How many steps did you take today?

ravensightsllc4845

So I’ve been trying to get healthier, and been reading up on fitness and living healthier all together. I read that you’re recommended to walk 10,000 steps a day

janejellyroll

It's about 12:30 PM here right now and I've done 9,121 steps so far.

The 10,000 steps is a completely arbitrary recommendation. If it helps you to have a goal to shoot for, then it can be useful. Otherwise, you can substitute any goal that meets your fitness objectives. Some fit people have more steps, some have less.

chornak05

12:30pm for me too. I'm at 10,485. Goal is at least 15,000/day.

RoxieDawn

Its 12:37 pm and I have 8972. I did a short run this morning, as you can see most of of my steps are through exercise since I work a desk job. I will probably have around 11,000 at the end of day.

MamaSchulze

I usually hit around 16-22k on a regular 30k on a busy day. It all depends on what your activity level is. Also, compare that to your calorie burn and heart rate. Where those steps taken while jogging or taking a quiet stroll. That's going to make a huge difference. Steps are a really important thing not to compare to much.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

I'm on 2325 and it's 18:41 here.

Chieflrg

Not many I'm sure, it's not beneficial to me.

cwolfman13

janejellyroll wrote: »

It's about 12:30 PM here right now and I've done 9,121 steps so far.

The 10,000 steps is a completely arbitrary recommendation. If it helps you to have a goal to shoot for, then it can be useful. Otherwise, you can substitute any goal that meets your fitness objectives. Some fit people have more steps, some have less.

It's a rather arbitrary number...but it's a round number and we like 10s. That said, it's a good proxy for being a light to moderately active person. In regards to fitness it has a pretty low ceiling unless most of your steps come from running...but yeah, it's definitely arbitrary.

I have a desk job and typically get around 10,000 steps per day give or take. I used to never pay attention to steps at all because I had a pretty high exercise volume and most of it was not stepped based. I have recently started watching them because my exercise volume is about 1/2 of what it was due to time constraints and other life obligations at the moment so I need to try to be more generally active throughout the day.

I usually walk my dog in the morning for 20-30 minutes. At work I get up every hour and walk the halls of my office building and talk to employees, etc. This also requires me to climb several flights of stair so by the end of the day I'm usually at around 30 flights.

One thing I would say is, don't let steps detract you from more purposeful and deliberate exercise. I often see people get so hyper focused on steps that they forgo more purposeful exercise. For me, 10,000 steps is basically the point of diminishing returns.

I cycle 3-4 days per week...about 40-50 miles per week and lift 2x per week. To get more than 10K steps on most days I would have to forgo most of that very beneficial, higher intensity exercise.

ETA: it's also going to depend on how active your day to day is. I have a desk job so I have to deliberately get up and walk. Someone who's on their feet all day could easily have 10s of thousands of steps in a day. A buddy of mine works for a beer distributor and he's in and out of stores stocking them about 12 hours per day...he averages about 40,000+ steps per day.

I'd wager that my average before getting my FitBit was around 2,000-3,000 actual steps per day...but I was cycling most day and doing about 80-100 miles per week and lifting 3x per week.

OP, The real moral of the story isn't specifically about an arbitrary number of steps...the moral of the story is to be more active because being sedentary isn't good for you.

aeloine

I was getting ~8,000 steps per day, with Zumba days coming in around 14,000 but I've recently switched to cycling, swimming, and lifting, all of which are not step based. Now I aim to hit AT LEAST 5,500, regardless of whether or not I exercise, which has allowed me to bump myself up to lightly active. YMMV.

@ 12:51, I'm at 2,549.

Rose18l

628 it is 8PM atm

ravensightsllc4845

Do all of you go on runs; walks?

cwolfman13

ravensightsllc4845 wrote: »

Do all of you go on runs; walks?

I walk my dog most mornings...nothing major...like 20-30 minutes. Then I make up steps throughout the day as I get up every hour and spend 2-3 minutes walking around my office building...this usually includes a trip to the bathroom or the water cooler...basically I take the long way to either.

My deliberate exercise is cycling...3-4 days per week...40-50 miles per week and I lift 2x per week...so those things aren't step based at all.

