A 30-day walking plan to max out your Edge Rewards step points

To max out your Edge Rewards step points you need 10,000 steps a day, which earns the full 25 step points. This 30-day plan gets you there gradually, adding a little each week so your legs, feet and routine have time to catch up. Edge Rewards opens to everyone on Sunday 8 November 2026, and walking is one of the simplest ways to start earning: no gym, no kit beyond decent shoes, and every step counts towards your daily total.

Below you will find how step points work, a week-by-week plan with targets and points, tips for walking through a British winter, and how to top up to the full 50 points with a short logged session.

How do Edge Rewards step points work?

Edge Rewards gives free members two ways to earn every day:

• Steps: 2.5 points per 1,000 steps, up to 25 points (that is 10,000 steps).
• Workouts: 1 point per minute of any logged workout, up to 50 points.
• Daily cap: the two combined are capped at 50 points a day for free members, and unused points do not roll over to the next day.

Steps come from your phone or watch once you connect Apple Health, Garmin, Coros or Strava. If you are not sure your device will sync, our guide on whether Edge Rewards works with Apple Watch, Garmin and Strava covers the set-up. Edge Pro members earn double points and have no daily cap.

One more rule matters for planning: points reset to zero at the end of each calendar month. So if you want every day of this plan to count towards one month's total, start it on the 1st. Our explainer on how the monthly points reset works goes into more detail.

Do you really need 10,000 steps a day?

No. 10,000 is a useful round number and it happens to be where Edge step points top out, but it is a goal, not a medical requirement. The figure is widely traced back to a Japanese pedometer marketed in the 1960s rather than to a specific study.

The research since then is encouraging for anyone starting lower. A large 2025 review in The Lancet Public Health pooled studies of device-measured steps and found that, compared with about 2,000 steps a day, around 7,000 steps was associated with a much lower risk of early death and heart disease. The benefits appeared to level off somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 steps for several outcomes, with smaller extra gains beyond that. These are observational studies, so they show links rather than proof that steps alone cause the benefit.

The practical takeaway: going from 3,000 to 6,000 steps probably matters more for your health than going from 9,000 to 10,000. If 10,000 does not suit your body or your week, stopping at 7,000 or 8,000 is a perfectly good result. For more on the numbers, read how many steps a day you actually need.

What does the 30-day walking plan look like?

Each week has five target days and two easier days, where you aim for the previous week's level. The easier days give your feet, calves and shins a break while the habit settles in. If your phone says you already average more than 5,000 steps, start at whichever week is just above your current normal.

Add it up and the plan earns about 528 step points over 30 days for a free member, without a single logged workout. That is step points only. As a rough guide, about a week of training is enough for a free coffee, so walking alone gets you a long way.

How do you fit the extra steps into a normal day?

Brisk walking tends to clock up roughly 1,000 steps in about 10 minutes, although this varies with your height and pace. So each 1,000-step jump in the plan is roughly 10 extra minutes on your feet, often split across the day. Some easy wins:

• Get off the bus or Tube one stop early, or park at the far end of the car park.
• Take a 10 to 15 minute walk after lunch or dinner. It is a good way to break up the afternoon too.
• Take phone calls on foot, and suggest walking meetings for one-to-ones.
• Use the stairs instead of the lift where you can.
• Do a lap of the block before you sit down in the evening.

Check your step count mid-afternoon. If you are 2,000 short, a 20-minute walk after dinner usually closes the gap without any drama.

How do you keep walking through a UK winter?

November and December bring short days, rain and the odd icy pavement, so a little planning helps:

• Use daylight when you have it. In much of the UK it is dark by around 4pm in midwinter, so a lunchtime walk is often the most pleasant one of the day.
• Be seen. If you walk in the dark, wear something bright or reflective and stick to well-lit routes.
• Layer up. A breathable base layer, a warm mid layer and a waterproof jacket beat one heavy coat, because you warm up fast once you get going.
• Mind your footing. Shoes with good grip matter more than speed on wet leaves or frost. On icy days, shorten your stride and slow down.
• Have an indoor backup. Laps of a shopping centre, a treadmill, stair climbs at home or pacing during TV adverts all count.

If the weather is truly grim, treat it as one of your easier days and move on. Missing a target occasionally will not undo a month of progress.

How do you reach the full 50 points a day?

Steps cap out at 25 points, so the other 25 come from logged workouts at 1 point per minute. Once you are hitting 10,000 steps, here are three simple ways to reach 50:

• A 25-minute logged walk on top of 10,000 steps from the rest of your day: 25 workout points plus 25 step points.
• A 25-minute workout, such as a short strength session, a gentle jog or a beginner HIIT class, plus your 10,000 steps.
• One longer logged walk of 50 minutes, which on its own reaches the cap.

We count these cautiously: we assume the steps taken during a logged walk do not earn extra step points on top of its minutes, so the 10,000 steps in the first two examples come from the rest of your day. Start the logged walk in your watch, phone or the Edge app so it syncs as a workout. Manual entries count too.

Edge Pro members earn double points with no daily cap, so the same 10,000 steps earns twice as much and longer sessions keep counting.

Should you walk every day to earn points?

Walking is gentle enough that most people can do some every day, which is why the plan has no full days off. But rest days are part of training, and points should never push you past what feels right. If you notice sore shins, aching feet or a niggle that changes how you walk, drop back a week or take a lighter day. If you are also running or lifting, make your easier step days line up with your harder training days, and read our beginner's guide to rest days.

The aim is a habit you can keep after the 30 days are up. A month at 7,000 steps that you enjoy beats a fortnight at 12,000 that leaves you sore and fed up.

What can you spend your points on?

Points are spent in the in-app marketplace on real products from partner brands, a mix of free items and discounts. Categories include things like coffee and drinks, gels and snacks, protein, and gear. Everyone earns and redeems, and Edge Pro members also get exclusive prizes and secret offers. Spend before the end of the month, because points reset to zero when the calendar month ends.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.