10,000 Steps really??????
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Humans need physical activity to be healthy. If you get that doing formal workouts or cycling or swimming or whatever, then your step count isn't particularly relevant. For people who have desk jobs or similar, aiming to get 10,000 steps/day is a completely reasonable and achievable way to ensure that they get a minimum amount of physical activity. For most, that corresponds to walking about 5 miles. So, an hour of walking (for 6,000-7,000 steps) plus general putzing about and life to get the other 3,000-4,000 steps.
You could pick a different arbitrary number - as long as it was reasonably high. Obviously, those with physical limitations would need to look to other ways to get their activity or set goals that were more appropriate to their specific situation.9 -
Christine_72 wrote: »If you want to be entertained, check out the forums on the fitbit site, especially the multiple-year threads titled "How Can Anyone Do [50,000, 80,000, some other random number] Steps In A Day?????" And people who join contests on the internet with people who may or may not exist, and complain that people are cheating.
Hhmmm I had a few of those in my last challenge. I swear some of them put their fitbits in the tumble dryer or something to get 50+k steps 7 days a damn week!
Someone came up with an ingenious way to cheat. Get a partner and each of you walk for say 3 hours a day wearing both fitbits. Instant double steps. Not that anyone would do that, right?0 -
RemarkablyUnremarkable wrote: »My question is... Is 10,000 steps really the end all of how fit you are? When I worked at the hospital I did that and more. Now, I find it really hard to rack up the steps. My activity tracker goes off every 15 minutes and I am thinking, I am SMACK in the middle of a design UGH!/
If your in a mind spiral about having to get 10,000 steps, strap a "fitbit" like device to your ankle instead of your wrist and peddle on a floor/desk cycle.
I think if your doing 40 minutes of activity per day that's a good thing. However, there is some health concerns about sitting stationary for too long. Check out the Mayo Clinic write up on this.2 -
Not sure about the step issue? It is simply a function of time. Each hour of purposeful walking will usually yield 6-7000 steps. How many hours you put into it... is up to you!
10,000 steps more than covers the moderate exercise portion of the WHO exercise recommendations: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_recommendations/en/.
It falls short of "walk for weight loss recommendations" I run into a while back (I think either the american council for exercise or the president's council for health or something) which was closer to 12000.
Some would argue that if you can put in 5 hours of walking you might be able to put in one hour of running instead and get more results. Knees, age, weight, general condition may all argue for or against that point.
As to the fitbit question I really don't understand it! Obviously you just tie the fitbit to your dog's tail and offer her cookies to wag her tail faster. I thought everyone did it that way!7 -
I get 6-8k steps a day when I don't try. I have a desk job and a commute but I still get that many running errands, taking my dog for a walk, and doing basic chores.
With my fitbit I'm motivated to move even more so I jump on my stepper at night until I hit 10k and it vibrates. I think it's a great tool if you're trying to increase your activity but if that isn't a personal goal I wouldn't stress about it.0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »If you want to be entertained, check out the forums on the fitbit site, especially the multiple-year threads titled "How Can Anyone Do [50,000, 80,000, some other random number] Steps In A Day?????" And people who join contests on the internet with people who may or may not exist, and complain that people are cheating.
Hhmmm I had a few of those in my last challenge. I swear some of them put their fitbits in the tumble dryer or something to get 50+k steps 7 days a damn week!
