We are both very into getting our step count every day (or at least most days!) and think it’s a great resolution to make. We both set our goal for 10,000 steps per day, which averages out to around 4 miles, but goal-setting is all about what works for you and encourages a habit. If you’re routinely clocking 15,000 steps a day already, try upping your goal to 20k! If your pedometer is reporting 5,000 on a good day, stick to 7,500 as a goal! Whatever the number, looking to increase your overall physical activity is a great way to boost health and fitness.

Be sure to check out all our other resolution suggestions here!

There are lots of ways to keep track and keep yourself accountable with this goal. Here are 5 ways to track your fitness:

1. Pedometer++: This iPhone app has been on both of our phones for years now! It’s a super simple tracker that taps into the iPhone’s accelorometer so it reports the same data as Apple Health, but in a more condensed, easy to read format. The app also keeps your historic data so you can scroll back (seemingly endlessly) to see how your current performance compares to weeks, months, and years’ gone by.
2. My Fitness Pal: This one is available for iPhone and Android alike, and we love it because of the multitudes of information you can keep in it. MFP not only tracks steps, you can input many other kinds of exercise that track calorie exertion and connect the MFP app to pedometers and other smart apps that all feed data into your MFP profile. Beyond exercise, My Fitness Pal also allows for meal tracking, with scads of pre-loaded foods and their associated calorie counts and carb/fat/protein breakdowns where nutritional information abounds! The duality of “calories in” vs “calories out” within the app can help if you’re trying to lose weight, or can aid in sustaining your current health levels.
3. Runkeeper: Also for both iPhone and Android, Runkeeper solidly delivers on motivating you to get out the door. The app is focused on running, but we’ve used it for runs and walks alike. The community surrounding Runkeeper bolsters the app by contributing walk routes, training plans, and an air of competition!
4. Apple Watch / Fitbit / Misfit: If being tethered to your phone just isn’t your thing, options are plentiful in the device tracking category! We’ve tried out all three of these (and there are so many more choices beyond just these) and love them for different use cases. Apple Watch for sure wins in the “track everything, report everything, keep me connected” space; Fitbit is a lovely stand-in if you’re not looking to break the bank as much; and Misfit keeps things cheap and simple while still delivering on keeping count of your steps!
5. Good ‘ol Pedometer: Go back to basics and ditch all this fancy technology. Counting your steps doesn’t need to be an exercise in how many apps you can connect to each other to track your every waking breath, thought, and consumption! We love this option because it’s holding true to the goal.

Now that you’ve decided on the “how” of actually counting your steps, let’s give you a few tips on the “how” of actually accumulating them! 5 ways to get extra steps that we fully use and support:

1. Set an alarm at work to get up from your desk once every hour. Do a lap of the office, go up and down the stairs a few times, or take a brisk walk outside.
2. Park at the back of the parking lot. This is a great excuse to grab some extra steps, and there are always more spots towards the back anyway. Win-win!
3. Circle the block before you go into a store or restaurant. We’re both guilty of getting to an appointment 10-15 minutes early just to bolster our step count by filling the extra time with steps!
4. Take the stairs and walk the escalators. No need to ride the elevator or laze around on an escalator when there are valuable steps to be had!
5. Try a walking meeting. We both have weekly meetings with 1 or 2 people that are always held at the same time and place. Instead of droning on in your most-hated conference room, suggest that you take your business on a walk! Who knows, getting your blood flowing during a meeting may bring up new ideas or ways of solving a problem you never would have thought of had you just been sitting and staring at the same wall you always see ;).

All in all, this is one of our favorite resolutions that we’ve been coming back to again and again for years. Do you have a step count goal? What are the ways you make sure to achieve it day after day?? Let us know in the comments!