How do you get 10,000 steps a day?

Bob314159
Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have never known how many steps I take, but I got a FitBit this morning.

I walked some around the house, then I went shopping for an hour in a large supermarket, Later I went for a one hour walk and did over 3 miles.

For that I get a measly 7700 steps. Most of the day I'm sitting working at a computer - my main step action, is going to be my daily walk, and I only do a shopping like today once a week. I cant see how I'm going to get another 3000+ steps a day.

(climbing stairs will be easy - I'm at 7 already and I'm sure I will do 20 a day)
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Replies

  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
    For the average person, one mile is over 2000 steps (for me it's over 2200 as I have a shorter than average stride). If you walked 3 miles, that should have been 6000++ steps right there so you only walked 1700 in the rest of what you describe.

    I average between 10,000 and 12,000 steps on weekdays (more on weekends). I walk any time I can (park the car as far away as possible, take the stairs, take the long way if I have time. I walk on my lunch hour, and again in the evening if I need to, but generally 3 miles at lunch (6,600 steps for me) and just purposefully walking as much as possible during the day gets the job done.
  • tammisr32
    tammisr32 Posts: 38 Member
    Its definately tough! When I do, those days tend to be the days I put on my pedometer right out of the shower, and take 2 walks as breaks at work (15 min mile)... and go to the gym or play softball. Also, I don't take it off until I go to bed! Good luck... if you get them its worth it!
  • 2kidzlater
    2kidzlater Posts: 134 Member
    don't stop moving!
  • LessMe2B
    LessMe2B Posts: 316
    I only get 10,000 on days that I run or go for a hike.
  • teinepalagi
    teinepalagi Posts: 86 Member
    Honestly, I sit on my *kitten* all day at work and the only way I get in 10,000 or more steps in a day on weekdays is if I go for a run. Weekends, I tend to be running after kids, doing housework, grocery shopping....it's not as hard.....
  • n25philly
    n25philly Posts: 75 Member
    Q: How do you get 10,000 steps a day?

    A: Walk more?

    It's not easy. I've had my fitbit since February and topped that about a dozen times? I got over 18,000 this past Saturday so it's definitely possible. Just be realistic and realize you won' t hit that every day.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    I work from my house - so I'm not at any other location most of the time and that limits the extra walking that can be sneaked in. If I have to do minor shopping locally then I get another 15-20 minutes. And on days when I have time to take a longer break - I will do a 90 minute walk.

    I'm guessing when I get my walk speed up, I get more steps, I'm usually walking at 3.1, and can push to 3.3 mph for 30 minutes. But right now I'm working on endurance and stamina not speed.
  • ladyfingers39
    ladyfingers39 Posts: 335
    don't stop moving!

    ;) yep

    walk and walk some more.
  • mbajrami
    mbajrami Posts: 636 Member
    I rarely get to 10,000. I think I have only done it 3 times in the last few weeks, and it was on days that I woke up earlier and made it a point to work out longer/walk more.

    Today, as of right now, I am at 11,026 and it's one of those super active days. I got close to 10,000 before I even got to work less than 3 hours ago, and I won't get many more because I have a sedentary job.
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
    I work on the third floor, the cafe is on the second. I take the longest stairs route to get water 3 times a day, that adds 3,000. I also park far away. And I try to take two 15 minute walks around the parking lot a day. By the time I leave work, I have nearly 10,000 steps on a good day. If not I just make it up by taking the dogs on a longer walk.
  • Salasel
    Salasel Posts: 69 Member
    On the days I walk between 4 and 5 miles thats when I hit the 10,000 step goal. Most of the time thats on the weekends.

    During the week I normally am somewhere between 1 to 2.25 miles. unless I walk at night.
  • LittleLightShine
    LittleLightShine Posts: 123 Member
    Take a 3 mile walk, play tennis (or take cardio tennis or cardio hip-hop class), walk the dog for 1 mile, pick-up and clean my house everyday. Sometimes I'll do the elliptical and/or bike at the gym. 10,000 steps takes effort, intent and purpose. It's working though!
  • Catrinaxox
    Catrinaxox Posts: 7
    It's hard when you have an office job, I was stuck around what you were until I had kids and decided to stay home with them so now I get a good 20 000 plus in a day. When I worked I would take walks on breaks although with tight projects it's hard to get away from your desk. If you can't get the walks in during breaks maybe walk before and after work or take up running to improve efficiency.
  • mdcjmom
    mdcjmom Posts: 597 Member
    I am in love with my fitbit so congratulations on getting one!

