Am I not walking enough?

amandaeve
amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
edited November 16 in Fitness and Exercise
I've had a fitness tracker for a month now, and it tells me I'm not walking enough. It's sending me news articles about how important walking is and whatnot. I walk about 6,000 steps a day and climb 13 flights of stairs. I've never focused on walking. I average 750 "activity minutes" a week (cycling, gym, etc.) which I thought was pretty healthy. Is the research out there showing that it is really more important for me to walk than to do more intense activities?

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,031 Member
    Uh no. They are talking about people who are pretty much sedentary in life.


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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I only get around 6000 steps in per day... but I work out 5 x a week, which includes training for a half marathon so I'm not really bothered about walking more.
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    zachbonner_ wrote: »
    10 000 steps a day is best

    Why?
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Which tracker is it? You can change the goal on most of them.

  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    zachbonner_ wrote: »
    10 000 steps a day is best

    Said some random scientist once.

    The 10k steps a day is a target for those who don't do much else. There are other ways to exercise. You're doing fine.
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    zachbonner_ wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    zachbonner_ wrote: »
    10 000 steps a day is best

    Why?

    Because it's an arbitrary round number.

    Good to know
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    zachbonner_ wrote: »
    10 000 steps a day is best

    Why?

    i have a sedentary life, office job, i sit ALL day. the only way i can get 10K steps is if i take a walk on my 15 minutes break and i spend 20-30 minutes on the treadmill, plus my normal walking around the house at night. So my guess is its they figured out the reasonable number to keep a sedentary person active enough to not be unhealthy. and Yes rounded to the nearest whole number.
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  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    I know that the 10,000 step thing was arbitrarily chosen decades ago and persevered as a catchy marketing slogan. Walking is of key importance, as it is a strikingly strong predictor for mortality in older people (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20972641) but that step requirement is random. I guess I was thrown by the thing telling me to walk more, like maybe there is some data supporting that walking is more important, even though it goes against what I've learned about fitness. Obviously, I'm capable of walking 10,000 steps, which is probably more important than whether I do or not....(I hope)
  • terrijnol
    terrijnol Posts: 8 Member
    I hit the 10k frequently but don't feel in shape because of it! It's just comes with the territory in my work. Still striving to workout 3-4 x's per week.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I get between 15-20k steps a day, but walking is my only exercise. I don't do extra cycling, swimming or gymming on top of that.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,337 Member
    terrijnol wrote: »
    I hit the 10k frequently but don't feel in shape because of it! It's just comes with the territory in my work. Still striving to workout 3-4 x's per week.

    It is not for getting in shape, it is for getting active. 10000 steps a day would mean a person is not sedentary. However, that activity could be done in other ways that would not register as steps like cycling, swimming, lifting weights, etc. Many of those activities will get a person in shape in a way walking will not. Seeking to add low intensity things like walking throughout ones day and thus increasing one's Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is probably a good thing to do to avoid what sometimes happens with more intense exercises with people who start out sedentary where they adjust the NEAT down which counteracts the exercise activity to some extent.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    I work a desk job, but I still get 15 to 20 thousand steps most days.

    I power walk and/or run just about every day though.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    I've had my FitBit for one day now, it's going to be an eye opener. On a lazy Sunday I got less than 1000 steps until I went for a walk. I'll see how it goes during the weekdays but think hitting 6k will take some work, so I won't be aiming for 10k in the near future. 6k is probably burning an extra 500 calories over being sedentary, that's almost a pound a week right there.
  • FitnessfraserG
    FitnessfraserG Posts: 2 Member
    Exercise needs to be a combination of high intensity, weight and walking. This 10,000 step is a targic for as said before "office workers". Weights in older age is actually proven to be more improtant as you get older. Weights improve muscle strength and improve mobility, prevent falls and help with weight gain. If I was going to advise anyone I would say a mix walking and weights. The stepper are a complete waste of time I know many women who wear fit bits and are more unfit then those who don't.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    If you are pretty active otherwise then I don't think you need to walk more than 6,000 steps. I think the 10,000 steps is more a goal to shoot for if walking is your main activity.
    You could look up what your activities step equivalents would be.
    http://www.purdue.edu/walktothemoon/activities.html
    https://www.verywell.com/pedometer-step-equivalents-for-exercises-and-activities-3435742
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    DopeItUp wrote: »
    If you don't walk 10,000 steps a day you will surely die, sooner or later.

    Conersely, if you DO walk 10,000 steps a day you will surely die, sooner or later. :tongue:
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    You can probably turn off these alerts. If you were averaging 6000 steps a day and not having 'active minutes' in other things, then maybe it would be something to consider. But I think the 10k steps a day advice does not take into consideration you're doing more than just step-based activity.
    amandaeve wrote: »
    I've had a fitness tracker for a month now, and it tells me I'm not walking enough. It's sending me news articles about how important walking is and whatnot. I walk about 6,000 steps a day and climb 13 flights of stairs. I've never focused on walking. I average 750 "activity minutes" a week (cycling, gym, etc.) which I thought was pretty healthy. Is the research out there showing that it is really more important for me to walk than to do more intense activities?

  • safarigirlelka
    safarigirlelka Posts: 29 Member
    I am competitive by nature and have a Garmin watch. I actually find myself less motivated to cycle and swim now as I don't get 'steps' for those and can't win the step challenges! It's depressing when you have pushed your heart rate to near maximum and your prissy watch makes you out to be a slob. I say, take those alerts with a bucketful of salt!!!
  • demorelli
    demorelli Posts: 508 Member
    There was someone, i believe in Japan, decades ago who said something about 10,000 steps being a reasonable amount for an average healthy person. Then others have basically taken it as the word of God and spread it around. While it's a great goal and a good way of adding exercise for those who otherwise don't get much, it's really not essential.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Manpo-kei was the Japanese name for pedometers in the 60's which translates as 10k steps. This, I believe, is the orgin and is not based on any nutritional/fitness data.
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