This 30-Day Step Challenge for Beginners is NOT sponsored and was written based on my honest experience as a busy mom working on her fitness!
Are you ready to start moving?
Doing a 30-day challenge is a fun and manageable approach to reaching long-term goals.
We all have different reasons for getting started – whether for health, fitness or even recovering after an injury.
I sprained my ankle in September and had to be off my right foot for over a month so I’m excited to do this 30-day challenge before I get back on the bike!
Keep reading to:
- download the 30-day step challenge template
- find tips and step suggestions for beginners
- explore more apps and resources to help you reach your fitness goals
Disclosure: Affiliate links are used throughout this post. You can read our full disclosure here.
30-Day Step Challenge for Beginners (PDF Printable)
There are actually three different ways you can do a step challenge but before you get started, make sure you have a pedometer.
Here are a couple of great options:
- The Technophobe Option: 3DFitbud Step Counter (inexpensive and low EMF with no smart connections)
- The Affordable Tech Enthusiast Option: Fitbit Inspire (a great starter fitness band)
- The High Tech Option: Apple Watch (You can save a ton by getting a Renewed one)
The Health app on your iPhone has a built-in step counter but I’ve found that it’s not as accurate as these wearable devices.
Beginners Guide to Doing a Step Challenge
Before starting your one-month challenge, set realistic goals!
You shouldn’t aim to do 30,000 steps a day if you were barely hitting 5,000 before.
I say this from personal experience – aiming too high and falling short is a quick way to derail your progress from the start.
It’s the same feeling you get when you write a to-do list that’s too full.
Let’s go over a few different options for doing the step challenge:
Set Step Goals
This is the most common and popular way to do a step challenge.
Set a specific goal for the number of steps you want to walk daily.
On FitBits, this used to automatically be set to 10,000 steps a day (I haven’t had one in a long time so I’m not sure if this is still the case).
But, it doesn’t have to be the same number every single day.
You could build on your goals for 30 days!
Here are a couple of ideas:
Weekly Growth
Example 1 for Newly Active Beginner
Week 1: 5,000 steps a day
Week 2: 7,500 steps a day
Week 3: 10,000 steps a day
Week 4: 12,500 steps a day
Example 2 for Active Beginner
Week 1: 10,000 steps a day
Week 2: 15,000 steps a day
Week 3: 20,000 steps a day
Week 4: 25,000 steps a day
Choose reasonable goals that suit your lifestyle!
Daily Growth
Example 1 for Newly Active Beginner
Day 1: 2,000 steps a day
Day 2: 2,500 steps a day
Day 3: 3,000 steps a day
Day 4: 3,500 steps a day
Day 5: 4,000 steps a day
Day 6: 4,500 steps a day
Day 7: 5,000 steps a day
Day 8: 5,500 steps a day
Day 9: 6,000 steps a day
Day 10: 6,500 steps a day
Day 11: 7,000 steps a day
Day 12: 7,500 steps a day
Day 13: 8,000 steps a day
Day 14: 8,500 steps a day
Day 15: 9,000 steps a day
Day 16: 9,500 steps a day
Day 17: 10,000 steps a day
Day 18: 10,500 steps a day
Day 19: 11,000 steps a day
Day 20: 12,000 steps a day
Day 21: 12,500 steps a day
Day 22: 13,000 steps a day
Day 23: 13,500 steps a day
Day 24: 14,000 steps a day
Day 25: 14,500 steps a day
Day 26: 15,000 steps a day
Day 27: 15,500 steps a day
Day 28: 16,000 steps a day
Day 29: 16,500 steps a day
Day 30: 17,000 steps a day
Example 2 for Active Beginner
Day 1: 10,000 steps a day
Day 2: 10,000 steps a day
Day 3: 10,000 steps a day
Day 4: 11,000 steps a day
Day 5: 11,000 steps a day
Day 6: 11,000 steps a day
Day 7: 12,000 steps a day
Day 8: 12,000 steps a day
Day 9: 12,000 steps a day
Day 10: 13,000 steps a day
Day 11: 13,000 steps a day
Day 12: 13,000 steps a day
Day 13: 14,000 steps a day
Day 14: 14,000 steps a day
Day 15: 15,000 steps a day
Day 16: 15,000 steps a day
Day 17: 16,000 steps a day
Day 18: 16,000 steps a day
Day 19: 17,000 steps a day
Day 20: 17,000 steps a day
Day 21: 18,000 steps a day
Day 22: 18,000 steps a day
Day 23: 19,000 steps a day
Day 24: 19,000 steps a day
Day 25: 20,000 steps a day
Day 26: 20,000 steps a day
Day 27: 21,000 steps a day
Day 28: 21,000 steps a day
Day 29: 22,000 steps a day
Day 30: 22,000 steps a day
Set Time-Based Exercise Goals
Example 1 for Newly Active Beginner
Day 1: 5 minutes
Day 2: 5 minutes
Day 3: 10 minutes
Day 4: 10 minutes
Day 5: 15 minutes
Day 6: 15 minutes
Day 7: 20 minutes
Day 8: 20 minutes
Day 9: 25 minutes
Day 10: 25 minutes
Day 11: 30 minutes
Day 12: 30 minutes
Day 13: 35 minutes
Day 14: 35 minutes
Day 15: 40 minutes
Day 16: 40 minutes
Day 17: 45 minutes
Day 18: 45 minutes