    As far as the steps I am currently in a step challenge at work and have found a lot of ways to get extra steps. I also have a sitdown desk job that allows me to work from home so I can understand the frustration.

    When shopping park as far away as you can and run your errands;
    Take an hour walk every evening 8,000 steps easy normally. thats a 15 minute mile...Doable! :smile: :smile:
    If you can walk somewhere do it...I have kids...when they want to go to the park...we walk no more taking the car
    On your breaks at work walk!
    Pace at your desk my coworkers aka my kids think I am crazy but it keeps me active and I get more steps.
    Get a walking buddy that has helped me tremendously we push one another :glasses:
  • Rikki007s
    Rikki007s Posts: 102 Member
    I have been using my fitbit everyday for a few months so I’ve had time to figure out how to get 10,000 steps in. I work at a desk job all day too, so it definitely takes some effort. During my lunch break I walk around outside a lot and I make sure to get up from my desk pretty often and do a little loop around the office or something (gotta give those eyes a break from the computer anyway). By the end of the work day if I haven’t worked out I normally have around 5,000 steps. To get the rest I just take a 30 minute walk around the capitol building (it’s a surprisingly long walk) before I head home. You have to be creative and get those steps in where you can.
  • adamroach
    adamroach Posts: 3
    Yeah, on weekends, I can get to 10,000 as long as I'm outside for most of the day. During the week? Well, I'm a desk jockey also, so it's hard. The only time I manage to get close is by walking while I work.

    Okay, so, it takes a bit of getting used to, and I've had a mix of amusement and curiosity from my co-workers, but finding some way to work a treadmill into your workspace is one approach to get more steps in. There are a lot of ways to do this, from cheap and home-made to some nice high-end setups. Start here:

    http://www.google.com/search?q=treadmill+desk

    I describe the setup I chose here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9361819@N04/sets/72157629497857449/

    (No pictures of the treadmill part yet, but it's not that hard to imagine).
  • MelMena
    MelMena Posts: 152 Member
    I was a production manager and I would get in 10,000 steps a day. Now...not so much since I now have a desk job! LOL! I wonder how many steps a mail carrier takes (not the guy driving the truck to each house!)
  • tiggersstar
    tiggersstar Posts: 193 Member
    i got a fitbit recently!

    if i walk the dog for 20 mins in the morning, ponder around work and then do another hour dog walk that night, it tends to get to 10,000 steps. on the 16.5.12 i did 25,202! i tends to be 1 mile is 2000 steps for me. i have now learnt not to wear it at the gym as it messes it up. i still cant get it to take off all the steps it gains in car journeys.

    :flowerforyou:
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    It's hard when you have an office job, I was stuck around what you were until I had kids and decided to stay home with them so now I get a good 20 000 plus in a day. When I worked I would take walks on breaks although with tight projects it's hard to get away from your desk. If you can't get the walks in during breaks maybe walk before and after work or take up running to improve efficiency.

    Yes, a few years years ago I was lucky enough to be doing work for someone where I could change clothes in hos office and go walking on a trail, thats when I discovered walking and lost weight. That got me activated to do additional strength training and I ended up losing over 40 pounds (I kept 40 of that off). Sadly at that point I had a massive ankle injury that disabled me for a year and its taken a while to get determined to lose the remaining 100 lbs. I do have the benefit now of being able to take breaks during the day and go walk as long as I'm up to date with incoming phone calls.
  • adamroach
    adamroach Posts: 3
    i got a fitbit recently!

    if i walk the dog for 20 mins in the morning, ponder around work and then do another hour dog walk that night, it tends to get to 10,000 steps. on the 16.5.12 i did 25,202! i tends to be 1 mile is 2000 steps for me. i have now learnt not to wear it at the gym as it messes it up. i still cant get it to take off all the steps it gains in car journeys.

