Is it worth tracking steps

Ginoza
Ginoza Posts: 21
in Fitness and Exercise
i generally only walk shorter distances, not more than 10-15 minutes. Is it worth tracking my steps or is it likely to overestimate my burned calories?

Replies

  • rikma
    rikma Posts: 2 Member
    I'd like to know too - haven't really understood the benefits of tracking steps (other than the gamification aspect: once you're tracking you end up walking more just to hike up the numbers).
  • silverjade78
    silverjade78 Posts: 1
    I think it is because u can set yourself goals easier I find and for I tend to push myself when I have goals to meet. Step goals help me see how much activity I do or need to do
  • Ginoza
    Ginoza Posts: 21
    silverjade78 wrote: »
    I think it is because u can set yourself goals easier I find and for I tend to push myself when I have goals to meet. Step goals help me see how much activity I do or need to do

    This makes a lot of sense, I think it's provably not as beneficial for me then because my main aim is going to the gym since I don't have as much home to be walking about whilst I've got uni work and stuff. Thanks for the advice!
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    It is more about motivation to move more. I found myself pacing my hotel room to get the last few hundred steps for the days I was a little short of my goal.
  • pinkiezoom
    pinkiezoom Posts: 409 Member
    I have started tracking mine since i got a jawbone up for christmas, and I set mind to buzz when 30 mins of me being idle has passed, i get up walk down the office down the stairs and back, so motivationally it works for me. I dont eat my cals back, so it has no real impact on that side of things for me, but it HAS made me move more. I am stuck at a desk 8 hours a day, so its ideal for me. I now make sure i do 4000 steps a day during my working day, and its not that hard. But i was only maybe managing 800 i would say before that. I do go to the gym etc too, so its just an added thing for me. x
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Tracking 10 to 15 minute activity levels like walking is useful if you do it more than once a day. You should be active at least 30 minutes a day for minimal physical activity and that can be done in 10 minute chunks if you've been sedentary. However, that activity shouldn't really count as a workout. It's a part of your activities of daily living.

    For better weight loss, add an additional 30 minutes a day of intense, sustained, moderate to intense exercise 3 to 5x a week.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Having paid attention to this since I got my iPhone 6 last November, I think it can be helpful to motivate you to move more, which is better for your health than sitting around, but it's not useful as a weight-loss aid.
  • subversive99
    subversive99 Posts: 273 Member
    My wife and I got fitbits last fall and I think it's been very helpful in a couple of ways. First, it let us realize just how little we were currently moving. Second, it gives us motivation to try and hit the little goals, or have mini competitions. Really, as someone above said, it's all about moving more. I do things now like park further away on purpose so I get more steps in, or take the stairs instead of the elevator, or take the Plus 15 instead of the more direct route to the office. It all adds up eventually.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    It would sit idle in a drawer most of the time. The only time I would use it would be to track a purposeful training sessions.
    Some people find it helpful to track every step, I don't. Daily walking is a part of my regular calorie allotment.
    JMHO
    Cheers, h.
  • AshleyRKnutson
    AshleyRKnutson Posts: 98 Member
    My husband & I have had our fitbits for a year and we absolutley love them!! We have mini challenges with each other and with our co-workers too. It really helps you want to get up and move. Being in a desk job, it's so easy to just sit all the time. I use it as an excuse to force myself to get up and move. Some companies have incentives that will connect to devices like Nike Fuel Band, Fitbit or Jawbone.

    I think it's totally worth it!
  • Ginoza
    Ginoza Posts: 21
    47Jacqueline wrote: »
    Tracking 10 to 15 minute activity levels like walking is useful if you do it more than once a day. You should be active at least 30 minutes a day for minimal physical activity and that can be done in 10 minute chunks if you've been sedentary. However, that activity shouldn't really count as a workout. It's a part of your activities of daily living.

    For better weight loss, add an additional 30 minutes a day of intense, sustained, moderate to intense exercise 3 to 5x a week.

    This is what I'm doing now, going to the gym and interval training 5 times a week. My university has a challenge of burning 10,000 calories in 8 weeks and this is the kind of thing that really motivates me. I think it's better if I just stick to calorie counting that and feel good about that kind of work out.
  • michaelputz
    michaelputz Posts: 25 Member
    I set my activity level in MFP to sedentary then use my vivofit to track all my steps for the day. If you use another activity level it may be overestimating you activity and you wont meet your calorie goals.
  • Ginoza
    Ginoza Posts: 21
    michaelputz wrote: »
    I set my activity level in MFP to sedentary then use my vivofit to track all my steps for the day. If you use another activity level it may be overestimating you activity and you wont meet your calorie goals.

    I'm also set to sedentary with the amount of workouts I intend to do so I hope that my calorie goal should be quite accurate. The only real walking I do is in 10/15 minute slots, except for maybe once a week when I go grocery shopping.
  • donutlifter107
    donutlifter107 Posts: 16
    I have a fitbit and I like it a lot. The major benefit is the little reminder on my waist that I should stay active and try to walk as much as possible. Since starting to use it I've definitely taken stairs whenever stairs are an option, parked farther away to get steps, etc. I think it's just a nice little lifestyle booster to stay mindful of moving more, but it's not 100% necessary! :)
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    For me, it is worth it. I was a previously sedentary (very, very) person. 10 minutes straight of walking was my MAX. I wanted to change that, and an activity/step tracker helped me become an active walker.

    Like a PP said, the "gamification" works for me. What can I say--I'm easily motivated by earned achievements and digital "badges"--and my fitness level and health is much improved.
  • enigmaneo
    enigmaneo Posts: 61 Member
    I was pretty active and having a fitbit made me walk more and continue the same amount of exercise. The extra walking gave meplantar fasciitis which stopped me from running and other activities. The plantar fasciitis caused me to get ITB Syndrome as well which really stopped many activities. 9 months without tennis and running kind of sucked. Not sure if counting my steps was worth it. That's an extreme case though.

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