Counting Steps FAD
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koinflipper wrote: »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?
Peer Reviewed article - "Impact of a 12-week, pharmacist-directed walking program in an established employee preventive care clinic" by Fanous, Kier, Rush and Terrell, Copyright © 2014, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved. 1079-2082/14/0702-1219$06.00. DOI 10.2146/ajhp130484
Just one that is currently stored on my work computer, I have a number of others from a research project I did last year on workplace step programmes0 -
And a few more:
Bowden D, F. L. (2010). Do Wellness Programs Really Work? Benefits & Compensation Digest, 20-25.
Choi B, C. J. (2007). Daily step goal of 10,000 steps: A literature review. Clinical and Investigative Medicine, E146-151.
Russell, N. (2009). Workplace wellness A literature review for NZWell@Work. Retrieved from http://www.nzwellatwork.co.nz/pdf/wrkplc-wellness-lit-rev-feb09.pdf
Tudor-Locke, C., & Basset Jr, D. (2004). How many steps/day are enough?: Preliminary pedometer indices for public health. Sports Medicine Vol. 34 Issue 1, 1-8.
Tudor-Locke, C., & Lutes, L. (2009). Why do pedometers work?: A reflection upon the factors related to successfully increasing physical activity. Sports Medicine, 39(12), 981-993.
Wilde, B. E., Sidman, C. L., & Corbin, C. B. (2013). A 10,000-step count as a physical activity target for sedentary women. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 72(4), 411-414, DOI:10.1080/02701367.2001.10608977.
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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.
And more steps even if around the mall, Home Depot or your neighborhood means less time sitting in the couch eating snacks while watching HGTV.
For me the challenge to get 10,000 steps
By 4pm means that I have had a day that didn't involve sitting on my *kitten*. It takes a run and a leisure walk to hit the 15,000 steps that I shoot for
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10K leads to 12K ad 15K and more. Might even lead to running or an exercise routine. Might want to hit the books some more.0
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Why do you care what other people are doing? How does it affect you personally? What kind of a friend is derogatory towards a person who is making an effort to improve themselves?
I happen to find the data I get from my fitness tracker very useful. I also happen to really enjoy the challenges that I take part in with friends and co-workers. It motivates me to get up and do things when my natural inclination would be to spend a whole day off sitting on the couch with a book and lots of hot beverages.
If you chose not to use a device like this to handle your own fitness/weight loss, well that's your choice.0 -
The 10k steps is apparently a somewhat arbitrary number that originated with a government study in Japan. That said, I like my tracker since it buzzes if I've been on my butt too long. I get up and walk around if I'm on a conference call at home, or stroll around the office for 5 minutes that I would have otherwise spent in my chair.
Is it magical and revolutionary? No. Does it make me move 10-30% more than I would have otherwise? In my case, yes.0 -
I believe it's soley related to movement and not necessarily fitness. I track my calories and steps, and add workouts on top of my steps. I don't not consider my steps to be exercise in any way.0
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I forgot to add, tracking steps for me is very important. I may not consider it exercise but it definitely allows for a higher daily allowance of caloric intake.Fit4LifeAR wrote: »I believe it's soley related to movement and not necessarily fitness. I track my calories and steps, and add workouts on top of my steps. I don't not consider my steps to be exercise in any way.
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1) My fitness tracker has completely changed my life, my attitude toward movement, my belief in what I am capable of, my goals for myself, my confidence, and is the sole reason I have dropped 20 pounds in a little over five weeks.
2) The best thing about this thread is learning how many other people are marching around their houses at 11 PM. Totally thought I was the only one!0 -
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You seem to not understand the difference between activity and purposeful exercise
That's pretty darn basic0 -
I love my Misfit ( its like the Fitbit but waterproof I use it for my swim exercises too)
And i found out by keeping all my own data that when i walk/step around 15000 steps a day ( this is including a jog/walk of 60 minutes which gives me around 6 to 8000 steps) i can safely eat 2000 calories and lose weight...slowly
I started out with only able to walk 500 to 700 steps a day.
