First thing’s first: If you’re walking regularly, you’re doing great.
“If there’s a pill you could take that will reduce your all-cause mortality by 50%, you can give it to your whole family, and it’s free, everyone’s going to take that pill,” says Kelly. It turns out, that “pill” exists—it’s walking 8,000 steps a day1. “The research is very clear that when people walk just 8,000 steps1, they get the lion’s share of benefits. Not 10,000 steps. Not 12,000 [steps]… 8,000 steps,” Kelly adds.
And you don’t have to get all those 8,000 steps in at once! In fact, the Starretts encourage short, frequent bursts of daily movement (also called “movement snacks”). “We’ve gotten stuck in a mentality that you have to do the one-hour block [of exercise], and that’s not the case at all,” says Juliet. You can totally take short walks over the course of the day and meet the 8,000 step benchmark.
Once you start walking regularly, “then you can start to dress this thing up,” says Kelly. Meaning, you can add on mini exercises or habits that elevate your walk, so you can break a sweat and reap even more movement benefits.
It’s why some people choose to walk wearing ankle weights, as the add-on can simultaneously improve your balance. You’re basically adorning your walk with a little something extra—get it?
