Today, we’re celebrating my 11 year old son for achieving a pretty amazing goal. If you have been around us much, you know that we work very hard to get 10,000 steps a day and stay moving throughout the day. Today, he is marking 365 days of hitting or surpassing 10,000 steps each day. If you are looking for ways to increase your steps each day and walk toward a healthier lifestyle, we’ve got some tips for you!

This post includes affiliate links.

One Full Year of 10,000 Steps

Luke has always loved getting out and exploring, but sometimes it’s easy to start playing electronics or get lost in the pages of a book and forget to get moving. Last year we bought a Fitbit Charge for Luke and it didn’t take very long before we found ourselves getting competitive. He got motivated to hit his goal of 10,000 steps each day and he wasn’t going to bed till he hit or passed his goal.

How much do you move during the day? When we started counting our steps, we were surprised to see how much or how little we were moving on our own throughout the day. Whether you are sitting at school or working a job at a desk, it’s easy to sit down and not move from your desk for over an hour. With our Fitbit, we get reminders to get up and move throughout the day.

Getting 10,000 steps a day is not a magic number that will make you healthy. But what it does for you is to make you aware of your activity level.

Luke has developed a deep personal motivation to get at least 10,000 steps every day. Some days have been easy to hit 20,000 steps when we have been on a walking tour of Boston, Washington DC or San Francisco. On those days, he has walked and gotten his 10,000 goal way before bed time.

Then there have been other days this past year when he was out walking around the yard after dark or pacing in the house trying to reach his goal. Days like that when he has been sitting too long in school or we have spent too much time in the car – those are the days when he has dug deep and decided that it was important for him to make sure he had enough steps to meet his goal.

How can you get 10,000 Steps?

• Walk while you watch TV or play Xbox
• Don’t sit down too long. Try to get to the next 1,000 before you sit back down.
• Walk while you’re talking on the phone.
• Take your dog for a walk.
• Put your Fitbit in your pocket when you go to the grocery so you can count your steps in the store.
• Park in the farthest parking spot so you will have to walk a few extra steps to the entrance.
• Skip the elevator.  Take the stairs.
• Ride a deskcycle. (Attach your Fitbit to the pedals so it will record every step.)
• Put on your favorite tunes and dance!
• If you do activities like swim or biking that don’t record your steps, you can add them to your account on the website.

How to Make Money with your Fitbit

Of course, getting healthier is the ultimate reward for each of us. But sometimes it takes a bit more motivation to keep going on the exercise journey. I have been counting steps as my main exercise goal for many years. It just works better for me to walk toward health rather than train for a 5K or join a gym. Personal preference is everything when it comes to exercise routines. If you don’t like your exercise option, you’re almost guaranteed to fail.

Achievemint

Did you know there are ways to make actual money using your Fitbit?  My favorite way to earn money is Achievmint!

Achievmint is a free app that awards points for behavior. You have to earn 10,000 points before you get your first payout, but if I’m going to wear my FitBit anyway, I might as well let the points slowly accrue. You can earn points for sleeping, drinking water, recording your weight and of course getting your steps in. The great thing is that it is automatic. I don’t have to do a thing now that I have set up my account. It easily connected with my Fitbit and now I just let the points add up!

Find Achievemint on itunes and Android.

It took me about 3 months to earn my first $10.00 payout, but I did nothing extra at all! I got an email telling me that I had achieved my 10,000 points and then an email a few days later with the notice that they had deposited $10.00 into my Paypal account! Super easy!

How much does this cost? Nothing! It’s FREE! If you have any sort of app or device to track your fitness, it probably is included in this program (Jawbone, Garmin, Apple Health, Runkeeper, MyFitnessPal, and many more…).

Walgreens Balance Rewards for Healthy Choices

Create a free Walgreens Balance Rewards account, link your device or app and start earning points to spend at Walgreens. If you are already a Walgreens shopper, then your points will add up even faster!

Check your Insurance Provider

Check with your insurance provider. Many insurance companies reward you for exercise and healthy habits. You can log in to your personal account or call them to see what options they have. Some companies offer gift cards, gear or even cash as rewards for healthy habits like walking and exercise.

There are other options for earning points and perks with the FitBit, but these are the best options so far. What do you use? Got any programs that are rewarding us for our steps? I’d love to hear!

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