This is so funny to me!! Even on the two occasions I have ran marathons, I've only gotten up to ~45000 steps! 50k every day would be a nightmare6 -
That's one of the things I dislike about step counters. When I take the car to walk, I could get 300-500 steps for the way (walking from my house to the parking lot, walking from where I park to the office). If I take the bike, it's nearly zero steps, because I cycle door-to-door. And the activity reminder only counted walking around, so I might be in the middle of a sweaty workout doing pushups or crunches, and it would beep at me to remind me to be more active. A goal of 10k steps is a great incentive to get moving if you would otherwise spend your time on the couch. My retired parents bought step counters and have now started the habit of doing a daily walk around their village to get their steps, which I think is awesome. But if you do other activities, I don't think you should obsess too much about that number.RemarkablyUnremarkable wrote: »storyjorie wrote: »I never have trouble hitting that number if I get in a half hour of exercise...if I run 3 miles in the morning and go to the grocery store that day, I'm done. Not sure whether the steps themselves actually matter, but as a fairly active person, I rarely go to sleep with less than 10k hit (except on days of rest, when I'm lucky if I see 4k).
This is what my goal is, I really want to run! For now though I am on machines, eliptical and bike and alternate with the treadmill. I shouldn't let it get to me but I cant help but feel irked I spin 15 miles and get no credit!
Just looked it up - my marathon six weeks ago was 48551 steps. I guess I got 50k steps that day, but I don't think my feet and legs are up for that every day - if those people don't cheat, they must be ultra-runners or somethinglilolilo920 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »If you want to be entertained, check out the forums on the fitbit site, especially the multiple-year threads titled "How Can Anyone Do [50,000, 80,000, some other random number] Steps In A Day?????" And people who join contests on the internet with people who may or may not exist, and complain that people are cheating.
Hhmmm I had a few of those in my last challenge. I swear some of them put their fitbits in the tumble dryer or something to get 50+k steps 7 days a damn week!
This is so funny to me!! Even on the two occasions I have ran marathons, I've only gotten up to ~45000 steps! 50k every day would be a nightmare
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I made a couple discoveries with the pedometer given to me for the Step Challenge I did ...
-- if I had the pedometer with me on the bus or in a car, it would log steps. Probably a step for every bump. One particular bus route would give me 1000 steps for the round trip. But another was a smoother route and would only give me about 400 steps. But every motor vehicle ride gave me steps.
-- if I had my phone in the breast pocket of my jacket on the same side as I was wearing the pedometer, I would get double steps because the weight of the phone caused my jacket to swing a bit and tap the pedometer, which would log a step for every tap, in addition to my real steps.
I had my suspicions that some people in the challenge hadn't made those discoveries ... or had, but were ignoring them.1 -
I made a couple discoveries with the pedometer given to me for the Step Challenge I did ...
-- if I had the pedometer with me on the bus or in a car, it would log steps. Probably a step for every bump. One particular bus route would give me 1000 steps for the round trip. But another was a smoother route and would only give me about 400 steps. But every motor vehicle ride gave me steps.
-- if I had my phone in the breast pocket of my jacket on the same side as I was wearing the pedometer, I would get double steps because the weight of the phone caused my jacket to swing a bit and tap the pedometer, which would log a step for every tap, in addition to my real steps.
I had my suspicions that some people in the challenge hadn't made those discoveries ... or had, but were ignoring them.
I too had a step challenge at work earlier this year, in which we were given pedometers. Very cheap crappy pedometers. I ran mine alongside my Fitbit for a while (until I got sick of it constantly resetting itself to 0 and tossed it aside in disgust), and the difference was hilarious. I felt kind of bad for people who thought they were genuinely getting 10k steps a day when they would have been well under though.0 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »I made a couple discoveries with the pedometer given to me for the Step Challenge I did ...
-- if I had the pedometer with me on the bus or in a car, it would log steps. Probably a step for every bump. One particular bus route would give me 1000 steps for the round trip. But another was a smoother route and would only give me about 400 steps. But every motor vehicle ride gave me steps.
-- if I had my phone in the breast pocket of my jacket on the same side as I was wearing the pedometer, I would get double steps because the weight of the phone caused my jacket to swing a bit and tap the pedometer, which would log a step for every tap, in addition to my real steps.
I had my suspicions that some people in the challenge hadn't made those discoveries ... or had, but were ignoring them.
