Getting to 10,000 steps a day

Once you have identified your baseline, aim for an extra 10% or 500-1,000 steps a day. This way you can ease the change into your routine and stick to it, you're also much less likely to do yourself an injury by doing too much, too soon. You may also find setting S.M.A.R.T.E.R objectives helpful and very motivational. See the example below:

• Specific: I will aim to do an extra 1,000 steps a day on top of my normal 6,000.
• Measured: I will remember to put my pedometer on as part of getting dressed in the morning.
• Agreed: A group in the office is doing this with me so we can motivate each other.
• Realistic: It’s only an extra 20 minutes walking a day.
• Timed: I should be doing 7,000 steps a day by next Sunday.
• Enjoyable: I’m going to treat the dog for longer walks, take the kids on an adventure this weekend and walk to the new restaurant I want to try.
• Recorded: I’ll put a reminder on my calendar next to the computer so I don’t forget to log in my steps each day.

Source: http://www.dietandfitnessresources.co.uk/fitness_exercise/10000_steps.htm