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How To Get Steps In At Home (And My Go-To 15-Minute Walking Workout)

You don’t need perfect weather or hours on the treadmill to increase your daily step count. In this post, I’m sharing exactly how to get steps in at home, why daily steps matter so much for your health, and the simple strategies I actually use as a busy mom and fitness trainer to hit my step goals. I’m also including my go-to indoor walking workout to help you get over 2,000 steps in 15 minutes. 

Quick Links:

• Active-Based Movement
• Creative Ways to Get Steps In
• Additional Tips
• FAQs

After decades as a fitness trainer, I’ve learned the “secret” to fitness is truly so simple: lift weights, eat protein and get your daily steps in (that’s actually what inspired one of the most popular workout plans on my site: the 4-30-10 Method!)

Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. It’s accessible, low-impact, scalable for all fitness levels and extremely effective for improving energy, mood, circulation and heart health. When I’m consistent with getting my steps in, I notice that my joints feel better, my stress levels are lower, I sleep better and my energy remains steady throughout the day. 

That said, I know firsthand how hard it can feel to fit steps in—especially when you’re already juggling work, family and workouts. That’s why learning how to get steps in at home (especially on busy workdays!) has been such a game-changer for me. There are 2 main ways you can get 10,000 steps without leaving the house: active-based strategies and lifestyle-based strategies. I’ll discuss both below.

Active-Based Movement

The most obvious way to increase your step count at home is through active-based movement, also known as workouts that focus on movement to increase your step count without leaving the house. 

There are many different types of movement you can use to bump up your step count at home, including:

• Indoor walking workouts
• Strength and walking workouts
• Standing cardio workouts
• Low-impact HIIT workouts
• Dance-based workouts (like Zumba) 
• Treadmill walking or treadmill jogging

These workouts are especially helpful when I’m busy because they allow me to get my heart rate up, increase my daily steps and finish my workout without leaving my living room.

Creative Ways to Get Steps In

The majority of my daily steps don’t come from dedicated walks or even walking workouts. Some easy ways I’ve found to get steps in at home are really just creative strategies to make my lifestyle more active, including: 

• Stair laps: Walking up and down my stairs for 5 minutes between meetings. 
• Count chores: Carrying a laundry basket up and down stairs, picking up toys and vacuuming or mopping all increase your daily step count. 
• Post-meal movement: Do an indoor quick walk after meals to support digestion and boost energy.
• Pace while on the phone: If I’m on the phone with a friend or listening to a webinar, I walk around my house or on the treadmill while talking. 
• Walk while watching TV: During commercial breaks or between episodes, march in place or walk on a walking pad. 

Walking around your house is an amazing way to increase your total daily step count without setting foot outside. This is a great option if you live somewhere with extreme weather or are stuck at home for other reasons!

Additional Tips

If getting your daily steps in consistently feels like a struggle, try these additional tips: 

• Invest in a walking pad or treadmill: I work from home, so this allowed me to quickly get some steps in between meetings or during phone calls. This is also a great option if you want to try walking in the evening while watching a TV show or movie. 
• Break it up: I never rely on 1 long walk to get all my steps in because it’s just not realistic with kids, work and life. Instead, I break it into smaller movement snacks or “micro workouts” throughout my day. I like to start my day with a morning walk, make a quick loop during my lunch break and get the rest of my daily steps in the evening playing with my kids. 
• Set realistic goals: you don’t need to hit 10K steps every single day to get the benefits of walking more. Start where you are and do what you can. 
• Don’t underestimate the “small” stuff:  I make it a rule to stand up and move for 5-10 minutes every hour, whether it’s running the stairs to switch laundry, walking down the hall during a conference call or taking a quick lap around the block. Those short bursts might feel minor, but they add up over the day.

FAQs

Small Steps Lead to Real Results

Learning how to get steps in at home made it easier for me to be consistent with hitting my daily step goals, no matter what my schedule or outside weather looked like. The biggest takeaway for me has been that all physical activity contributes to your daily steps for the day—it doesn’t have to be a structured workout, stroller walk or run to “count” as steps! Small, daily habits like taking the stairs more often, parking further away or walking while watching your favorite shows or movies quickly add up. 

Consistency compounds. Start where you are, and do what you can! 

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