I too had a step challenge at work earlier this year, in which we were given pedometers. Very cheap crappy pedometers. I ran mine alongside my Fitbit for a while (until I got sick of it constantly resetting itself to 0 and tossed it aside in disgust), and the difference was hilarious. I felt kind of bad for people who thought they were genuinely getting 10k steps a day when they would have been well under though.
Ours were decent pedometers ... but they were a bit sensitive, and there was no way to turn them off when we were doing non-walking activities.0 -
I maintain 2100-2600 and I only get 3000-6000 steps a day lol whatever.1
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Christine_72 wrote: »Yep! I asked one of them how they did it, and they replied "walks around the neighborhood in the morning and evening ". I felt like asking if they lived in the middle of Africa lol
On my last marahon I did 51k steps, my last Ultra was 74k steps.
There is no way people are sustaining that kind of mileage unless they're training for something.
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The main reason I don't wear a Fitbit is because I won't be told by a plastic wristband what to do! It's mind over matter, just fit what you can into your busy schedule and be as aware of the importance of exercise as you are healthy eating. My dog gets walked 2 miles every morning then I'm active gardening, occasionally swimming and generally getting on with life.... that's plenty exercise for me to maintain my weight loss.0
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Christine_72 wrote: »If you want to be entertained, check out the forums on the fitbit site, especially the multiple-year threads titled "How Can Anyone Do [50,000, 80,000, some other random number] Steps In A Day?????" And people who join contests on the internet with people who may or may not exist, and complain that people are cheating.
Hhmmm I had a few of those in my last challenge. I swear some of them put their fitbits in the tumble dryer or something to get 50+k steps 7 days a damn week!
I managed 1 week with all days over 30k and 2 days above 50k but it is not sustainable unless you don't work and have amazing walking shoes.2 -
As a desk dweller, a couple tips.
1. Park further back in the parking lot.
2. Drink throughout the day. take the long way to dehydrate, upstairs or down if that is an available dehydration option.0 -
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yesterday my tracker went off telling me I had reached 10,000 steps... uh I was at my desk all day. However, i was crocheting with it on. Apparently my crochet form makes my tracker think Im walking!3
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OP asked, "Is there a tracker that measures spinning/eliptical etc? That would be nice."
Yes. It's the Misfit Flash Cyclist Edition. On sale for $19.99 at the moment. It's not waterproof like the Shine however. I believe the Shine would count "steps" if attached to your shoe when cycling.
I have used the Shine, and now have the Shine2. They are swim-resistant, which I love because I walk the perimeter of the pool in the summer. Also, they use a battery so you never have to take them off to charge - or to shower. I wear mine ALL the time on my ankle, but most wear them on the wrist or pocket or on a necklace. I've been wearing them for about 2.5 years and LOVE the Shine. The Shine is on sale for Christmas right now for $29.99 from $69.99 (what?!?) and the Shine2 is $79.99, down from $99.99.
I can't speak highly enough of their customer service. Had my first Shine for about 6 months when it leaked after a day in the pool. They replaced it within days, no questions asked. That one leaked too, and they replaced it within days, no questions asked. After that the Shine & now the Shine2 have never leaked. Oh - they also sent me a free replacement battery just before mine wore out!
I think they're more attractive than the Fitbit, too.
No - I don't work for them, just very impressed by this product.
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TrishSeren wrote: »this is what I use it for...the 10k steps I mean
Per this article
1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
basically tells me how active I am most of the time unless it's a cooking day then it gets shot to hell...
for me I get about 4k in the winter at work...and I am trying everything, summer at work 6k (walk outside) around the building. If I am shopping on my lunch break about another 2k...
so it's the treadmill I go to get the 10k..mainly for the extra food.
So does this mean in MFP I'm low active as I walk this much every day because I walk to and from work?
depends on if you are doing the walk to work because you have to or for exercise...
If purposeful exercise then no...your activity in MFP is before purposeful movement.1 -
Oops. Just checked their website, and seems the original Shine is out of stock. At that price I'm not surprised.
