Martin Lewis shares 'big rule' he loves to follow and it's not money-related

Martin Lewis is best known for his money-saving tips; after all, he is the founder of Money Saving Expert (MSE). But away from the cash and cards, he has one "obsession" and a "big rule" he swears by. The MSE founder said in his blog that in 2025, he hit a "total of 9,532,571 steps" which is his "highest ever." This is roughly 26,000 steps a day . Talking about his love of steps , he says getting the numbers up is "an obsession, but a deliberate one." He further noted his step goals "are all built on self-imposed rules" and revealed his "big rule" is "if I'm talking, I'm walking." The guru explains: "If I have a phone call to make or a meeting that doesn't need a video call, then I do it while walking. Often, this is outdoors – I try to get all my calls arranged in a row so I can have a long walk. "It's now instinctive that if the phone rings and I'm sitting down, I jump up before I answer it. Even if it's a friend in the evening, I get up from my seat and start walking around the room." Having only missed one day "due to severe food poisoning", Lewis said he wants to stick to it as much as possible as the "health benefits over the last few years have been so positive." Lewis mentions that he does "cardio seven days a week, usually first thing in the morning and normally for about 40 minutes." He notes: "The big advantage of the elliptical is I can read the papers, my emails and key documents, so little work time is lost – which means I'm normally on 6,000 steps or more before I do owt else. Yet that's still less than a quarter of my total days steps." But walking alone is very beneficial, whether on a machine or outside in the sun. According to the NHS : "Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier." The NHS suggests thinking of ways to include walking in your daily routine. Examples include: walking part of your journey to work walking to the shops using the stairs instead of the lift leaving the car behind for short journeys walking the kids to school doing a regular walk with a friend going for a stroll with family or friends after dinner It further says that people who do regular physical activity have a lower risk of: coronary heart disease and stroke type 2 diabetes bowel cancer breast cancer in women early death osteoarthritis hip fracture falls (among older adults) depression dementia , including Alzheimer's disease Speaking about his own "health impact", Lewis noted that he's "substantially lighter than when I started stepping" and "some of my repetitive strain injury and back pain has gone (I'd never put this together until I mentioned it to a physio, and he asked if I now walked more, as apparently it's a great help for backs)." He concluded: "I tend to think of running as for fitness and my mental health, while walking is for physical health and relaxation – for the few minutes I'm off the phone when walking, a little bit of me-time or listening to an audiobook in a day is useful. Sadly, it isn't a cure-all for stress and anxiety, but it helps reduce some of the impact."