500 days later ( so now) i walk easily between 16.000 to 20.000 a day. But for sure i will reach my goal of 15.000 every day. It motivated me to reach the goal were i am now.
For me it really seems every 2000 steps is 100 calories.
Everybody develops their own system and feel comfortable with. Mine is working for me like a charm. I know for every 2k steps more i burn 100 calories more above my BMR
You have maybe your own system. But that doesn't mean that step counters/trackers/Fitbits etc are overrated or useless. To each their own.
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I will say that my being more aware of my steps and how sedentary I am, has actively helped me to want to walk more and increase the number of steps.
Having been very ill last year and the year before, I find that using a pedometer has made me more aware to be more physical when I am not able yet to do more traditional exercise programs.
From monitoring my steps I have actually woven in and made it routine to walk some distances rather than catching a bus, and over time I have lost weight and I feel a lot more strength in my legs, which has led me to random sprints that I otherwise would not have been able to do.
In our culture of convenience and fast food and ease of use society, I find anything that helps people to be more aware of their body and exercise and being more active in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming or out of reach, is good. Now I am starting to look for exercise classes I can take that are not high intensity as I don't think I would be able to do that level of exercise just yet, but all things considered, the fact that I'm even considering taking exercise classes has a lot to do with using a pedometer and just being more concious of how sedentary I am.
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I agree it's big business
I will be contributing to the big business when I work out which one to buy
Your op comes out really negative, if it helps people move where is the harm
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Also don't think it's just a fad, pedometers been around for ages they have now just been jazzed up over the years. The data that comes out is great and lots of people love that data0
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Pedometers have been around for a very long time so not a fad. Having a fancier high tech step tracker might be a fad. That doesn't make it worthless.
More steps equals increased activity level which is better for you than sitting all day. I don't think you can find anything that says it isn't healthier to move more.
I got a basic pedometer. Increased my steps from 6,000 to over 12,000. I think I am better off moving more even if I did not run a marathon but took some extra steps doing laundry or at the store.0 -
I think it's funny that the op had such strong opinions of step trackers but hasn't bothered to come back and discuss it ?
Op- you really don't seem to understand why people are using them and what they expect from using one.
Nobody claimed they became a bikini competitor by wearing a fit bit. But we did see a lot of sedentary people start to move more- that's a good thing ! Forget about the 30 mins or it doesn't count and realize that some activity is certainly better then none.0 -
I work at a desk job all day. My FB reminds me to get up and get moving during the day and if I am short of my goal for the day, I put extra work into my cardio after work to make sure I make my goal for the day. I love the challenges too. Very motivating for me. It also pairs up nicely with MFP so I can track my cardio calories each day.0
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shadowfax_c11 wrote: »Why do you care what other people are doing? How does it affect you personally? What kind of a friend is derogatory towards a person who is making an effort to improve themselves?
I happen to find the data I get from my fitness tracker very useful. I also happen to really enjoy the challenges that I take part in with friends and co-workers. It motivates me to get up and do things when my natural inclination would be to spend a whole day off sitting on the couch with a book and lots of hot beverages.
If you chose not to use a device like this to handle your own fitness/weight loss, well that's your choice.
THAT.
So what if doing 10.000 steps a day doesn't turn people into the pinnacle of cardiovascular fitness? I see step counters really motivating often sedentary people to actually get moving and surely something is better than nothing?
And in terms of "what happened to cardio exercise as gold standard?".................................. What does that even mean?? Walking is a cardiovascular exercise. Perhaps not as intensive as running or other CV, but so what??? It burns calories and it gets people moving. So what's not to like.
Why do you feel so inclined to put down someone else's efforts??0 -
I bought a basic Fitbit shortly after starting on MFP last February. I could barely lap the couch when I started. I'm now up to 25K steps per day.
Oh, and between eating less and just plain walking I lost 75 lbs.
