Steps to Calories burned

lcn42781
lcn42781 Posts: 47 Member
edited September 18 in Fitness and Exercise
ANYONE KNOW?? Are pedometers fairly accurate with their steps to calories burned calculations? I walk 50-75% of an 8 hour shift at work as a security officer, and I started wearing a pedometer to track how far I walk.

It's not a constant 60, 90, 120, etc. minutes of walking, but broken over the shift. I wonder if the walking I'm doing at work is doing anything since there are times that I walk constantly for about an hour, and then there are times where I'll walk 10 mintues and then be standing/sitting for 20-30 minutes. It's really inconsistant.

Thanks!

Replies

  • lcn42781
    lcn42781 Posts: 47 Member
    ANYONE KNOW?? Are pedometers fairly accurate with their steps to calories burned calculations? I walk 50-75% of an 8 hour shift at work as a security officer, and I started wearing a pedometer to track how far I walk.

    It's not a constant 60, 90, 120, etc. minutes of walking, but broken over the shift. I wonder if the walking I'm doing at work is doing anything since there are times that I walk constantly for about an hour, and then there are times where I'll walk 10 mintues and then be standing/sitting for 20-30 minutes. It's really inconsistant.

    Thanks!
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    pedometers come in all varieties. The more expensive ones are not necessarily the better ones. They seem to range in price from around $5 up to about $50, I have found the most accurate I have ever had cost $18, it is a "sport line" pedometer. Also try to find one that closes over the buttons with a little cover, the exposed buttons can be pushed just from pulling your pants up from the bathroom or whatever.

    At least you are using one, it is a great tool and it does work in the long run to have an easier way to track your steps....every single one counts!
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    You can convert to miles and do it that way. You are probably walking slowly, so I would say "walked 8000 steps = 3.5-4 miles at 2 mph" and enter it in that way.
  • Eve23
    Eve23 Posts: 2,352 Member
    The pedometer I have you put in your weight, step legnth and then it will give you the steps you make and the aerobic steps you make. It seems to be fairly accurate although I am not sure exactly how accurate.

    But it seems to me that if it does use your weight and such it should be close.
  • rem1979
    rem1979 Posts: 344 Member
    Get one where you can put in your step lenght, weight, age and then go out and walk a around a track or where you know the distance (i.e. 1/4 mile), check the pedometer and make any adjustments. This way it will be as accurate as possible. I use one also and walk around my showroom.
  • suevittorioso
    suevittorioso Posts: 60
    i think this is what you're really asking:is the walking you're doing at work gonna help you with your fitness goals.i'm new to all this stuff and i can only give you what i know to be true for me. i'm a nurse and i've worn a pedometer.some days i walk 5 miles in my job and some days i only walk 2.it's intermittent like you-sometimes i'm busy on my feet straight for 2-3 hrs. sometimes i only am walking 10minutes in an hr.(documentation time!) what i know to be true is that my body is used to this activity-it's part of my "baseline".it doesn't "add" to anything. to make a difference and enhance my fitness, i will have to add to that. what does make a difference is going the other way. if you stopped being a security guard and stopped that walking,you would probably see a huge change and not for the better! i know this because i have had friends who got desk jobsand they gained lots of weight.
    you gotta up the ante-push the envelope-however you want to say it-past what your body is already used to,is mho. for me, i've started to take the stairs whenever possible.try that if you have some.have a great day,sue
  • sundaygirl85
    sundaygirl85 Posts: 69
    i think this is what you're really asking:is the walking you're doing at work gonna help you with your fitness goals.i'm new to all this stuff and i can only give you what i know to be true for me. i'm a nurse and i've worn a pedometer.some days i walk 5 miles in my job and some days i only walk 2.it's intermittent like you-sometimes i'm busy on my feet straight for 2-3 hrs. sometimes i only am walking 10minutes in an hr.(documentation time!) what i know to be true is that my body is used to this activity-it's part of my "baseline".it doesn't "add" to anything. to make a difference and enhance my fitness, i will have to add to that. what does make a difference is going the other way. if you stopped being a security guard and stopped that walking,you would probably see a huge change and not for the better! i know this because i have had friends who got desk jobsand they gained lots of weight.
    you gotta up the ante-push the envelope-however you want to say it-past what your body is already used to,is mho. for me, i've started to take the stairs whenever possible.try that if you have some.have a great day,sue

    I agree. The walking you're doing is definitely buring calories, but to actually improve your cardiovascular fitness you need to really get your heart pumping.

    Jen
  • lcn42781
    lcn42781 Posts: 47 Member
    I am a security officer at a hospital, and one round through the whole campus outside/inside is about 3.5 miles. I would say that at least 1.5 miles of that total is on an upwards incline. And I tend to walk fast, so my breathing is usually elevated.

    I lost 6 lbs. between when I started at the hospital on 11-4-07 and 1-1-08. When I checked the other day, I had lost another 6 lbs. since starting my experience here. So, contrary to what my profile reads I have lost 12 lbs. since 11-4-07 when I started this active job, so the walking must be doing something for me! I'm sure the cutting down calories now is only going to help that much more.

    Thank you for all of your support, insight, and suggestions!
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