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Martin Lewis has kept himself in shape thanks to a habit which sees him walk 10,000 steps a day on average. The money saving expert has shared his top tips for burning 3,886 calories a day, simply by walking.
Writing on his blog, Martin said walking this many steps a day is a “deliberate obsession”.
“I can and sometimes do feel like stopping,” he added. “However, the health benefits over the last few years have been so positive, I don’t want to let it go. As once I do, I’m not sure it’ll ever come back.”
His steps are “built based on self-imposed rules”, and the “buzz” he feels after hitting the daily target.
For anyone wondering how Martin manages 10,000 steps a day, he has two rules; early morning exercise and walking whenever he has to talk.
The TV presenter has a treadmill at home and has added an elliptical cross trainer “to protect [his] knees” from the impact of excessive exercise.
Martin “starts almost every day with between 40 minutes and an hour of cardio” while catching up on the day’s news and any key documents for the day.
Before doing anything else, Martin has already hit 8,000 steps.
Throughout the rest of the day, Martin implements his other “simple rule”: “If I’m talking, I’m walking”.
Should the presenter have a phone call to make, or a meeting that doesn’t need to be a video call, he will talk and walk – “often this is outdoors” and he manages his diary so all his calls are back to back so he can go for a “long walk”.
Instead of getting public transport, Martin also prefers to walk 75 minutes to the studio for his show.
If he is unable to get outside for a walk, he “either walks around and around [his] office or goes downstairs and walks on the treadmill”.
Walking has lots of benefits, but walking 10,000 steps a day can see you burn between 3,500 and 4,000 calories a day, and in Martin’s case, he is “substantially lighter” than when he first started a few years ago.
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To add to this, Martin says his “core stability is stronger” and some of his “repetitive strain injury and back pain is gone”.
He also says walking has helped “reduce” stress and anxiety, but it isn’t a “cure”.
A downside to having a 10,000 daily step count that Martin discussed was “putting off” other exercises.
He has now adjusted his routine to ensure a few weight training sessions are completed a week to ensure muscle mass is maintained.
Walking 10,000 steps a day can be a lot, especially if your step count is currently quite low. Here are a few ways to increase your step count with a few changes to your daily habits:
Utilise your lunch break – if you can, grab your lunch and walk to a more scenic location to enjoy it. Twenty minutes of brisk walking a day can knock a fifth of the 10,000 steps.
Take the stairs – lifts and escalators are great inventions to reach high-level floors, but take the stairs when possible. On average, you can add 270 steps to your day with each minute spent climbing stairs.
Pace around – Think of all the daily tasks you do standing still and move around instead. When brushing your teeth, you can add 240 steps on average in two minutes.
Go the distance – Don’t choose a parking space close to the entrance, choose one the furthest away and add a few more hundred steps in.
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