Should You Count Steps?
Counting steps was a popular thing to do a few years ago, and it seems to be gaining momentum again. But does it do anything? The results really depend on you, and what you want to get out of it.
Most of us know the principle of changing your routine to see more results. If you haven’t heard that before, it relates to many studies saying that your muscles are smarter than you think they are. If you keep doing the same thing over and over again, your body gets used to it, and adapts it’s response. Therefore, not giving you the same effect & response you got at the start. You need to up the stress on the body, if you want to keep getting new results.
In terms of steps, if you work an office sit down job, setting a certain goal of steps per day is great. It gets you up and moving, keeping your joints decently mobile and active. It may produce some weight loss at the start.
But if you’re using it as a guide to weight loss, doing the same minimum over and over may not give you the results you want. Honestly, it probably won’t. You could be the rare case where it works long term for weight loss, but why guess if you’re going to be a lucky one?
As we said, your body gets used to the stress over time. That’s why common activities (laundry, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, walking your home stairs, etc), don’t produce many weight loss results, if any, results for most. Your body is used to it, so you need to give it more stress to see the results.
If your goal is 12,000 steps a day, try doing that a few days a week, but then going 14,000 steps a couple days, and maybe 15,000+ one or two days. That way, you’re forcing your body to adapt to new changes and stresses, allowing it to adjust and possibly use more energy systems to work.
Iron Fit Personal Training 