Not everyone takes pleasure in training for a marathon or spinning on a stationary bike, but everybody can enjoy the benefits of walking.

The beauty of walking as an exercise is that it appeals to people who prefer to stay out of the gym or don’t have time for a formal workout. After all, walking is something we do daily, so why not keep track of our ambles and strive to walk 10,000 steps a day for better health. While 10,000 may sound like a big number, it’s a lot easier than you think.

Why 10,000?

As it turns out, 10,000 steps a day is nearly equivalent to the US surgeon general’s recommendation to engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Also, several studies have correlated walking 10,000 steps a day with improved health. In a 2010 study featured in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, participants who committed to 10,000 steps a day for three months were shown to have improved heart health, lower cholesterol levels, a boost in perceived well-being, and they also increased the distance they walked.

The most efficient way to measure your daily steps is with a pedometer—a small electronic device about the size of a pager.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of a pedometer has been shown to boost physical activity in inactive or desk-bound people, and several studies demonstrate that pedometer-based exercise decreases blood pressure and obesity.

Using a pedometer also allows you to track your personal exercise levels, set fitness goals and get you in tune with your daily activity level.

To identify your current walking habits, it’s beneficial to wear your pedometer from morning to bedtime for a few days, and record your daily step count. Once you know what your average step count is, you can set goals for achieving 10,000 steps per day.

Obesity researcher James O. Hill, PhD, of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, says that if you are using steps to lose weight, you should add 2,000 steps to the number of steps you are presently walking. That will add about a mile to your daily walking and should help you lose weight.

Get out of your seat and onto the street

Taking those extra steps isn’t as challenging as you might think. There are a variety of practices you can integrate into your daily routine that will help boost your step count, including:

• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
• Parking further from the front door of your destination
• Meeting friends or colleagues for a walk at lunchtime or instead of sitting down for coffee breaks
• Taking your dog (or a friend’s dog!) for a long walk
• Packing a meal and walking somewhere to eat it during your lunch break
• Enjoying a brisk walk with your children or significant other before or after work

“You don’t need to run marathons to control your weight, just strap on a pedometer and lace up a pair of sneakers and put one foot in front of the other,” says Hill, who is also coauthor of the Step Diet and co-founder of America on the Move, a nonprofit organization dedicated to getting people moving.

“I explain to my patients that the benefits of movement are far-reaching,” notes naturopathic doctor Lise Alschuler, who specializes in cancer prevention. “In addition to helping us lose weight, exercise helps build strong bones, enhances immunity, improves mental health and provides us with a powerful cancer prevention tool.”