Counting Steps FAD

koinflipper · February 2016

I am a big disbeliever in the idea that counting steps taken under any circumstances during the day are actually has any meaning to becoming physically fit. My physiology classes in graduate school taught me that to contribute towards fitness, there must be sustained physical activity for at least 30 minutes at cardio training level.

A friend proudly showed me his fitbit today saying he had 10,000+ steps for the day. How many of those steps were from his office down the short hall to get cup of coffee and back to his office chair (drinks at least 10 cups of coffee a day) ? Do those steps matter in the overall fitness? What about meandering around WalMart avoiding cart collisions and frequent stops to select item and put in cart? Do those steps contribute anything? How about multiple trips from family room to kitchen to get snacks to watch TV? He finally admitted that only half of those steps were during his morning run.

Is it the hypothesis that to get in 10,000 steps per day, you had to have been pretty active during the day? If I walked slowly all day to get 10k steps, is that equivalent to random steps taken throughout the day of any duration and any pace?

Step-Counting gadgets have become big business. Can anyone point me to a single peer-reviewed scientific article that indicates that step counting is a proven method to improve fitness? I doubt it. It is just a FAD that may lull many into the illusion that they are getting physically fit merely because they logged a certain number of steps each day. Is 10k steps the "daily recommended" amount for physical fitness? What happened to cardio exercise as the gold standard?

Alluminati · February 2016

Yes

zoeysasha37 · February 2016

While I don't own one and have no need for one, I do believe they serve a purpose.
Here's an example - my aunt was becoming inactive and unmotivated. I got her a fitbit. She loved challenging herself to move more. It encouraged her to get up and move around. Walking to get a coffee might not be much but its sure better then nothing. For her, it increased her activity and made her more aware of how sedentary she really was.
So it might be meaningless to you but for her it has a purpose. 10,000 steps is definitely better then laying on the couch all day.

Alatariel75 · February 2016

I was not under the impression that anyone thought they were magically becoming the pantheon of prime fitness by hitting 10k a day, merely that 10k a day was the recommended level of physical activity. Very simply, anything that involves getting of your butt is an improvement.

arditarose · February 2016

Um...how much I move on a daily basis, determines how active I am and what my TDEE is. I don't understand your issue.

lorrpb · February 2016

Walking 10,000 steps per day is definitely better than walking 1,000 steps per day, which is what I used to do. For many people, walking is the only form of exercise they're able to do, especially when starting out. Moving is always better than not moving. Is this even a question?

Hornsby · February 2016

Bought one. The next day my back looked like that
<~~~

They are magic.

Alatariel75 · February 2016

Hornsby wrote: »

Bought one. The next day my back looked like that
<~~~

They are magic.

queenliz99 · February 2016

Hornsby wrote: »

Bought one. The next day my back looked like that
<~~~

They are magic.

Uh yeah! Likey

rileysowner · February 2016

As I understand it, steps are not a measure of fitness, but activity. They count, not toward Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, but toward increasing Non-Exercise Thermogenesis. Since often what happens with people is that as EAT goes up, NEAT goes down and somewhat counteracts the caloric effects of EAT, what a step tracker does is make a person conscious of their NEAT, and encourage them to not let it decrease, or better yet, increase it. I think you are missing the point of step trackers.

jtsher01 · February 2016

You don't have to like the fad, but the math is simple.

Pedometer makes you cognizant of your daily steps, and this usually results in increased step count post purchase. More steps = more distance. More distance = more calories burned (x amount of calories are required to move y distance of something that has a mass of z). Increase y, increase x.

arditarose · February 2016

Hornsby wrote: »

Bought one. The next day my back looked like that
<~~~

They are magic.

OMG. Step trackers=gains. I've been doing it wrong!

fastfoodietofitcutie · February 2016

I couldn't disagree with this post more.

ogmomma2012 · February 2016

Unlike you, some people like the motivation. They like seeing the data. Participating in challenges with fellow fitness trackers. Here's a cookie for doing it on your own. *slow clap of sarcasm*

zdyb23456 · February 2016

I got one. I considered myself fairly active because I was chasing 3 kids around and working part-time. It opened my eyes to see how sedentary I really was.

Now it's a tool I use to motivate me to be more active throughout the day. I exercise 6 days a week and walk on the 7th day to make sure I get my 10k steps.

I love it and can't imagine not using one. It makes me accountable.

FitOldMomma · February 2016

The magic of step counters: MOTIVATION.
Seriously, I just need a nudge (or blinky lights on my wrist) to make me think about getting up off my bums and MOVE.

You'd have to pull my Fitbit off my dead body...that's how much I love it.

Effective? For me, yes. For everyone? Who cares? I try not to concern myself with what works for others...they'll find their solution if they want it enough.

