Fortunately, I live in a safe enough suburb to take my legs for a few spins around the block if needed and these night walks or jogs are a wonderful way to process and destress from the day.

Pursuing this, I honestly feel more energised and alert. Plus, it’s a blessing to be able to actively walk and it does wonders for the mind.

Ask me about my step count, indeed.

NOW READ: Combat these smartphone health issues with the HONOR 200 series