How hard is this exercise malarkey?

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Imcharmed
Imcharmed Posts: 346 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Man, I've just got a Fitbit, first day of use. How hard is it to achieve 10,000 steps? 50 minute walk and only just got over halfway!?

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  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    If you work a desk job you'll have to work to get those steps in. I make a point to get up and walk at work and I try to walk at least 1/2 hour at lunch too. You can do it, just remember that sedentary jobs mean you've got to work even harder
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,547 Member
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    Yep. Realize that you have another 15 hours of awake time to achieve it and it helps to let you know how far you are from goal. I have one and use it just to track whether or not I'm being active enough.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Imcharmed
    Imcharmed Posts: 346 Member
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    The dog won't complain about the extra walking! :smile:
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I'd give you extra steps just for using the word 'malarkey', as it's one of my faves!

    I don't have a fitbit, but I've seen knowledgeable posters on here say that fitbit 'learns' over time. I don't know if that refers to steps or just calories burned.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    I walk on my morning and afternoon breaks at work, and sometimes on my lunch break. If I do only my breaks, I usually get about 8,000 steps at work.
  • Sklahsen
    Sklahsen Posts: 76 Member
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    I'm a stay at home mom with 2 little ones at home all day...I find it difficult to get the 10,000 steps, especially when it is too cold outside to take the kids for a walk..I try to take a few minutes to just do some "high knees" or a slow jog on the spot while we are playing, or while I watch a show when they are napping. I do have to put the effort in though..cause it is also easy to get to the end of the day and only have 3000 steps.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Imcharmed wrote: »
    Man, I've just got a Fitbit, first day of use. How hard is it to achieve 10,000 steps? 50 minute walk and only just got over halfway!?

    It will vary a bit by person but it's around 2000 steps per mile. If you got about 5000 steps walking for 50 minutes you're at around a 16-17 minute per mile pace. All this seems very reasonable.

    Just goes to show how sedentary our lIves have become and how we need to work at moving.
  • JQuinnLife
    JQuinnLife Posts: 102 Member
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    I'd recommend a gym
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    Our instructor counted the steps during one of his exercise classes and the class alone was over 10,000. That was when I walked half an hour each way to the class, besides my regular daily routine.

    From that, I don't think of 10,000 steps as much at all. But not everyone is that active or works that hard.
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
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    I find that it takes me about 8-10 minutes to walk 1000 steps, depending on how fast I am walking. I'm 5'2" so my strides aren't all that long. I work a desk job now so I try to get up and walk a lot. I am always offering to bring paperwork to people in other parts of the building just to get a few extra steps in. I have a Fitbit Charge and I love it.
  • gunrock1970
    gunrock1970 Posts: 45 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I have got a fitbit for Xmas and found it was too generous with it's steps compared to my old (dead) Up24. I have adjusted the stride length and I'm not sure it's totally correct - still seems too easy for me to hit 10k.

    Claimed I did 15k steps yesterday. I did walk a lot more, but over familiar routes and I would have thought 12/13k max.

    Anyway, it can be hard if you don't have a end location (like a commute to work) or a place to go (like the shops). When I'm off work, it's harder to hit 10k, unless I rock up at Bluewater (shopping centre - mall for American friends).

    Keep at it, you can do it!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited January 2016
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    gunrock1970 wrote: »
    I have got a fitbit for Xmas and found it was too generous with it's steps compared to my old (dead) Up24. I have adjusted the stride length and I'm not sure it's totally correct - still seems too easy for me to hit 10k.

    Claimed I did 15k steps yesterday. I did walk a lot more, but over familiar routes and I would have thought 12/13k max.

    Anyway, it can be hard if you don't have a end location (like a commute to work) or a place to go (like the shops). When I'm off work, it's harder to hit 10k, unless I rock up at Bluewater (shopping centre - mall for American friends).

    Keep at it, you can do it!

    Adjusting your stride does not affect the number of steps recorded. A step is a step. The ones worn closer to the body, like the Zip or One are most accurate with counting steps, compared to the wristbands.

    FB multiplies the steps x stride to get your distance. Unless you have a GPS model, then the distance might work differently.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I definitely feel like I'm moving quite a bit to hit 10,000 steps-that's outside/in addition to when I'm working. I apparently don't like to walk very much
  • Imcharmed
    Imcharmed Posts: 346 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I'll keep going regardless!

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