Counting Steps FAD
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I started using a standing desk at work about a month ago, and that alone has already helped me to have more energy. I believe any type of movement is better than none. I have also heard 6 minutes of interval training can equal the 30 minutes of training that you mentioned. In the end, I believe it's all about what works best for each individual.0
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@idioblast @CollieFit @makingmark that is what my fitbit charge recorded, consistently, for a few weeks of wearing it. what i am saying is that 3-5 miles is easy to add up in one normal day going to work. Alternatively, that fitbit is so inaccurate at counting steps as to make it useless any way.
i do take somewhat frequent water cooler / bathroom breaks i suppose. and i do a morning workout but it would only typically count for 500-1000 steps because i am taking zero steps on a rowing machine. just the random movement of my wrist during that would make it count a few steps. but nowhere near what you would rack up with an hour of running.0 -
I can understand both sides to this, and I think it really depends on one's starting point. For those that are sedentary, I don't think there's any question that getting 10,000 steps a day provides significant benefits. But here's the thing. Suppose someone is "lightly active" and gets about 6000-7000 steps a day. If they bump up to 10,000, they may see more benefits, but it's not going to be as drastic as someone who is getting fewer steps (like 3000-4000).
I was told by someone that despite the 6000-7000 steps a day I was getting at one point, if I got to 10000 consistently I wouldn't have any problems with insomnia (because 10000 is the cutoff for being "active".) But ironically, I actually started feeling worst once I increased my activity to 11000-12000; I started sleeping worse and my blood sugar shot up (which is exactly the opposite of what's supposed to happen!) A large portion of my steps were not vigorous, but rather barely moderate exercise.
Now, I'm not focusing so much on getting to 10,000, but getting more vigorous exercise (and end up averaging 8000-9000 steps a day). From a fitness perspective, I don't think that my new routine is any worse than what I was doing before, and I would argue it may be even better. I think when it comes to exercise and health, what some people don't realize is that it's not always about simply getting "more steps".0 -
My husband was convinced, CONVINCED, he got at least 10k steps during a normal workday. I bought him a fitbit and low and behold, he was only averaging around 3k steps per day. It was certainly an eye opener for him.
This^
I would have told you I was "at least" lightly active before I got my FitBit. This was a lie I told myself.
For many of us this is a reality check. We can't lie to ourselves about our activity level anymore.
Do I think 10,000 steps equates to vigorous cardio activity? No, but many of us look at 10,000 steps as a good place to start. 10,000 steps is quite a bit of deliberate walking for most people.0 -
@idioblast @CollieFit @makingmark that is what my fitbit charge recorded, consistently, for a few weeks of wearing it. what i am saying is that 3-5 miles is easy to add up in one normal day going to work. Alternatively, that fitbit is so inaccurate at counting steps as to make it useless any way.
i do take somewhat frequent water cooler / bathroom breaks i suppose. and i do a morning workout but it would only typically count for 500-1000 steps because i am taking zero steps on a rowing machine. just the random movement of my wrist during that would make it count a few steps. but nowhere near what you would rack up with an hour of running.
You must go to the bathroom a lot or there's something else going on.
I wear my Fitbit on my waist and don't get any hand-wavy steps counted. Yesterday I got up and put on my Fitbit at 5:30 AM. Got ready for work, worked (taking 3 bathroom breaks with walks down the hall and back), went home and walked 10 minutes on the treadmill before lifting. My step count after lifting was 3489.
Today I got up at 5:30 and put on my Fitbit. Walked for 45 minutes on the treadmill and my step count was 56XX. Finished up and got ready for work and was here around 8:20. Since then I have gone down the hall to the bathroom once, took a detour to walk around the building and back just in order to be more active, and now my steps are 7248. Without walking on the treadmill there is no way I'd get anywhere near 10k steps a day.0 -
@idioblast @CollieFit @makingmark that is what my fitbit charge recorded, consistently, for a few weeks of wearing it. what i am saying is that 3-5 miles is easy to add up in one normal day going to work. Alternatively, that fitbit is so inaccurate at counting steps as to make it useless any way.
i do take somewhat frequent water cooler / bathroom breaks i suppose. and i do a morning workout but it would only typically count for 500-1000 steps because i am taking zero steps on a rowing machine. just the random movement of my wrist during that would make it count a few steps. but nowhere near what you would rack up with an hour of running.
You must go to the bathroom a lot or there's something else going on.
I wear my Fitbit on my waist and don't get any hand-wavy steps counted. Yesterday I got up and put on my Fitbit at 5:30 AM. Got ready for work, worked (taking 3 bathroom breaks with walks down the hall and back), went home and walked 10 minutes on the treadmill before lifting. My step count after lifting was 3489.