Tell me again how it's just a fad?0 -
This is a very close minded perspective for someone studying physiology. Moving around, walking and doing extra low intensity movement all throughout the day has so many more benefits when compared to just sitting there all day, I can't believe this is even a question. If someone has the disillusion that some extra walking around is going to prepare them for the crossfit games, well that's their problem and shouldn't discount the promotion of these step counters to get people to move more, and more often.0
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So moving around a lot is a fad?
Ho! Ho! Ho!
We're being trolled, surely?
Shame there wasn't a critical thinking class along with that physiology class. As others have noted just moving around a lot increases your TDEE and can help you get or stay leaner without starving yourself. You can be less sedentary and lose some weight - good stuff! If you want to run an ultra-marathon, then maybe you need to take a different approach?
Also, not sure if touched on in the posts above, what about the active recovery aspect of it? I walk 10,000 steps a day and find that my recovery from strenuous training is much improved through doing this sustained, gentle human movement.0 -
This is a very close minded perspective for someone studying physiology. Moving around, walking and doing extra low intensity movement all throughout the day has so many more benefits when compared to just sitting there all day, I can't believe this is even a question. If someone has the disillusion that some extra walking around is going to prepare them for the crossfit games, well that's their problem and shouldn't discount the promotion of these step counters to get people to move more, and more often.
Exactly! While I know my physical condition wouldn't rival an Olympic marathoner, it has extensively improved by counting my steps.
I bet there is a story out there that someone was completely sedentary but turned into a serious crossfit athlete after they started counting steps.0 -
10K steps is to maintain.. I try and aim for 20 to 30K steps a day.
Seeing as when I first got my fitbit I was walking maybe 2k to 5 k a day? Yeah, I think they are worth it. lol0 -
I work from home, many days sitting and typing for 8+ hours, sometimes 12 or more. It's super, super sad to see only 1,000 or less steps on a counter at the end of a day like that. I am one of those short, old, sedentary 1200 calorie ladies.
Without my steps, mostly done on my treadmill but a lot from just making myself get up and move every so often, I'd starve just trying to maintain. Now, instead of sitting for 8 hours straight, I get up every hour at least and go walk 1/2 mile. It takes 10 minutes or less, and I can easily walk 6 miles a day doing that. Steps matter.0 -
annaonamoose wrote: »1) My fitness tracker has completely changed my life, my attitude toward movement, my belief in what I am capable of, my goals for myself, my confidence, and is the sole reason I have dropped 20 pounds in a little over five weeks.
2) The best thing about this thread is learning how many other people are marching around their houses at 11 PM. Totally thought I was the only one!
LOL, me too!0 -
My fitbit has helped me become a more active person. I am a teacher, and according to MFP, that is a moderately active position. Well, I didn't find 3000 steps a day as moderately active. My fitbit gets me pacing around my room more while I teach; it gets me walking on the treadmill while watching my favorite shows; it gets me moving instead of sitting. I still have dedicated time to workout, but being motivated to get 10,000 steps throughout the day seems better than sitting around once I get home or even while teaching. In that sense, I find my Fitbit worthwhile.0
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coreyreichle wrote: »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.
And there are plenty more peer reviewed articles out there.0 -
I bought a fitbit when they were brand new about 6-7 years ago, after having to basically re-learn how to walk again (I have lupus and had major complications at that time). I could hardly get in five HUNDRED steps a day. For at least 2 years, the only exercise I could do was walk. 10,000 was a huge accomplishment, and having something clipped to my bra was a huge motivator for me each day to try and get a few more steps in. Now, my daily average is 12,000...which isn't a lot for most people. I don't do very much cardio, as I mostly strength train, but having a goal also keeps me from sitting at my desk all day. It makes me get up and do a lap around the office every so often, walk circles in the parking lot on my lunch break, and if it's been a slow day, walk up and down the stairs of my house after the baby goes to bed until I hit my goal. It pushes me to be more active. It's not a magic band. I don't put it on and instantly lose 30 pounds or get ripped. It's something that pushes me to be more active with each passing day.
And by the way, there are MANY peer-reviewed studies showing the benefits. Google is your friend.0
must be defective 
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