10,000 Steps or 30 Minutes? Which Is Best?

I have heard it more times than I can count that you should try to get 10,000 steps a day for weight loss and to be healthy. When I purchased my Fitbit the preset goal was 10,000 and most days I could hit that without a problem. I even raised it to 12,000 steps and thought I was really doing great by hitting that goal. 

So imagine my surprise when I went to my doctor for my annual physical and was told I could stand to lose a few pounds and that my cholesterol was a little too high. Then she asked me if I exercised so I proudly told her I was getting a minimum of 12,000 steps a day but then she said “Yes, but are you getting your heart rate up or just getting steps?”

 I had to admit that most days my little “cardio circle” wasn’t green but according to my Fitbit I was walking over 5 miles a day. How could that not be helping me?

The doctor told me to stop thinking about steps and aim for 30 minutes of brisk walking at least 5 days a week. So I started paying more attention to walking a straight 30 minutes and guess what not only did my little “cardio circle” turn green but I started to drop a few pounds, had more energy, and when I went back to the doctor my labs came back with better results.  

I’m not saying that it’s not good to have step goals or do walking challenges with friends/family, but just make sure that your getting 30 minutes of cardio a day while meeting your step goal.

I know that we are all busy and it seems hard to find 30 minutes to get that cardio in and if you’re not in good shape it can also just be plain hard to do a brisk walk for that long, but if you need to you can just break it up into smaller segments. When I first started I would set my timer and walk 15 minutes in the morning and then 15 in the afternoon. Now I just walk for 30 minutes before lunch and if I get the chance I try to fit in another short walk that afternoon. 

Maybe walking seems boring, or you don’t even have a good place to walk. There are some great cardio/walking workouts on YouTube you can try. I also found some dance workouts from Sunny Funny Fitness that I really enjoyed doing. Just try new things and have fun with it. 

If you don’t already have a Fitbit or something to help track your steps/heart rate try this Fitbit Inspire and get ready to move. 🏃