Hi friends! This is the 4th and final week of the Shape Fitbit Blogger Challenge, which means you still have a few days to enter to win your own Fitbit Charge again.

This week’s challenge is to up our daily goal of 10k steps to 15,000 steps. This would have been a cinch when I ran a lot, but when your workouts are 80% lifting workouts, it makes getting those increased steps much more difficult.

To be honest, I’m all about self-efficacy, so I’ve tweaked the challenge a bit just because I know myself. Instead of making it a goal to hitting 15,000 the entire week, I’m working to hit 15k each day. Yes, it sounds the same, but it’s not in terms of mindset, motivation, and confidence.

No matter what your step goal is each day, there are a number of things you can do throughout the day to gain more steps to really make a difference in your daily step count! And with increased steps comes increased metabolism. Remember talking about NEPA in this post? It’s a huge contributor to our total daily energy output/calorie burn.

6 Ways to Get in More Steps with Your Fitbit

1. A chore an hour

I find setting an alarm every hour to get up and do something for 5 minutes, helps me to get more steps in. Since I do my desk work at home, I’ll get up and do a chore – swiff, wipe down the counters, change over laundry, declutter, etc. This way the house gets clean, and I get steps in!

If you’re in an office, use it to run upstairs to the bathroom, downstairs to fill up your water bottle, ask a co-worker a question, etc.

2. Impromptu dance party

So my friends, Katie and Susie and I are known for having impromptu dance parties just about every time we get together. Yes, T-Swift is usually included in our party, too.

And Niko – can’t forget Niko (look at those moves!) Actually, on Thanksgiving, I noticed I was low on steps, but wasn’t even worried because I knew we’d be busting a move at some point in the day. Naturally, after the first glass of champagne, my girl Susie asked if it was too early for a dance party! (The answer to that question is No. It’s never too early for a dance party.)

3. Two to three walks a day

Niko loves this goal, because it means she gets to go outside and smell ALL the smells a few times a day. Typically, one walk is longer – 30-40 minutes, and the other two are shorter – more like 15 minutes.

4. Multiple trips

Take multiple trips for things like carrying groceries, grabbing things from the cabinet, etc. It seems little, but the little stuff adds up to lots of steps!

5. Use your feet as your means of transportation

How far are you from the store? The coffee shop? Work? The gym? Are you able to walk, run, or bike to your destination? Same goes for parking. If you parked down the street or in the furthest spot, you’d rack up some steps in one short trip!

6. Run

There’s no denying runners get in lots of steps.

Typically, I work out for an hour 3 days a week (the other days are usually teaching my HIIT spin class or hiking/trail running.) I’m usually able to get my lifting workout + a finisher done in 45 minutes, so I spend the remaining 15 minutes I give myself walking on the treadmill. Except this week, I’ve used the remaining time to run, since the goal is 15k steps! It’s nothing intense – just a jog 🙂

[Tweet “Set activity alarms to get up and walk throughout the day – @TrainerPaige”]

[Tweet “Mood booster + increase activity w/ an impromptu dance party!”]

[Tweet “Jog instead of walk, or use walk/jog intervals to get in more steps w/ your @fitbit”]

Do you use any sort of activity tracking device? What are some ways you make your step goal each day?