Today I got up at 5:30 and put on my Fitbit. Walked for 45 minutes on the treadmill and my step count was 56XX. Finished up and got ready for work and was here around 8:20. Since then I have gone down the hall to the bathroom once, took a detour to walk around the building and back just in order to be more active, and now my steps are 7248. Without walking on the treadmill there is no way I'd get anywhere near 10k steps a day.
Yes to all of this. I take some kind of bathroom/snack break at least every hour, but if I don't take deliberate walking breaks or hit the gym after work, my step count rarely gets above 5k. And that's not just fitbit, I'm a bit of an electronic device junkie and have tried out basic step counters, vivoactive, vivosmart, misfit and then just about every type of fitbit that's been released. All with pretty similar results.0 -
If step counting is a fad it sure is a long lived one.
I think I bought my first Omron pedometer over ten years ago. And the aim-for-at-least-10,000-steps-a-day advice wasn't all that new even then.0 -
If step counting is a fad it sure is a long lived one.
I think I bought my first Omron pedometer over ten years ago. And the aim-for-at-least-10,000-steps-a-day advice wasn't all that new even then.
Still got mine. I keep it at work just in case I forgot to wear my Fitbit when I leave the house.0 -
I work in an office and easily get 10k steps a day just walking from my apartment to my car and to coffee or bathroom breaks with no other exercise. i don't walk places to commute (such as around the neighborhood), i drive everywhere and sit on a computer in my free time. the tallest building in my life is 3 floors. i cannot fathom that people are significantly less active than that.
An average person has a stride length of approximately 2.1 to 2.5 feet. That means that it takes over 2,000 steps to walk one mile; and 10,000 steps would be almost 5 miles.
I used to have an office job and I drove to work. There is no way in this world that my 2 min walk to and from the car park, my trip to the canteen at lunch time and the occasional stroll to the toilet or photocopying machine would have added up to 5 miles.
I work in an office and I average 5000 steps if I don't make an effort.0 -
Huge Motivator for myself. I purchase one for my lovely wife for Xmas. something she wanted. in researching them i found that i could use one myself , if nothing else as a self motivator. when i started just after the holiday i was taxing myself to hit the 10k mark..today just under 60 days after getting one i'm exceeding 15k per day. best day so far was just over 20 k... I WILL HIT THE 100 K mark this week..I WILL DO IT....oh and by the way i've dropped 25lbs in the last 52 days...25 down.. 75 to go.... yeah it works0
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counting steps does nothing to increase fitness. But knowing how many steps you take can provide incentive for you to add more steps to your day, and subsequently increase your fitness by increasing your activity level. I work a desk job and get about 5K steps without any extra effort. If i push it and take extra trips i get about 7500 , and if i want to get that magical 10K i need to powerwalk at least 30 minutes. So for me, 10K is a baseline # to target for each day and i'm happy with my fitbit buzzes. My stepcounter motivates me to get 10K, when otherwise i'd sit on my fat *kitten* and do nothing.0
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counting steps does nothing to increase fitness. But knowing how many steps you take can provide incentive for you to add more steps to your day, and subsequently increase your fitness by increasing your activity level. I work a desk job and get about 5K steps without any extra effort. If i push it and take extra trips i get about 7500 , and if i want to get that magical 10K i need to powerwalk at least 30 minutes. So for me, 10K is a baseline # to target for each day and i'm happy with my fitbit buzzes. My stepcounter motivates me to get 10K, when otherwise i'd sit on my fat *kitten* and do nothing.
This is me. I walk on my lunches otherwise Im an immobile blob. On the days I get my GOOD VIBRATIONS I feel really good about it. It really opens your eye to just how sedentary we really are (can be)0 -
I just sat and read this entire thing. OP has not shown their "face" again. Just to make it more interesting, feel free to add me to your fitbit friends list. https://www.fitbit.com/user/3LVH3Y0
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i'm game. https://www.fitbit.com/user/472SGV0
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Is it a fad? Well I hope it's around a long time as it increases activity and NEAT, but at the same time I will agree that it's not the same as moderate to vigorous exercise as is recommended for optimal health. I was listening to a Physiologist who is studying steps per day for health and she pegged 7500 as the number equivelant to the minimum recommandations and said that they haven't found an upper limit on benefits yet so 12500 is better than 10000, which is better than 7500. Will it give you the same benefits as vigorous exercise? Not likely but it's still a start for many who would otherwise feel that exercise wasn't for them and is a great way to help control weight.
Interestingly enough, I had a hip injury that prevented me from running for 10 months and all I did was walk (around 25K steps per day on average) and lift, I did not do any cardio training. Yet, after 10 months I was able to run my first run as a 5K in under 25 minutes and my PB prior to my injury was 23:09. My third run was a 5K in under 24 minutes. I then took over a month off again due to being too busy before running again. In that time all I did was lift weights and did not do much walking (around 12K average per day). My first run back after a month was only 3K in around 17 minutes. I then started walking more and in 3 weeks went to a 10K in under 50 minutes. Was walking keeping my cardiovascular endurance up? Not sure but my N=1 experiement seems to indicate that there was some possible relationship in maintaining endurance even at a low intensity.