    :flowerforyou:

    If you mark the time you're in a car as "Automobile or light truck (not a semi) driving" or "Riding in a car or truck," then the website will take off any steps and stairs you accumulated during that time period. You may find it helpful to mark the start and end of those journies by holding down the button on your fitbit for a few seconds every time you step in or out of a car.
  • mamitosami
    mamitosami Posts: 531 Member
    I was using a BMF. My goal was 10000 steps, but I generally got 15000 in a day. I walk my son to and from school and I walk everywhere. On my really good days I was getting 24000 steps in!! But I literally NEVER sat down! I left the car in the driveway a lot more. I consciously picked up my pace--more chores around the house, more yard work and never saying no when my kids wanted to get out.

    I don't sit down for work though, so you just have to get it in where you can--like someone said, park your car further away... walk around when you're brushing your teeth... walk to the corner store... I make every excuse I can to move...
  • EvilPink
    EvilPink Posts: 94 Member
    Like some other have mentioned; park the car further away, take the long way around everywhere, do a lap or 2 around your office building on your break, and just find as many ways possible to fit in the extra steps. Do you have a decent public transit system in your area? One way I got my steps in was to start taking the bus to work on occasion. The stop is only 4 blocks from me so I got the extra steps to and from the bus stop as well as another block and back from the stop nearest my work. I also started walking to the post-office and grocery store (when I only needed a few things like veggies and not a full week+ grocery run) because both are within 8 blocks of me.

    I think finding ways to add in the extra steps is the easy part; there's just so many ways you can do it. The real problem is finding the time! Taking public transit can easily add on an hour+ to your work day by because of the waiting and frequent stops along the route. Obviously it takes a lot longer to walk to the store and back than driving. People that only get 30 min lunch breaks instead of the full hour probably don't have time to eat and walk. But you just have to decide which is more important to you? Getting the steps in even if it means adding a couple hours to your day or, being happy with fewer steps but possibly slower weight loss results. I don't really like either of those options, lol but, that's just the way it is.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    wear it for a few days before you worry about how you are going to get your 10,000 steps in...Today was my "easy" day--I went to the gym and walked 2.8 miles, ran a quick errand for hubby, and ran into the store for a few items. It only took me until about 2pm to get mine in! A few hours later, and I am at 11908 steps and have probably 4 more hours before I go to bed.

    Tomorrow is going to be my "hard" workout day, so that means 3.5 miles on the treadmill followed by 25 minutes of weights, then some errands. I fully expect to hit 15,000 tomorrow!
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    My job kicks my *kitten*. I typically get 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day in just at work. More when I run in the mornings before work.
  • Kempossible
    Kempossible Posts: 158 Member
    Simple. Become a Nurse.
  • LittleLightShine
    LittleLightShine Posts: 123 Member
    Or a UPS Driver. My delivery man averages 30,000 steps a day and 125 stairs climbed. I live in a hilly area. The guy is FIT!
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
    On the days I load and/or unload I get at least 10,000 steps in if I also do my evening walking/jogging. On the days I am mostly driving I only get in 6,000-7,000.
  • sheryllamb72
    sheryllamb72 Posts: 163 Member
    I've got a Fitbit, and working in an office, I normally only tot up about 3000 steps by lunchtime, and after taking thekids to school etc, but I go for a 50 minutes lunch time walk, and then I go for a proper fast walk in the evening after dinner, and I normally tot up on average, about 20,000 steps a day on a good day, 15,000 on a not so good day.
  • Ambr
    Ambr Posts: 53 Member
    Dance jst dance randomly and it shoots up the steps count
  • AlmstHvn
    AlmstHvn Posts: 376 Member
    I have a very sedentary job, so I lowered my daily goal to 6000 steps. That's far better than the <2000 steps I used to get on a typical day.... it's all good, right? I hop on a treadmill a few times a week to get a few thousand steps more in. When that becomes my norm, I can always up the ante later.

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