For good health and to feel your best, aim for 10,000 steps a day — about the same as walking or pushing a wheelchair 5 miles. Wearing a tracking device is a great tool to see just how active you are… or aren’t.

To get a baseline average, put on your tracker every morning for 1 week and write down total steps each night. After a week, divide by 7 to get your average. Here’s where the challenge comes in: Gradually increase your average by 1000 until you hit 10,000 steps/day. If you need some ideas for adding steps, try these:

• Stop looking for the dream spot in the parking lot and go to the back
• Walk for an extra 10 minutes twice a day instead of taking a coffee break
• Do errands on foot — you’ll get more steps and save gas
• Skip the elevator and take the stairs
• Walk down the hall to speak to a coworker instead of sending an email
• Be less efficient at home — take the laundry up and down the stairs a load at a time
• Walk the dog morning and evening.

Increasing your daily steps from 2000 to 10,000 won’t happen overnight. But the benefits of moving toward feeling your best each day are well worth it.