10 Ways To Get 10k Steps When It’s Hot Out

If you’re getting all these daily steps, you’re probably using some step-tracking app so you know where you’re at. And you should be getting paid for that.

Check out our list of 6 Apps To Earn Rewards For Using Your Fitness Tracker for mobile apps that will actually give you free money for walking.

10 Ways To Get 10k Steps When It’s Hot Out

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Quick note: 10,000 steps is something that was created by a Japanese company for marketing purposes to promote the pedometer ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The Japanese character for 10,000 (万) sort of looks like a walking man, so the company named its pedometer after that and the rest is history.

I say 10,000 steps because, sixty years later, people still use the arbitrary number to set their fitness goals. Honestly, just do your best. Get as many steps as you can. Don’t get overwhelmed by a number. Some steps is better than no steps. Keep that in mind.

Walk early or at night.

It’s so hot here in the peak of the afternoon. Pete and I used to walk at that time and the sweat would be dripping off our faces and into our eyes. Yes, sweat. I know, they say women don’t sweat, they glisten. But on these walks, I was not glistening. I was sweating.

Pete would wear a cooling towel around his head and he was still sweating. It was too much. I started going for an evening walk after the sun had gone down, and it was a lot better.

So, if you plan for an early morning walk, before you have to go to work, or late at night, before you go to bed, you’ll have a better chance of actually walking daily. Regardless of when you go, we highly suggest you take water bottles filled with cold water with you on your walk so you don’t overheat when you’re out there.

Swim.

A lot of fitness trackers have waterproof versions, so you can wear it in the pool. When it’s hot out, all I really want to do is go swimming, so being able to get close to my 10,000 steps while cooling off in the pool is a great idea.

If you have a pool at your housing complex or gym, see if there are classes. There is a water aerobics class here in our community pool three days a week. Personally, I never go because the classes are during the work day, but it would be a great way to get in steps.

And, if your fitness tracker isn’t waterproof, just go swim anyway. Swimming is great exercise, so even if you don’t technically hit your step goal because your tracker is off, you’re still getting exercise.

Go shopping.

The first day it got really hot here last summer, my mom asked me if I wanted to walk at a nearby shopping mall with her. I know. That sounds like something for older people to do. But, on those really hot days, it nice to escape to somewhere that’s air conditioned.

We walked down each wing of the mall, sort of window shopping but mostly just getting steps. Our indoor mall here is only one floor but has a bunch of wings, so my mom made us do two laps in order to squeeze out a few extra steps.

As long as you’re walking and getting your heart rate up, it doesn’t matter where you’re walking. So if indoor walking in a mall is the best place for you to get your steps in, that’s perfect. Do whatever works best for you.

Join a sports league.

Adult leagues are a good way to get in some exercise — and get some adult bonding time too. Since most games and practices happen after everyone gets out of work, it’s a lot cooler and you don’t really have to worry about those high temperatures. When the sun goes down, let your steps go up.

If you’re not really into team sports like softball or kickball, maybe try bowling. It’s a fun game, plus bowling alleys are air conditioned. But, if you do choose bowling, stay away from the snack bar. Eating extra calories because the delicious fried food is available there will counteract the exercise you’re getting from bowling.

Go to a sporting event or concert.

I’ve been to so many summer baseball games in my lifetime. We always bought the cheap seats, so there were a ton of stairs between the ticket taker and our seat. Plus, we would have to park so far away too. Just getting to your seat could get you a few thousand steps. And then going back and forth between the bathroom and the food line could get you some more too.

If you don’t like sports, go to a concert instead. Our local venue doesn’t have a parking lot, so you end up having to park blocks away on the street. Walking from your car to the venue and then back to the car gets you so, so many steps. Plus, Pete usually gets more than his 10,000 steps just from having a solo dance party while the band is playing.

Head to the gym.

There’s a good chance your gym is air conditioned. So instead of focusing on any outdoor activity like running sprints in your backyard, run on a treadmill inside your gym. It’s not the same, and you don’t get the same fresh air, but you will get your steps in.

And, if you’re on vacation away from your gym, you can head to the hotel’s gym to get some exercise while you’re on vacation.

​Or, do like we did and visit a gym. When we were in Durham, we went to OC Aerial, a ninja warrior adventure gym, and got in a workout that way.

Walk while you’re on the phone.

Any time I get phone calls during the day, and I need to stop working in order to concentrate, I walk around my house. That way, I’m squeezing in some extra steps and moving my body rather than just sitting on the phone chit chatting.

Walking around doesn’t take away from concentration on the conversation. Actually, exercise helps your cognition, so maybe walking while you’re talking on the phone is a fantastic way to actually pay better attention to what the person on the other line is saying.

Depending on your job, this might also work when you’re on work calls. If you just need to listen, not take notes or present, you may be able to put yourself on mute and walk around. Of course, this only works if you have a work from home job. If you work in an office building, I don’t suggest you doing laps around the break room every time you’re on conference calls.

Do chores.

This is one of my tips for when I’m trying to get steps in winter, when it’s too cold to go out. But it works for summer too.

Do your chores. Vacuuming is a great way to get steps in your air conditioned home. So is laundry. I’ll fold a category of clothes (my shirts, my socks, etc.) and put them away before folding and putting another portion away.

Little ways of adding in extra steps really adds up over the course of the day.

Host a party.

We host barbecues a bunch of times in the summer. And when football season starts, everyone we know comes over on Sunday. It’s fun, but it’s also a lot of work for me. From the second people start coming until the second they leave, I’m cleaning up. And, of course, there’s the last minute cleaning and setting up too. Those steps really add up.

When it’s a big football Sunday, I get all my steps in during game time so I can relax for the rest of the day.

Go to the park.

When it’s hot out, you usually want to find the shade. So many of our local parks are filled with tree covering so you don’t have to worry about so much sun when you’re outside. We’re able to go to a local park, walk outdoors, get some fresh air and sunshine, but still spend our time in the shade.

We used to have a pass to our local botanical garden and I would walk there, just to change it up from walking in my community at night. If you’re traveling, check out local parks and trails in the area too and get your steps that way. Just keep in mind that a lot of these parks have open water, which could breed mosquitos in the summer (we have to deal with those), so spray some bug spray before you go.