Office workers - how many steps per day do you average?

Richie2shoes

I've been wearing my garmin for about a month or so now and I average around 8000 a day, provided I am able to take a 30 min walk at lunch. On good days, I can break 10k.

How do you get the extra steps in when you're at a desk all day?

bellaa_x0

I average between 11K-13K... I make sure to get up every hour and get in at least 250 steps (if not, my FitBit reminds me). I also walk from Penn Station to the office and back; and additionally walk home once I get off the train. Plus the steps I get in from working out.

tahxirez

13-20k I get up every hour for my 250 at minimum. I get 2 15 min breaks where I walk as fast as I can up a hill (usually about .75 mile maybe each time.) I also do that for 15 minutes after I eat my lunch quickly most days. Any excuse to go for a walk; ask a question, deliver a document, bathroom break. To hit additional goals: after work a 40-60 min walk with my dog, quick run (~35 mins), have a second job at as a waitress (exercise and make money!), sometimes Zumba or fitness blender.

PrimeSuspect87

I average between 12k-13k. I use the same strategy as bella, get up every hour making sure i hit minimum of 250 steps but always try and do around 350-400.. I go out for 15-20min brisk walk on my lunch. On my gym days I end up with 15k-17k.

French_Peasant

I break 15,000 on a goodish work day and 12,000+ is a fair to middlin day--my building is spread across 2 blocks, so I've challenged myself to go to the furthest restroom and either up or down a floor. I park in the furthest parking area. I use an Arc trainer over lunch many days. I will try to fit in a 15 or 20 minute "sanity walk" on some days. I will go and do the stairs. I will walk 5 blocks to Starbucks for coffee rather than to our coffee bar. I go home and walk or ride my bike (which counts the pedaling as steps). I garden extensively and get in many many steps there. I will go for a walk at 10 pm or in the rain. We live in a big old farmhouse and I am always running here and there, up and down stairs, and to the attic and basement, and am rarely to be seen in front of the TV.

Richie2shoes

Alrighty then. It looks like I need to step up my game...

vnb_208

Usually between 12,000-15,00 steps per day ! Walk 2 miles before work, brisk walk on my 15 minute break. Then brisk 45 min walk after work, then whatever cardio exercise i choose for the day.

DanyellMcGinnis

Without exercise, about 7000. With exercise, more like 13-14K (less on kettlebell days, more on Insanity days). When it is cool enough, I do try to climb the stairs to my office (I work on the 8th floor), but once the outside temperature hits 70 or so, the stairwell turns into an oven.

quiksylver296

About 12,000 through the entire day. Walk on morning, lunch and afternoon break. If I need to use the restroom, I use the one in the basement (work on the 4th floor). I also get at least 15 flights of stairs every day, usually more.

kksmom1789

I need to step up my game also I get about 7,000ish give or take. time to start pacing the office when it's slow this winter season.

LivingtheLeanDream

15K - I run every week day morning so that accounts for almost 10k, the rest I tot up between office and home. I try and get up from my desk often, at least every 30 mins I make the excuse to have to walk to another office.

dutchandkiwi

I walk to work. On those days I average around 16K - Not counting anything apart form walking to nd from work (add ons in sports make some days go up to 30K)
Actual in the office I usually have 3-6K steps.
Our ritner is a bit further out (and currently broken hence more steps) I will always walk to co-workers to discuss instead of picking up the phone.
I will take the stairs (I am on the 3rd floor) and ave to pick up lots of cups of tea. (30 steps) Plus I do not have a rubbish bin - which means that throwing away my apple or manderin stuff gives me another 30 steps.

One co-worker and I will occasionally walk the corridors on occasion instead of sitting down to brainstorm We find it helps (even better when outside). I will always go and pick up my guests downstairs and will walk them up to the meeting room via the stairs.

It is the little things that help too

trigden1991

My monthly average has not been below 11k for the last 6 months with the highest being 66k in a day.

rachelr1116

I have to stay at my desk a lot because I back up the receptionist and have to answer the phone if she steps away from her desk. So, on a good day without exercise I only get about 5,000. I do try to get away at lunch to walk and I try to look for excuses to get up and walk around during the day but I know to get 10,000 steps I'm always going to have to do some kind of purposeful exercise or walking after work.

not_my_first_rodeo

If I go for an hour walk, I can do about 10-12k a day.