It is good to be active in your day to day, but this is also where I mentioned getting hyper focused on steps...the point really is to just be more active and that may or may not be stepped based...the actual steps don't have anything to do with anything, it's just a proxy for activity.

Moral of the story...just be more active...and like I mentioned, don't get hyper focused on steps and forgo more deliberate and higher intensity exercise...unless you just want to walk, which is cool too, but has a pretty low aerobic fitness ceiling.

Stoshew71

13210

I did an 8 miler this morning.

RoxieDawn

ravensightsllc4845 wrote: »

Do all of you go on runs; walks?

I run 4 times a week. I get lower steps on my non run days mostly because outdoor exercise/activity is a little less in the winter months.

My steps are higher in the spring/summer as I do walk a lot more like afternoon/evenings and just out more in general. My outdoor running does increase a bit as well.

SoulOfALion5

Been walking really well. However, had holiday there, finding it hard to get back on the road again.

inertiastrength

I average is 16K but when I first started I struggled to get 7. Increase slowly

SoulOfALion5

Anyone here suffer cramp or shin splints while walking or running?

janejellyroll

ravensightsllc4845 wrote: »

Do all of you go on runs; walks?

Yes, I ran about 3.5 miles this morning and I took a brief walk (15-20 minutes?) during my lunch hour.

Meelisv

Only 11000 today
Saturday was bit better than average though, got 36000 without any running or other specific exercises. My average day is usually around 20000, or bit below.

As it is currently winter and quite cold, I move much less than I do with warmer weather. December was still quite good though:

LivingtheLeanDream

I have no idea and that's the way I like it Been there done that, was too focused on steps rather than purposeful exercise.. the best thing I ever did was stop wearing my Fitbit. I'm naturally active despite having a desk job, I do 30-40 mins purposeful exercise 6 days a week. It was so liberating to stop 'worrying' about having to get so many steps done each day.

__TMac__

I don’t think it’s useful to compare step counts with others. I work at home and don’t count purposeful exercise in my steps. So while a morning run might inflate my count, my purpose in counting steps is to ensure that I don’t sit in one spot all day. I have to make special point of walking on breaks to get more than my goal: 3,000. If that ever gets too easy, I’ll increase the goal.

Motorsheen

Today 16,000

Yesterday 21,000

Average. ... around 18,000

And a lot less on the weekends but lifting a lot more on the weekends too.

tirowow12385

1000 and most of them is the phone jiggling when I text. I need to be more active.

WickAndArtoo

12,977 steps- nearly all were from my 6 mile run/walk as other that that I didn’t leave the house haha

Machka9

I track steps in October as part of an annual challenge. During the first week or so of the challenge, I just do what I normally do. Evidently, I walk about 10,000 - 12,000 steps without putting in any additional effort ... that is, any more effort than I usually put in.

I'm sedentary, but I do walk as part of my commute, walk at lunch, and walk after work. I also get up and climb stairs a couple times a day. All that adds up.

By the end of the challenge, I usually average about 15,000-16,000 steps, so after the first week, I put in some extra effort for the rest of the challenge.

Most of the time, I count kilometres and only actual exercise, not just walking to the photocopier and back.

Machka9

ravensightsllc4845 wrote: »

Do all of you go on runs; walks?

Yes ... and cycling.

jessef593

I've walked maybe 1000 all day haha. Doesn't make me any less fit or unhealthy. Fit is a relative term

MeanderingMammal

ravensightsllc4845 wrote: »

So I’ve been trying to get healthier, and been reading up on fitness and living healthier all together. I read that you’re recommended to walk 10,000 steps a day

As others are suggesting, it's not all that helpful to compare with others, without considering the whole picture.

Yesterday I walked 6200 steps, although I'd spent most of the day in a meeting room, so many of those steps were inside that room and around whiteboards. On Monday I did 10300, again having been in a conference room most of the day but I managed a very short, 5K, leg stretch between finishing and joining everyone else for dinner.

Sunday was also 10400, although that was alongside a 40km session on my turbo trainer, using Zwift. Saturday, again 40km on Zwift and 6000 steps.

There is some value in looking at long term trends, and considering that in light of your lifestyle. I tend to find Fridays are my least effective day for steps, as I work from home on a Friday. I tend to train in the evenings, so that may be a run or a ride.