step counters-Rant

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  • pipertargaryen
    pipertargaryen Posts: 303 Member
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    On days when it's slow at work, I strap on the pedometer and literally do laps of the store I work in. Usually can walk 5-7km at work. Just by doing that I can control my weight much better than when I sat on my *kitten* in school all last year. I also may be starting a full-time cleaning job - you can bet a job that active will have an impact on my overall fitness. So, leave the guy alone. If he doesn't feel he needs to slog away on the elliptical or whatever, then he doesn't. His business.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    Makes a long rant, baosting her opinion on how thing are.

    Says is doesn't bother her and that she doesn't really care.

    Why even start a thread? If it's just your opinion and it doesn't matter,w hy put it on a public forum and call it a rant? Gees.
  • brendamkay
    brendamkay Posts: 28 Member
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    I do understand where you are coming from. Although my frustration comes from people who have much less activity than 10 miles (like maybe one or two miles) and count it as "cardio". My concern for these specific individuals is that they don't go to the gym, don't do any other type of exercise, and are individuals who I love and I am concerned for their overall health. I heard a lecture from a cardiologist in one of the busiest ER's in the nation. He recommended that when we do "cardio" it be for a minimum of 45 minutes at a time because the benefits only start to happen around that mark (even knowing this I have to admit I haven't followed it - whew! out of shape :) . I would guess that your work fella probably has sustained "bursts" of activity that raise their heart rate and keep it up for longer than you are accounting for. I agree with the previous posters who note that activity of 10 miles of walking a day - every working day - suggests an active job.

    * I also want to point out the people judgmentally pointing out you shouldn't be judgmental - lol.

    **And me judgmentally pointing out the people being judgmental about you appearing judgmental...

    ***Someone will also judgmentally consider me judgmental by pointing out people being judgmental toward for you for appearing judgmental...
  • Dogwalkingirl
    Dogwalkingirl Posts: 320 Member
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    I do agree with everyone who says that you should probably just mind your own business. HOWEVER, I do think most people may overestimate their activity when they are walking. If you are using the cals burned from MFP I guarentee it overestimates what you are burning.

    I am a dog walker and usually have 5-7 1 hr walks a day. When I first started on MFP I was GREATLY over estimating my calories burned. Walking these distances strengthened my legs muscles and makes me feel like an active healthy person but it wasn't until I lowered my cals and started speed walking (occasionally jogging) for atleast 1 of the hours did I see a different in my weight loss. I now do not log my walking at all and only log my running, swimming, lifting and other forms of exercise. I believe our bodies get used to things and accept them as the norm and we do not burn in the same way. I need to huff and puff and sweat and have a increased heart rate to be burning optimal calories.

    Walking is a great form of cardio but you do need to get your heart rate up and things like walking from the couch to the fridge etc is part of our daily life and I don't think should be counted as a work out.
  • AprilRenewed
    AprilRenewed Posts: 691 Member
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    http://www.fitnessfactreview.com/the-importance-of-neat-over-eat/

    Just one of many blogs/articles/stories you can find about the major importance and benefits of NEAT.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,953 Member
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    I'd say that walking 10 miles is good for him. But I also see the benefit of getting your heart rate up and your lungs breathing quickly.

    Personally I'd love to do both. An active job goes by quicker during the day.

    Honestly, so many people seem to get the wrong results from the step counters though, I wonder why so many rely on them.
  • scrapjen
    scrapjen Posts: 387 Member
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    I'm a pedometer person ... I actually wear TWO of them (an Omron and a Fitbit). My Omron has a separate reading for "aerobic" steps, which have to be a certain amount in a time frame, and over 10 minutes in length. My Fitbit also will determine how quickly steps are being taken (so it can tell the difference between a stroll and a run) and on my daily activity graph, I can see the differences between light, moderate and very intense activity. It is easy to see had a glance my activity that is "cardio worthy" and the steps that just add up during the day. I do note both numbers.

    Any steps, however they add up, will improve your health. I do think it is good to get a nice "heart pumping" workout in (and I have a HRM too, which I wear in addition to my two pedometers for some workouts).

    As to your friend's statement ... if he is getting 20,000 steps without "working out" ... that IS a pretty active lifestyle. The news reports have also indicated the opposite though. People who "work out" often are completely sedentary the rest of the time (sometimes no choice in the matter, a desk job, commuting, etc.) but it was pointing out that people who think "I work out, I am healthy" are often so much more sedentary than they are aware they are.

    A pedometer can be a great tool for feedback!
  • Edie05
    Edie05 Posts: 10 Member
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    I know what you are saying OP but I do think if you are in a job where you are continuously walking (mailman/woman, factory worker, construction, or whatever) then you could consider that your cardio. I run every day and walk at least 12,000 steps on top of that. I only count the calories burned during my run and not my day to day steps. I was doing those steps before my weight loss journey so I don't count them.
  • NinaSharp
    NinaSharp Posts: 101 Member
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    I know alot of people use those pedometors and step counters and rely on them to add to their calorie counts, especially as cardio. I think they are far reaching as far as fitness is concerned ( heart health cardio) . I walk probably 5+ miles a day at work but, really walking from the sink to the counter is not fitness .

    I spoke to someone the other day who joined a gym ( a co worker) and said i dont plan on using the cardio machines because i walk 10 miles a day at work according to my step counter. That is NOT cardio.....i dont even think it should count if you arent getting your heart rate up while doing it. Those things give people a false sense of fitness in my opinion.

