How Many Steps a Day Do You Need to Lose Weight?

How many steps a day do you need to lose weight? My goal is 8,000 to 10,000. But that's not where I started, and it's not where I start my clients. The best step goal is a little more than you walk right now: a number you can hit all 7 days of the week, even on your busiest workdays.

How many steps a day should you start with?

When a client tells me she walks 3,000 to 5,000 steps a day, I don't ask her for 10,000. Jumping that high can feel impossible, and it's how you burn yourself out.

Here's how one of those talks went. She wanted to go to 8,000, and she was even thinking about 10,000. We started at 6,000 instead, with 8,000 as the stretch. If she got 6,000, that was good. If she pushed to 8,000, amazing. The next week, depending on how things were going, we could move her to 8,000 for good.

With my clients, we raise their steps by 1,000 to 2,000 a day, depending on where they start and what kind of job they have. Once that feels normal, we push a little closer to 8,000.

How I built up to 10,000 steps after my son

When I had a newborn, I was exhausted. Working out was the last thing on my mind. So once I felt recovered, I started with really short walks, just 2 or 3 times a week. That's all I focused on.

Once that felt easier, I walked every day with the stroller. What better way to bond with your baby? Then the short walks got a little longer. Then I worked on doing my steps every day, and I built up to 10,000 steps a day.

It didn't happen overnight. It was all small steps, literally.

Working from home? Watch your steps

When you work from home, you might be getting only 2,000 steps a day. You sit down for one email, and then it's 3 pm. You've barely moved between Zoom calls, and the kitchen is 10 feet away.

That doesn't mean you need to eat less or spend an hour at the gym. Start with the basics:

• Get up between calls.

• Take a 10 minute walk after lunch.

• Build your meals around protein.

• Keep easy lunches ready, so you're not grabbing snacks all afternoon.

Small things done often add up.

What about the busy weeks?

Some weeks a workout won't happen. During the holidays, this is the one time I'll say it: if you can't get a workout, at least get your steps. Do something.

That's how I got through my son's first year too. A year after he was born, my routine was still all over the place, from early morning workouts to late night workouts, and some weeks with no routine at all. So I stopped chasing the perfect routine and focused on what I could control: my food, my steps, and showing up the best I could when I could.

Can you lose weight just by walking?

It can help, but steps are only one piece. What worked for me after my son was 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, a meal plan with foods I actually enjoyed, and 3 to 4 strength workouts a week. Six months later, I had lost 30 pounds postpartum and kept it off.

Want a step goal that fits your work week, plus the meals and workouts that go with it? I'd love to help you set it. That's how I coach women with busy careers at A Cup of Fitness, all online. Apply for my coaching program here.