WinoGelato

I average 15k steps/day. I work out in the mornings - either circuit training which I warm up by walking 15 min before, or an hour long walk. I try to have minimum 5k steps before I even get to the office, but prefer 8-10k steps on days I walk before work. I take a 10 minute break mid morning and mid afternoon and eat lunch at my desk so I can walk 20-30 min then. I park in the back of the parking lot so I have to walk 700 or so steps each way going into and out of my office, and I pretty much don't sit down at home (other than eating dinner) until 9:30 or 10:00 pm.

ClosetBayesian

Just over 10K. My Jawbone3 fitness tracker goes off if I haven't gotten up in an hour, which is a good reminder to take a break if I haven't been. When I'm writing (academia!....), I use a productivity app (Pomodoro) which schedules breaks every 25 minutes; I'll get up and walk around during those breaks. I also dance (hoop) in the evenings; if I haven't hit 10K steps by the time a workout is done, I will walk laps around my living room if I need to.

French_Peasant

At my office, it is very helpful that we have a supportive atmosphere for health--lots of encouragement to walk, etc., tied into our health insurance benefits (on of the things you can do is log 30 minutes of exercise each day to earn a point toward what you need to get a discount). Although I have a fitbit, everyone in the company has received a free step counter as well, and there is signage posted as to how many "laps" you have to do to to equal a mile, etc. You will see a lot of people walking in the building, and getting out to walk the nearby stadium. We are in a very pleasant downtown area, so there is just a lot of opportunity for walking.

It would probably be significantly more difficult in a small office, or one in an unwalkable area, or one where there is hostility rather than support for the "strides" (badum-tish) you need to take to be healthy.

French_Peasant

Richie2shoes wrote: »

Alrighty then. It looks like I need to step up my game...

Ha ha! "Thank you, try the veal."

Alidecker

I usually have about 5K before I leave the office, but 12K or so by the end of the day after my workouts and dog walks

jemhh

If I don't make a solid effort to walk around during the day, I will get 2500ish steps on work days. In general, though, I am for 8000 on days I lift and 10,000 on days I don't.

tress29

Since so many of you talked about taking a lap every hour, I just went and walked around my floor. It was about 350 steps. Guess I need to set an alarm on my phone to prompt me to get off my rear!

Tacklewasher

Nowhere near what others are saying. My goal is 7,500 and I get maybe 2,500 during the work day itself. My Garmin buzzes at me every hour but I can't always get up. I have a short (150 steps) walk I can do with a stop at the water cooler for a glass of water, but we are a small office with no stairs.
So I aim for ~2,500 on the treadmill before work, 2,500 during work and 2,500 either by a dog walk or something after work. If I go on the treadmill after dinner (I like doing that when watching hockey) then I can hit 13K or so.

RAinWA

I get over 10k a day usually and I aim for 12k. I get to work a little earlier than I need to and go for a walk, do laps around the building when I can, pace while on the phone or waiting on the printer, etc. I also have a standing desk and rarely sit down so I try to get just a few steps in every few minutes - even just walking in place. It all adds up.

savithny

I have a really hard time getting over 6000. I walk to the bus stop in the morning, but I have a hard time getting away from my desk for more than a few hundred steps during the day. I need to get back to walking a mile to the next bus stop, but that affects my departure time and I'm an hourly employee...

dakotababy

I feel like I am very lucky to have the type of job that I have. I am a receptionist/court-runner, which means every afternoon, I get to run around the entire city making stops at banks and court houses. This definitely helps me get my steps in. I couldn't even imagine just sitting at the office all day. Rain or Shine - its a great day to be outside!

eta - I am at 6,149 steps today, 20 more minutes to go!

fitqueenbess

I had a 3.57 mile morning walk, parked at the far end to attend noon YMCA Body Pump, went upstairs to use the restroom at work, ran errands after work, and I'm at 8400 steps. This was a reasonably big day for me. I can't do much more. Hat's off to y'all over 10K!

catalyst4514

7500 average if I just power walk on both 15 minute breaks. To hit 10k, I have to add either 45 min on treadmill before work or 20-30 min on treadmill before work and 20 min after work of some sort of intentional movement. It helps to park as far away as possible and get those extra steps. I've found it definitely takes some planning to hit 10k with a full time desk job.

jmagdalena707

I average about 12,000. In order to hit that I walk at lunch and exercise. Before I started that I was closer to 5,000 per day.

BruinsGal_91

I try and get my 10,000 steps in at work (9-5 full-time office job). I park my car on the top (5th) floor of the parking garage and take the stairs rather than the elevator. Every hour I get up and walk from one end of the building to the other and from the first floor to the third. I also take a walk at lunch time. All this gets me to around 10,000 steps. Then on alternate evenings I go to the gym and do a 6k run on the treadmill in the winter, or a 6k run outside in the summer.