Would you like to be able to set your own step target?

Greggle69

yirara

In MFP? Not really. I have a Garmin watch and a very low step goal set there, which I get way over when I run, and not at all when I rest or do strength training.

MargaretYakoda

Yes

For some time I have been annoyed because I assumed that MFP didn’t allow users to set their own daily step goal.

Today I learned that IT IS POSSIBLE TO CHANGE YOUR STEPS GOAL!

The adjustment is on the MFP side so I assume it will work with any step counter that synchronizes with MFP.

My step counter after I re-synced it to MFP



I’m on my iPhone app. Not sure if it will look the same for others…. But click those three dots in the bottom left, then select Steps


And change the daily step goal to suit your needs


SUCCESS!


I hope this helps others tailor the app to fit their own needs.

AdahPotatah2024

No

I'm not knocking it for others, but I've figured out that tracking steps and calories is not for me. I'm trying to set up my environment to move more, especially while working. I don't want to start obsessing over my steps..

AnnPT77

No

I voted no. It's for reasons that wouldn't apply for other people, and I'm not criticizing people who have/want step goals. I think that can be a great thing for others, if suitable for them.

Here's why I don't care about a steps goal:

* I don't emphasize increasing steps, because my knees are already pretty trashed (osteoarthritis, torn meniscus). For me, walking definitely causes knee pain. This is true even though I've now been at a healthy weight for nearly 8 years, after weight loss from class 1 obese. I try to do enough walking in daily life to stay conditioned to it, so that I can still enjoy events like art/music festivals or other things that require a fair amount of casual walking. I wouldn't increase steps intentionally for calories.

* My Garmin watch and Garmin Connect app track my steps. Garmin automatically gives me a goal that increases when I do more steps, and decreases when I do fewer steps. For sure, in my situation, I don't need steps goals in two places.

I exercise regularly, sort of: I do things for fun that are active, that other people would probably call exercise. Garmin counts intensity minutes. It gives me 2 intensity minutes for each minute of intense activity, 1 intensity minute for moderate activity. Its default goal is 150 minutes, consistent with national guidelines for basic health/fitness.

Over the past year, 47 of 52 weeks I accumulated at least 150 intensity minutes, and averaged 291 activity minutes per week. I "exercise" mostly for fun, but appreciate hitting those goals from a health standpoint. In that context, I don't feel like I need to further compromise my knees by trying to increase steps as a goal, either for calories or for general fitness/health.

But that's just me. I know steps are important to a lot of other people. I appreciate that MFP will track steps (by connecting with apps that can count them), and let each person who does that set a personal steps goal.