    Ok rant over....he just frustrated me when he made that comment re cardio

    While I do disagree with you that walking isn't cardio, I do get your point. I had a fitbit and actually didn't lose any weight with it because despite hitting 15,000 steps a day, it included things like going to the bathroom and walking to the refrigerator. For me, it wasn't enough to get a burn going. I quit wearing it and lost 5 lbs once I started actually walking and biking. I think for a lot of people it serves as a good reminder to get off your tush, but yea, I can see why you would feel this way.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
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    Yeah. No.

    Activity trumps exercise when it comes to health and fitness.

    You only need a gym when you have a sedentary job that doesn't allow you to use your body the way it was meant to be used.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
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    Makes a long rant, baosting her opinion on how thing are.

    Says is doesn't bother her and that she doesn't really care.

    Why even start a thread? If it's just your opinion and it doesn't matter,w hy put it on a public forum and call it a rant? Gees.

    Agreed. Most opinion posts on these forums should be blogs, but that's neither here nor there.

    If someone doesn't want to do cardio because they have an active job, it's their business. Whether or not their job is "active" is subjective, and also not your business, and certainly no reason to "rant". When it comes to fitness & food intake of friends and coworkers, everyone really should just MTOB.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    I agree...this is the point i was trying to make. That to consider it fitness by taking a step here and there and not briskly is doing nothing for your cardiovascular health. That is the only reason i was discounting it as cardio and to add to your calorie burn.

    Yes, i do agree that any movement is better than none at all but would still consider it far reaching if your strolling around and consider that exercise. His goal is to lose weight as well.

    Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what fitness means to everyone. And 10 miles a day is hardly strolling around, and more than adequate to aid his weightloss.
  • JoeSchmo285
    JoeSchmo285 Posts: 1
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    So I was at a gym I just joined the other day when a co-worker starts harassing me. She was like "what do you do for cardio" and I told her "well you know, I walk 10 miles a day at work so I'm not too worried about it at the moment". Apparently this did not sit well with her, she stormed off yelling "I'm going to tell the internet about this!". I pray for her.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    So, to all those people saying that you can't count strolling to the refrigerator - how many times would you have to do that to reach 10 miles? I'm sure most of it would have to be in a good, solid, heart-rate-raising chunk.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Movement = calories burnt so if you walk 100 steps or 10,000 you have still burnt calories = done cardio.IMO

    Burning calories not not equal "doing cardio".

    I sit across from people every day who elaborate at great lengths about how busy and active they are, but can't walk 3.0 mph on a treadmill without gasping for air.

    Again: locomotion is not the same as exercise.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    So, to all those people saying that you can't count strolling to the refrigerator - how many times would you have to do that to reach 10 miles? I'm sure most of it would have to be in a good, solid, heart-rate-raising chunk.

    Depends on what's in the refrigerator.

    Of course, then you will likely eat more calories than you burn up. :wink:
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Movement = calories burnt so if you walk 100 steps or 10,000 you have still burnt calories = done cardio.IMO

    Burning calories not not equal "doing cardio".

    I sit across from people every day who elaborate at great lengths about how busy and active they are, but can't walk 3.0 mph on a treadmill without gasping for air.

    Again: locomotion is not the same as exercise.

    what if they don't care about walking at 3.0 without gasping for air??

    at this point I doubt I could play a sport with out dying within 5 minutes.

    I don't play sports. - so you could make fun of me for being in awful shape- but dollars to doughnuts you don't care about being able to play left hand dominate running singles on finger cymbals while doing full time downbeat right glute squeezes over a alternating chasse....

    or picking up 300 pounds of dead lift.

    Priorities and goals.

    That's like making fun of someone for not being able to swim when they are a sky diver.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    I agree...this is the point i was trying to make. That to consider it fitness by taking a step here and there and not briskly is doing nothing for your cardiovascular health. That is the only reason i was discounting it as cardio and to add to your calorie burn.

    Yes, i do agree that any movement is better than none at all but would still consider it far reaching if your strolling around and consider that exercise. His goal is to lose weight as well.

    Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what fitness means to everyone. And 10 miles a day is hardly strolling around, and more than adequate to aid his weightloss.

    ^^^^ this

    physical activity has a health and fitness benefit, whether or not it meets the dictionary definition of "exercise"

    One of the main reasons why there was less obesity in the past was because people had more active lifestyles, including jobs that had them on their feet all day lifting and carrying stuff, or even harder labour than that, plus the fact they had to walk everywhere because they didn't have cars. Go back far enough and people had to hunt and gather food. The gym is a modern replacement for physically demanding occupations/lifestyles for people with sedentary jobs, because a modern, sedentary lifestyle makes people weak and fat. So criticising people with active jobs for not doing cardio in the gym is IMO totally and utterly missing the point.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
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    Movement = calories burnt so if you walk 100 steps or 10,000 you have still burnt calories = done cardio.IMO

    Burning calories not not equal "doing cardio".

    I sit across from people every day who elaborate at great lengths about how busy and active they are, but can't walk 3.0 mph on a treadmill without gasping for air.

    Again: locomotion is not the same as exercise.

    what if they don't care about walking at 3.0 without gasping for air??

    at this point I doubt I could play a sport with out dying within 5 minutes.

    I don't play sports. - so you could make fun of me for being in awful shape- but dollars to doughnuts you don't care about being able to play left hand dominate running singles on finger cymbals while doing full time downbeat right glute squeezes over a alternating chasse....

    or picking up 300 pounds of dead lift.

    Priorities and goals.

    That's like making fun of someone for not being able to swim when they are a ski diver.

    In for making fun of JoRocka's fitness.

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