Also, I neglected to mention that I try for 11k steps a day. If it's a day when I run a lot of errands I can get my steps by adding a walk of 2-2.5 miles in the evening. Otherwise I need a walk of about 3-3.5 miles to get the 11k. Since I began suffering from plantar fasciitis I've been taking smaller steps (long strides exacerbate the PF) so it's been easier to get the 11k in - lol.1 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »If you want to be entertained, check out the forums on the fitbit site, especially the multiple-year threads titled "How Can Anyone Do [50,000, 80,000, some other random number] Steps In A Day?????" And people who join contests on the internet with people who may or may not exist, and complain that people are cheating.
Hhmmm I had a few of those in my last challenge. I swear some of them put their fitbits in the tumble dryer or something to get 50+k steps 7 days a damn week!
50k+ a day all week??? OMG having done 50k once and wanting to die I can't imagine doing that every day. Admittedly I didn't take enough decent rest breaks that day and was battling high winds (which is tiring as hell) but still...I am planning to do a 55k day over my summer break to get that badge but I will be planning it really carefully and you can bet the next day will be a rest day.
Yep! I asked one of them how they did it, and they replied "walks around the neighborhood in the morning and evening ". I felt like asking if they lived in the middle of Africa lol
Yeah...that's not going to get you 50k. I'm currently sitting on a daily average just under 25k (challenging myself to hit my 4 millionth step since getting my Fitbit by the end of the year). Yesterday that was two 7km walks and bootcamp; plus a few thousand from 'non exercise' activity including trying to be mindful to just get up and move every hour. 50k+ in a day is hours. It basically equates to a good 40km worth.
Your challenge pals are doing something dodgy.
Hell yeah they are - We walked Torquay to Bells Beach and back, and I only hit 25k steps. 50k steps is non-stop walking all damn day.
Yeah, I did a challenge and the winner (way ahead of everyone else) was around that number, but he had a job where he walked all day.1 -
I changed my main goal to 45 active minutes. It feels more helpful to me. But I do pay attention to the steps on weekends because I know with all the moving I'm doing chasing after my son and milk runs I'm still not getting as many steps as I thought and am sometimes turning on youtube videos because I'm not at 3000 and it's well after 2pm. Work days I take 1-2 10-15 min walks for a break, really helps with refocusing on rough days.1
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On OP's comments, I used to have a tracker because I wanted to see what my steps were, and I learned that on a normal day with commuting to work and some extra walking I was close to 10K, so I made 10K (nice even number) a goal to hit on a non-exercise day. On an exercise day I may still hit it (if I go to the gym I don't walk less and if I run I go way over), but I might not -- my lowest step days are days I ride my bike to work and back, even if I work in an extra 30 mile ride on the way home. So, eh. I stopped paying attention to steps on days I exercised and focused on completing planned activities or overall time exercising on those days (and then my tracker broke and I didn't replace it since I know what I need to do to be active on a non exercise day).
For me it's pretty easy to hit 10K on most days (but the biking ones) because I have walking built into my life (errands and commuting to work and such), but if you don't and prefer lots of non walking activity (like biking or elliptical), I don't see a reason to care about steps. If you want to make sure you have a certain base of non exercise movement, do what you think makes sense one day, track the steps, and make that the goal, even if it's, say, 5K or 7K or whatever it is.1 -
Fitness and weight loss are two different thing. Weight loss happens when calories in are less than calories out. You could stay in bed 24 hours a day and lose weight as long as you eat less calories than your body burns just surviving. But, that wouldn't be healthy of course which brings us to fitness. Being active is going to help your health, cardiovascular and all sorts of other ways. Hope that helps but don't get too hung up on a step count.1
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That recommendation has been around since forever. LONG before all this trendy tracking and logging was mainstream. I have used a pedometer for the past 20 years at least and that was always the minimum they say we "should" aim for so it definitely is not new. Someone posted an article once that tells where we got that number in the first place. Maybe it's right, maybe it's wrong. I dunno. But here it is.
bbc.com/news/magazine-331545103 -
myfitpqlstan136 wrote: »As a desk dweller, a couple tips.
