If you're logging fewer than 5,000 steps daily with your pedometer, you need to step up your efforts.

Walking 5,000 or fewer steps throughout the course of the day -- about 2 ½ miles -- is deemed sedentary behavior according to new activity guidelines. Most people log between 2,000 and 5,000 steps daily by performing everyday activities. Step up your activity level so that you squarely land in the "active" category, which requires 10,000 daily steps.

The average person takes between 2,000 and 5,000 steps daily just in the course of performing typical activities of daily life, such as moving about the house or doing errands. According to a new set of physical activity guidelines, this level of activity is considered to be sedentary. Taking between 5,000 and 7,499 steps per day qualifies as low activity; 7,500 to 9,999 qualifies as being somewhat active; 10,000 to 12,499 is considered active; and 12,500 or more is considered highly active. Wear a pedometer to keep track of your daily steps. If you're new to exercise but would like to increase your physical activity level, start by taking a daily 15-minute walk around your block after dinner to accumulate more steps. Increase this amount gradually until you reach your 10,000-step goal.