In the end, I don't know of anyone who is using steps as a substitute for cardio endurance training, and aren't even thinking they are, but it's a lot better for them to aim for more steps than they have before than to just sit on the couch. Many people will eventually decide to take up a C25K program just because they feel better and more energetic and more ready to try a running program. So in that respect it's a very good thing.0 -
thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
Geez. I posted just last night before going to bed. 12 hours later I am being accused of being troll, throwing out my opinion and withdrawing to never return to respond, being rude, etc.
My doctor has never mentioned 10k steps to me in regards to optimum health and he is big on health promotion and preventative medicine. So I asked him about it yesterday on office visit. He is the one that expressed the concern that many people are under the illusion they are getting physically fit based solely on steps and weight loss.
I intended to provoke thought, not to insult anyone. I really wanted to know why the obsession with 10k steps.
I am glad to hear that many understand that step counting is just the beginning of improving physical fitness and motivating you to continue to do more. I do hear a little OCD about getting 10k steps no matter what. Overall, I think you are doing great in efforts to be more fit. You can put your torches away now. No need to burn me at the stake for "heresy".0 -
HeatherLee16 wrote: »I just sat and read this entire thing. OP has not shown their "face" again. Just to make it more interesting, feel free to add me to your fitbit friends list. https://www.fitbit.com/user/3LVH3Y
Didn't give me even 12 hours to get back. Have things to do in morning.0 -
koinflipper wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
Geez. I posted just last night before going to bed. 12 hours later I am being accused of being troll, throwing out my opinion and withdrawing to never return to respond, being rude, etc.
My doctor has never mentioned 10k steps to me in regards to optimum health and he is big on health promotion and preventative medicine. So I asked him about it yesterday on office visit. He is the one that expressed the concern that many people are under the illusion they are getting physically fit based solely on steps and weight loss.
I intended to provoke thought, not to insult anyone. I really wanted to know why the obsession with 10k steps.
I am glad to hear that many understand that step counting is just the beginning of improving physical fitness and motivating you to continue to do more. I do hear a little OCD about getting 10k steps no matter what. Overall, I think you are doing great in efforts to be more fit. You can put your torches away now. No need to burn me at the stake for "heresy".
Thanks for approving of my efforts. I feel so much better now.0 -
koinflipper wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
Geez. I posted just last night before going to bed. 12 hours later I am being accused of being troll, throwing out my opinion and withdrawing to never return to respond, being rude, etc.
My doctor has never mentioned 10k steps to me in regards to optimum health and he is big on health promotion and preventative medicine. So I asked him about it yesterday on office visit. He is the one that expressed the concern that many people are under the illusion they are getting physically fit based solely on steps and weight loss.
I intended to provoke thought, not to insult anyone. I really wanted to know why the obsession with 10k steps.
I am glad to hear that many understand that step counting is just the beginning of improving physical fitness and motivating you to continue to do more. I do hear a little OCD about getting 10k steps no matter what. Overall, I think you are doing great in efforts to be more fit. You can put your torches away now. No need to burn me at the stake for "heresy".
It's possible that some people believe that steps will optimize health, in fact I know some do, and this isn't correct but it's still a good tool for weight management, which is very important on it's own. They just need to be aware that more vigorous exercise should be used for optimizing health and a recent study found that running as little as 10 minutes a day can add 3 years to your life as well as improving quality of life.0 -
koinflipper wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
Geez. I posted just last night before going to bed. 12 hours later I am being accused of being troll, throwing out my opinion and withdrawing to never return to respond, being rude, etc.
My doctor has never mentioned 10k steps to me in regards to optimum health and he is big on health promotion and preventative medicine. So I asked him about it yesterday on office visit. He is the one that expressed the concern that many people are under the illusion they are getting physically fit based solely on steps and weight loss.
I intended to provoke thought, not to insult anyone. I really wanted to know why the obsession with 10k steps.
I am glad to hear that many understand that step counting is just the beginning of improving physical fitness and motivating you to continue to do more. I do hear a little OCD about getting 10k steps no matter what. Overall, I think you are doing great in efforts to be more fit. You can put your torches away now. No need to burn me at the stake for "heresy".
Your first line is that you are a disbeliever in counting steps and called it a FAD. So all of us, who count steps as a part of our daily lives and see that it helps us in achieving our goals replied.
I could have a busy day at home and work- but unless I make an effort - as in exercise, walk etc I dont hit or exceed 10k. Without the tracker I would have no clue.
Lemonade diet is a FAD. Diet pills are a FAD. Side ponytails are were a FAD. Countings steps is not.
If you wanted to make an argument you could have said something like....
"I think 10,000 steps is an arbitrary number - discuss" as opposed to coming of mildly superior and insulting to a large number of OCD 10,000 step achievers.0
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