How do you walk more without counting steps?

The step counter is a fine invention with one flaw: it turns a stroll into a target. Walking at its best is aimless, curious and a bit indulgent. Think of the Italian passeggiata, the evening stroll up and down the main street, dressed nicely, greeting people, stopping for an ice cream, going nowhere in particular on purpose. Nobody is counting anything. That is the spirit we are after.

Errands on foot

The easiest walking is the walking you needed to do anyway.

• Shop little and often. One bag from the market on foot beats one enormous car trip. You also get better tomatoes.
• Choose the further shop. The bakery across the park, the post office two neighbourhoods over, the good café rather than the nearest one.
• Walk to the station instead of taking the bus for two stops, or get off one stop early.
• Carry what you can carry. A good shopping bag or a small backpack makes walking errands feel easy rather than heroic.

Take the long way

A route is a choice, so choose the pretty one.

• The river path rather than the main road.
• The street with the good windows, bookshops, delis, florists.
• A detour with a view. The top of a hill, a bridge, a square at golden hour.
• New streets on purpose. Turn left where you would usually turn right. Cities reward curiosity.

Allow an extra ten minutes in the diary and let the walk be part of the trip, not the gap before it.

Walk your phone calls

Any call where you don't need a screen can be a walking call: catching up with your sister, a one-to-one with a colleague, the bank on hold. Pop in headphones, step outside and walk while you talk. We find conversation flows more easily when nobody is staring at a face on a screen. Pick a loop you know so you are not navigating while negotiating.

Make walking the social plan

Instead of meeting for a coffee, meet for a coffee to go and a walk. Instead of a lunch, a walk to a lunch somewhere a little further away. Some favourite formats:

• The walk-and-talk catch-up. Side by side is easier for the big conversations.
• The Sunday walk with a destination. A long lunch, a market, a gelateria at the far end.
• The after-dinner stroll. Five people, a summer evening, no hurry. Italy got this right a long time ago.
• The walking tour of your own city. Pick a neighbourhood and wander it like a visitor.

Small changes that quietly add up

• Leave the car at home for one journey a week and see what you notice.
• Take the stairs when it's a floor or two and you're not carrying the shopping.
• Park, or get dropped off, at the far end of the car park, or the far side of the market.
• Do your thinking on foot: a short walk to sort out a problem before you write the email.

None of this needs tracking. You will notice that walking feels more normal, more pleasant and more like part of your life, which is the only measure that matters here.