JustMissTracy · February 2016

I love mine...and haven't taken it off other than to charge it since Christmas. I've gone from being completely sedentary in my at home desk job, to being considered "active" in that short time. Believe me, seeing those numbers on a daily is very motivating, and constantly challenging.

coreyreichle · February 2016

Ask your physiology prof about NEAT: Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12468415

10,000 steps matter, regardless if they are 1000 trips of 100 steps to get coffee, or 10,000 steps during a sustained 30 minute walk.

mgeshwilm · February 2016

Tell me about it while I'm walking circles in my dining room at 11:30 at night to get my 10 K by midnight. Huge motivating factor, and as has been said before, any steps are better than no steps. I also heard the "30 minute continuous exercise, or don't bother" but then I have also heard, every little bit you move helps, even if you walk from the far end of the parking lot. I believe the 10K was recommended for heart health, not necessarily training for a marathon, and I think there is solid science behind it.

mgeshwilm · February 2016

Once I get 10K for a consistent period of time (10 days?) I'm moving my goal to 12K, then possibly to 15K. Most of it is accomplished while walking the dog, 3-4 x a day, as I have a sedentery job. Really need a treadmill desk!

WinoGelato · February 2016

Alatariel75 wrote: »

I was not under the impression that anyone thought they were magically becoming the pantheon of prime fitness by hitting 10k a day, merely that 10k a day was the recommended level of physical activity. Very simply, anything that involves getting of your butt is an improvement.

This...

JustMissTracy · February 2016

mgeshwilm wrote: »

Tell me about it while I'm walking circles in my dining room at 11:30 at night to get my 10 K by midnight. Huge motivating factor, and as has been said before, any steps are better than no steps. I also heard the "30 minute continuous exercise, or don't bother" but then I have also heard, every little bit you move helps, even if you walk from the far end of the parking lot. I believe the 10K was recommended for heart health, not necessarily training for a marathon, and I think there is solid science behind it.

Ya, I don't believe in that 30 minutes or don't bother theory either...many days if I don't have a solid amount of time, I will hit the treadmill in 15 min increments....I've still burned 500 calories by the end, but am able to fit little bursts in much easier. {PS...I've been known to walk up and down my stairs, over and over, just to get those last steps in at 11pm!!}

LorettaB1967 · February 2016

Have you worn one? How many steps did you take in a day? Just wondering! I am 66 and when I started I could barely do 5,000 and it is a LOT of work for me to get 8,000 - 10,000 steps in a day.

bendyourkneekatie · February 2016

Look at it this way, OP, they're a way for you to feel superior, so they can't be all bad.

jemhh · February 2016

My normal life requires me to take *maybe* 2500 steps. I walk expressly as exercise for my remaining 7500-10500 steps each day. My step counter helps me move more because it's a solid way for me to see how I'm doing.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · February 2016

I believe strongly that anything that encourages people to get off the couch and move more than they would have done is a good thing. Is getting 10k steps going to make you an olympian? No. Is getting 10k steps better than nothing? I think so.

100df · February 2016

I don't need a peer reviewed study to tell me that walking 10k steps is better than walking 2k steps a day. It is a tool to help measure calories out. I appreciate knowing how much or really how little calories I am burning.

upoffthemat · February 2016

You may be surprised how few steps you take during a day and these trackers will actually point that out. Getting to 10,000 steps pretty much demands a dedicated time of running or walking. Unless your bathroom and coffee machine is 3 or more blocks from your desk, you aren't getting 10,000 steps just getting coffee quite a few times a day. (And if it is that far away, it has to be helping you get healthier)
If it is a fad it is one that is probably leading people to better fitness not a false sense of security

valente347 · February 2016

Just from personal experience, when I went from working as an elementary special education teacher in a self-contained classroom to a high school traveling SPED teacher I was able to lose at the same rate while eating 200ish more calories a day, despite exercising less often. I'm pretty sure this was because of all the walking in the huge building between classes.

WinoGelato · February 2016

There are countless threads and posts on here where people say that because they are a petite female with a desk job that they have low maintenance calories and are destined to have to eat 1200 or less to lose weight.

Well I'm 5'2 and have a desk job and my TDEE (both from the FitBit as well as proven results) is about 2200. Why? Am I a special snowflake? Hardly. Do I run marathons? Nope. Lift heavy things? I wish. Most of my activity is from getting 15K walking steps a day, something I had to work up to over the last three years when I was losing weight and now that I'm maintaining. And while some of those steps come from purposeful exercise, many of them come from walking in the office, walking my kids into school, walking from the back of the every parking lot into every building, and sometimes just pacing in my basement if the weather is bad or I haven't had time to exercise.

So yes those steps count for something. And those step counters are a great motivator to put people on that path for better health. It's a shame your graduate courses and attitude prevent you from seeing that.

scolaris · February 2016

I walk over 100k steps a week. My cut shapely legs laugh at your reservations sweetie.

Counting Steps FAD

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