1. Park further back in the parking lot.
2. Drink throughout the day. take the long way to dehydrate, upstairs or down if that is an available dehydration option.
Yes! Drink throughout the day! Just be careful on the stairs later
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this is what I use it for...the 10k steps I mean
Per this article
1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
basically tells me how active I am most of the time unless it's a cooking day then it gets shot to hell...
for me I get about 4k in the winter at work...and I am trying everything, summer at work 6k (walk outside) around the building. If I am shopping on my lunch break about another 2k...
so it's the treadmill I go to get the 10k..mainly for the extra food.
It's so confusing because I do have a desk job, but i make it a point to take 10k+ steps each day after work so does that make me active when from 930-4pm im sitting down only getting up to reach the fax/copier i pretty much glued to my phone1 -
tylervigen wrote: »To answer your other question: 10,000 steps is about 4.7 miles (assuming a 30in step). Jogging 4.7 miles at a leisurely pace would take less than an hour and would be an even better approach to the same goal.
That is not at all true. There are numerous scientific studies showing steady-state cardio at moderate intensity does not work if your goal is solely fat loss. The author of the topic is 39yo, stay-at-home mom with a desk job and thyroid issues -- so for her case, walking is much better than jogging. Yes, jogging 5 miles will expend more calorie than walking but realistically not as much as you think. Maybe an extra 100-150 calories. The bad part is you also stressed the body much more. Stress hormones (such as Cortisol and Adrenaline) will become elevated leading to more harm than good in the long run (at least in the person's case posting the topic).
I live along the beach and literally see hundreds (if not thousands) of people "leisurely jogging" daily. Most (there are exceptions) of them that are over 30 years of age have the following in common: look to be struggling, incorrect form and tensed shoulders/arms, and are FAT in some way. Those under 30, well they look better because their hormones are still in balance not because they are out jogging.
The science has been proven that if a very healthy individual sprints for 30 seconds, rests for a few minutes, then repeats over a 20-minute period this will significantly "burn" more bodyfat in the long run than someone who jogs/does steady-state cardio over a 1-hour period of time. You do not see other animals out in the wild "going for a jog". They are either going all out chasing/fleeing for a very short amount of time, the rest of the time walking or laying down.3 -
this is what I use it for...the 10k steps I mean
Per this article
1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
basically tells me how active I am most of the time unless it's a cooking day then it gets shot to hell...
for me I get about 4k in the winter at work...and I am trying everything, summer at work 6k (walk outside) around the building. If I am shopping on my lunch break about another 2k...
so it's the treadmill I go to get the 10k..mainly for the extra food.
It's so confusing because I do have a desk job, but i make it a point to take 10k+ steps each day after work so does that make me active when from 930-4pm im sitting down only getting up to reach the fax/copier i pretty much glued to my phone
This is a study done by ncbi...I am just quoting it but I have a desk job and I typicalyl get 10k in a day but that is daily life and exercise.
Without exercise I get about 5-7.5k depends on the season (winter here is not fun) so for me this is a guide for my personal use it has nothing to do with MFP. On MFP I set it sedentary as I do have a desk job and the movement I get is purposeful and tracked.
So don't take this and mix it up with MFP...this is not from MFP.1 -
The original idea was marketing back in the 1960's but the concept was to promote non-active people to be more active. It had less to do with weight loss and more to do with cardiovascular and systemic value. I don't get why people get so bent out of shape about it. It can be a great reminder to move often.
Officially it isn't supported by any fitness councils or science groups. But the notion that most people need to move more is. I read somewhere the average adult is down to 5000 steps or less average in a day.
Whatever works for you, do it.7
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