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15+ Fitbit Tips to Help CRUSH Your Steps Goal

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Today I am sharing real-life fitbit tips to help you hit your step goal. These are from actual fitbit fanatics, so you know it's the real deal! Affiliate links are used in this post.

15 Easy Ways to CRUSH your step count every day - Excellent tips to hit my fitbit goal

Hello Fitbit Friends! Welcome back and thank you for visiting Lalymom for another batch of fitbit knowledge!

If you have caught the fitbit bug, chances are you are always looking for more ways to inject more steps into your day.

These tips are straight from my awesome fans, thanks to my Fitbit User Survey, which you are welcome to take as well if you like!

In my short survey I asked fitness tracker users to complete this sentence, “I am confident I will hit my step goal any day that I (blank).” And I specified- please don't say “hit 10,000 steps!” which would totally be my sassy answer.

So I put out the survey and then went right on with life. I kept meaning to get back to it.


 

I was on a real step goal hot streak this spring, until my family got sick recently. That had me wondering, “What are some ways I can get those steps, even on my worst days?” Oh hey- Maybe I should go read the responses from the survey!

So the results are in. So far about 100 people have taken the time to answer the survey (THANK YOU GUYS!! YOU ARE AWESOME!) and while sifting through the results I see several repeating themes.

Of course, none of the fitbit tips below are perfect for everyone. Some of these ideas might be brand new to you, while others might seem obvious too but don't overlook the places you are obviously missing out on steps. Every little bit counts!

I hope these tips help! If you like reading about fitness, health and fitbits, please do sign up for my fitbit newsletter!

Fitbit Tips to Help Hit Your Step Goal

NOTE: Always consult your physician before beginning a new exercise routine. These fitbit tips are ideas from actual fitbit users and not intended as medical advice, cool? Okay let's go.

1. Get a Dog and Walk It! – Several survey takers stated that any day they take their dog for a walk, they are confident they will hit their step goal. Not surprisingly, studies show that dog owners walk more than non-dog owners. If you already have a pup, rather than letting him out into the yard, reach for the leach and hoof it together!

2. Temptation Bundling – This one is not from the survey, but something I heard about in a Freakonomics podcast, of all places. It is a really specific and powerful way of tying together a highly desirable activity with a less desirable activity to help achieve them both. For ways to incorporate Temptation Bundling into your daily routine check out Fit Girls Fitness and Nerdy Fitness.

3. Make it Part of Your Friendship – I love this idea from Amanda of Dirt and Boogers to use a fitbit as a way to boost a long distance friendship. I actually think it is pretty similar to temptation bundling because you're conditioning yourself to think of someone you love every time you think of your fitbit.

RELATED: Check the Ultimate Fitbit Buyer's Guide for historical prices on Fitbits and where to find the best deals. 

15+ Fitbit Tips to Help CRUSH your Step Goal - From Real Fitbit Fanatics

In case you are wondering about the fitbits above, left to right are a Fitbit Flex, a Waterfi Waterproofed Fitbit Charge HR, an all new Fitbit Alta and a Standard Fitbit Charge HR in Plum with a Bytten Chloe Slide on it. 🙂

4. Dance – According to WebMD, a half hour of dancing can burn as many calories as a half hour of jogging, which will surely be reflected in your step count! So whether it is an epic family dance party, a step-heavy Zumba Class or a night out at the club, if you put on your dancing shoes, chances are you are going to hit that step goal!

5. Head to the Mall – Several fitbit fanatics shared their top tip to getting their steps- mall laps. Many malls even open the common areas early to accommodate walkers. If you think about it, malls are basically really nice, climate-controlled indoor tracks!

RELATED: 50 Totally Doable Ways to Break Out of a Sedentary Lifestyle

Got a fitbit get this book to help you reach your goals!
6. No Mall? Try These – One user said she hits her step goal any time she goes to the theme park near her house. How fun would THOSE 10,000 steps be?! If you plan to get season passes for the zoo, a theme park, botanical garden, museum or any other place of leisure you can use those places instead of a mall. Get the most for your money and go often. Those places always involve tons of walking, so why not find the most enjoyable place to take your daily steps?

7. Use Your Fitbit to Teach – I saw this cool idea from Mia at Pragmatic Mom on how she thought to engage her kids in physical activity and math at the same time. I'm not saying every kid needs a fitbit, but maybe you could share yours for a day, or you can pick up a more basic pedometer. Although I do know families whose older kids have fitbits and I love that they bond via fitness! But wouldn't it be cool to have a friendly family weekly challenge for motivation- and sneak in some learning while you're at it!