Day 19: 50 minutes
Day 20: 50 minutes
Day 21: 55 minutes
Day 22: 55 minutes
Day 23: 60 minutes
Day 24: 60 minutes
Day 25: 65 minutes
Day 26: 65 minutes
Day 27: 70 minutes
Day 28: 70 minutes
Day 29: 75 minutes
Day 30: 75 minutes
Example 2 for Active Beginner
Day 1: 15 minutes
Day 2: 15 minutes
Day 3: 20 minutes
Day 4: 20 minutes
Day 5: 25 minutes
Day 6: 25 minutes
Day 7: 30 minutes
Day 8: 30 minutes
Day 9: 35 minutes
Day 10: 35 minutes
Day 11: 40 minutes
Day 12: 40 minutes
Day 13: 45 minutes
Day 14: 45 minutes
Day 15: 50 minutes
Day 16: 50 minutes
Day 17: 55 minutes
Day 18: 55 minutes
Day 19: 60 minutes
Day 20: 60 minutes
Day 21: 65 minutes
Day 22: 65 minutes
Day 23: 70 minutes
Day 24: 70 minutes
Day 25: 75 minutes
Day 26: 75 minutes
Day 27: 80 minutes
Day 28: 80 minutes
Day 29: 90 minutes
Day 30: 90 minutes
Location-Based Exercise Goals
If you have the time to explore your surroundings, choose a new setting for your exercise daily!
You could plan on walking around local parks, beaches, neighborhoods, or even shopping centers.
After your 30 days is up, you can look back on all of the wonderful places you had a chance to explore.
Example: Vancouver, BC
Day 1: Olympic Village
Day 2: Oakridge Mall
Day 3: West 4th
Day 4: Van Deusen Gardens
Day 5: Yale Town
Day 6: Granville Island
Day 7: Kits Beach
Day 8: Jerricho Hill
Day 9: Gas Town
Day 10: Queen Elizabeth Park
Day 11: David Lam Park
Day 12: Sunset Beach Park
Day 13: Kerrisdale Park
Day 14: UBC Botanical Gardens
Day 15: Second Beach
Day 16: Langara Trail
Day 17: Trout Lake
Day 18: Everett Crowley Park
Day 19: Burrard Landing
Day 20: Locarno Beach
Day 21: Charleson Park
Day 22: McArthur Glen Outlets
Day 23: Champlain Heights Park
Day 24: Ambleside Beach
Day 25: Spanish Banks
Day 26: Devonian Harbour Park
Day 27: Stanley Park
Day 28: Pacific Spirit Park
Day 29: Park Royal Shopping
Day 30: English Bay Beach
More tips to supercharge your fitness journey:
- How I lost 32 pounds in 3 Months with Peloton
- Noom App Review: My Honest Opinion and Experience
- Where to Put a Peloton in a Small Space (Here’s Our Setup!)
Download the Step Challenge Template
You can access the printable 30-day step challenge template using the link provided and get the downloadable IG one for your Instagram stories here.
Keep one on your fridge and post the other one online to inspire your friends and family to join you as you share your progress!
To share it on social media, simply save the template to the photos app on your phone and upload it directly to Instagram, Facebook, or another platform.
Shop Step Counters
- 3DFitbud Step Counter (basic and inexpensive pedometer)
- Fitbit Inspire (the perfect starter fitness band)
- Apple Watch (great for those who like to stay connected during exercise)
More Great Fitness and Wellness Apps
Here’s a list of some more of my health apps that really helped me during my fitness journey:
- Peloton – I still love Peloton workouts with certain instructors! Some are over-the-top political but instructors like Ben and Sam are great and allow you to just focus on fitness!
- Noom – I liked using this to add my workout information and then see my calorie allowance for the day. Noom also ranks foods according to colors – Green, Yellow, and Red.
- Health – this basic iPhone app offers a nice way to have an overview of your all-around health. Reaching the Move, Exercise, and Stand goals for the day is nice!
- Fitbit – if you have one of these devices, this app is awesome for showing you your progress and how you compare with friends who use them. It’s a great motivational tool!
Final Thoughts: 30-Day Step Challenge
I hope this one-month challenge is fun and motivating for you!
Looking back on my own personal experience, I can tell you that just a couple of months can completely change your life.
I lost 32 pounds in just 3 pounds with my spin bike and can’t wait to make spinning a part of my morning routine again once my ankle is a bit better.
That said, I never planned for a 3-month transformation – I took things day by day and aimed for smaller goals like 1 week and then 1 month.
That little goal of eating better grew into a bigger one with bite-sized manageable steps like spinning for 45 minutes and then spinning for 1 hour and slowly working my way up to an hour and a half worked best.
Start with a small hill before making your way to the mountain!
The best place to start is what you’re capable of now.
If you’re a busy stay-at-home mom with only a little time to spare, wear a step counter and start with 15 minutes of exercise a day.
If you’ve been hitting 2,000 steps daily, take a little time to exercise and bump that up to 3,000 steps a day – you can do this!
Happy stepping, friend!
