You know you need to get 10,000 steps a day. That doesn’t sound like very much. After all, a trip around the block can probably get you around 1,000. Still, when you have a sedentary job, that changes the playing field.

When your job forces you to sit at a desk all day long, your time in which to get your steps greatly shrinks. Does that mean you can’t get your steps? Of course not! You just need to make a bigger effort than you would if you had a job that required you to walk all day.

Use these Tips to Get 10,000 Steps a Day

Your desk job may give you a bit of a hurdle, but it’s time to leap over it and start stepping. Here are some ways for you to do that on a regular basis. The trick is to keep up these habits over the long term. That way, you’ll regularly get the steps you need for better overall health.

• Take Quick Walks

You might not be able to take a half hour brisk walk a few times during the workday, but you can take small ones. They add up if you keep doing them. Take the stairs and head to another floor of the building, walk around and climb back up the stairs again. In a handful of minutes, you’ll have 150 steps each way. Do a lap around your building. In the same amount of times, you’ll get 500 to 700 steps or more. Ten minutes and you’ll already have about 1,000 steps when all you want to do is get 10,000 steps a day.

• Always take stairs

Even if you’re not going for a bit of an exercise, take the stairs to get where you need to be. This will get your heart rate up and will help you to pile on the steps. When you’re going up the stairs, each step will do more for your body than if you were walking on a flat surface. This means you’re adding quality to your quantity.

• Walk to the corner store

You’re out of milk or another basic ingredient. You need to go to the convenience store. This is a great way to help you to get 10,000 steps a day! Throw on your sneakers and walk or even jog the couple of blocks, then return home again. You can easily get another 1,000 steps out of that trip alone, and that’s if you go to the closest store!