8. Commit to That Workout – Several survey responses involved getting out for a morning run, or other regularly schedule exercise. If you can commit 1/2 hour to fit in a run, cardio video or brisk walk, and then go about your normal day….you will give your step count a huge bump. Does that sound obvious? Because it wasn't obvious to me for a long time. I was trying to get my goal by parking farther from the door at the grocery store, or running in place before bed…. Which are both totally valid ways to sneak steps into your day. But once I started committing to a half hour workout every day, it was actually harder NOT to hit my goal. Just set a timer or map a route that you can do in a half hour, then it will be a no-brainer and you can do every chance you get!

15+ Easy Ways to CRUSH Your Step Count - Great ways to increase my fitbit steps!

RELATED: Big List of Fitbit Rewards (Earn Cash and Prizes with your Fitbit!)

9. Get Outside – This one came up in the survey a lot and it makes total sense. Respondents reported that they know they will hit their step goal if they just get outside. For some it was just generally “going outside”, or to walk the aforementioned dog. For others it was to go for a run, take the kids to the park or walk to work or school. The point is that if you tend to sit on the couch in the evening, try committing to JUST going outside…play with your kids, take a walk with a friend, anything to get us off the couch!

10. Go To Work – Many survey takers reported that simply going to work helps them ensure they will hit their goal. Why is this worth mentioning here? Because it's the routines of their day that help them reach their step goal. Sure, a postal carrier has a much better shot at hitting her step goal than someone tied to a desk. But if you're in the desk job crowd, try to think of the routines that you can put into place EVERY day that will start to add up. Get off the bus or train one stop early on nice days, hold walking meetings, walk to lunch instead of drive. Ask your office mates if anyone else wants to work together to get more steps.

11. Don't Go To Work – Well crap, we just covered the tip that said we SHOULD go to work. But a lot of fans reported they are much more confident of hitting their step goals on the days they do NOT go to work. So again, they have routines and habits that make it much more likely to get a lot of steps. If you are more of a relaxer on your days off,  what opportunities can you find to change that?

RELATED: 8 SUREFIRE Ways to Increase Your Step Count By 25%

12. Know Your “Small, Medium and Large” Step Count Options – If you struggle to figure out how to find 10,000 steps in a given day, maybe you could use a personalized step count list! Try this Free Fitbit Printable to record step counts for different walks you take. Then you'll always know JUST what to do when your step count needs a little- or a lot- of help!

13. Do Your Chores – I was surprised to see how many people responded that they knew they'd reach their goal if they did house chores. A few people listed specifics like gardening, lawn mowing and vacuuming, while others listed cleaning the house in general. Hmm…maybe I've found MY new motivation to clean more! Spark People offers some simple tips for turning your chores into a workout.

TIP: Read this super cool fitbit hack on How to Make a Little Cash By Cleaning Your Own House!

14. Fill Idle Time With Walking – I loved these fitbit tips from survey respondents. This is something I NEVER would have done before having my fitbit. If you're early to work or school pick up (it must happen every so often…) walk a lap around the block. If you're waiting for an appointment, go for a short walk. If your kids are at a park district class or sports practice, take that time to go for a walk or run. No more sitting in the car reading blogs. Oh wait, except for this one….

15. Set Benchmark Goals – One fan wrote that any time she logs 3,000 steps BEFORE she goes to work she knows she will hit her goal. If hitting 10,000 steps seems too arbitrary, break it down by day part and see how many you can get before you leave the house or before lunch.

16. Participate in a Regular Fitbit Challenge – One of my survey questions asked which features each user used most frequently. I was surprised to see only a 1/3 of the respondents said they use Fitbit Challenges. They can be really motivating, whether you choose the competitive ones or the Goal Day challenge, where everyone is cheering each other on just to hit your goal, without trying to be the leader.

TIP: If you don't have many fitbit friends yet, you can check search for Fitbit user groups on Facebook, use the Fitbit app to find friends via facebook or email or head to fitbit.com's online community (which is different from your group of friends on your app).

Want more Fitbit Fun? Check out these Top Fitbit Posts:

Fitbit 101 – Getting Started

15+ Fitbit Hacks

Waterproof Your Fitbit

What are your top fitbit tips for hitting your step goal? Respond below or take the Fitbit User Survey to chime in. As I get more I will be sure to add them!

15+ Fitbit Tips to CRUSH Your Step Goal - From Real Fitbit Fanatics - never heard of #2 but I want to try that!

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10 Comments

  1. Laura, I don’t even own a Fibit and I feel totally inspired to “CRUSH IT” anyway! (My to do list or goal list for the day I mean lol)! Thank you so much for sharing this, it was humorous and fun to read! Like I tell my children, there’s no such word as Can’t –you can achieve your Fibit goals ??

  2. Good tips! I love fitbit challenges, they really motivate me because I am very competitive!
    I am not very sure about the “getting a dog” tip just to get steps. A lot of preparation and research should be done before owning a pet, pets are expensive and need a lot of attention.

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