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Original poster

Do you walk 10,000 steps a day?

144 replies

nordica · 08/04/2021 12:40

I've dusted off the Fitbit recently and tried to get more active but I'm finding it's surprisingly hard to get anywhere near the recommended 10,000 steps a day goal. How many people actually do? How much/how long for do you have to walk to reach the goal?

I don't know if this is because I'm short and have shorter strides so can't cover as much in the same time as someone taller, or if it's because I'm unfit and my brisk walk isn't fast enough. Even when I go out for a 30-45 minute walk, at best I get to around 6000 steps a day. The other day I walked for over an hour and still didn't reach 10k steps for the day. My job is sedentary which doesn't help of course (and I'm working from home so there is very little walking to do as part of my usual day).

I remember thinking the same in the past, especially as people so often seem to say "oh 10k steps a day is easy, just go for a short walk".

OP posts:

pophop · 09/04/2021 17:55

My step counter must be busted cause I'm a postie and literally walk between 8-14 miles a day just at work and I still don't get as many steps as some of the posters on here. Thinking I should invest in a Fitbit to be more accurate.

riverrunner · 09/04/2021 18:10

@pophop

I actually asked our postman about his daily stepcount once, and he said he averaged between 22 and 27k daily.

Downton57 · 09/04/2021 18:12

Dancing about to some good tunes is an excellent way to raise your step count... 300-400 a song, more if you go a bit mad. It's more fun as well.

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Exercise & fitness Fitness

VanGoghsDog · 09/04/2021 18:15

@pophop

I just use an app on my phone called "fit".

needadvice54321 · 09/04/2021 18:15

If I wore a Fitbit I think I probably would hit 10k steps - esp at work

As I don't, so only have the counter on my phone, I usually average 5-6k

ProseccoandPizza · 09/04/2021 18:18

Puppy that needs a fair few miles a day exercise. I average between 16-26,000 a day.

But I often choose to walk to work, walk dog 3-3.5 hours, live semi rurally and have chickens etc. So lots of running around.

Stokey · 09/04/2021 18:19

@pophop the mi fit are a good far cheaper alternative to fit bits.

I used to do 10-12k no problem when I was commuting. Now working from home I really struggle, and it was even worse during lockdown when the DC weren't at school. I'm really trying to build up again to try & lose some of the lockdown weight. So I went for an hour's walk this morning, listening to a podcast before breakfast. Then have cleaned the house and took DD2 on a play date so have made 10,000. I was working the rest of the week though and struggled to reach 5,000 most days.

BigHairyPaws · 09/04/2021 18:41

Yes. I walk the dog or about an hour first thing and then again around lunchtime. I WFH and so, if I didn't do that, I'd barely do 500 steps [grins]

NoGoodPunsLeft · 09/04/2021 18:52

I do currently as I have no commute so can walk the long way to school to pick DD up. I'm normal times I used to get about 9,000.

Do you hit the mile goal? if so that would take .your short legs into account.
My goal for active minutes is 30 mins so you're hitting that.

allycat4 · 09/04/2021 18:58

Yes, easily!! Usually by about 11am.

winterchills · 09/04/2021 19:34

Hardly ever reach 10,000

ErrolTheDragon · 09/04/2021 19:36

I'm not sure leg length matters to fitness trackers. The Apple Watch seems to assess steps and also whether you're standing by arm swings. So it undercounts if you're carrying things or eg pushing a pram or other unrecognised movements - you have to turn on the walking or running app to get proper gps measurement of distance.
It's quite annoying in the morning when I come downstairs, make tea, let the dog in and out, unload the dishwasher, go back upstairs - and the bastard thing doesn't register that I've been stood up.

Juancornetto · 09/04/2021 19:55

School days when I do the school run - half a mile each way so 2 miles a day - I do about 13000 a day, otherwise about 6000. Though I've just bought a stepper to get my steps up on those days. I live in the middle of a town and walk to most places so lockdown had definitely cut down on my number of steps because I have fewer activities to walk to.

CloudFormations · 09/04/2021 19:58

10,000 steps is about 5km. It’s hard to get there just by pottering, you have to make a proper effort to walk. I currently do 20,000 steps a day because my baby only naps in a moving pram, but before when I was working I found it hard to hit 10,000 unless I went for a run.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 09/04/2021 20:08

Yes, but I'm a dog walker so I suspect it doesn't count

On an average day I do 12-15k. Busy days can be 24k.

ilovecarbs90 · 09/04/2021 20:11

Walking 10k steps is actually really hard to do if you have a full time office job / don't have a long walk to work. I count my steps on my phone and 10k steps is well over an hour of walking. It's bloody hard and further than you think.

Bagelsandbrie · 09/04/2021 20:13

I feel like I do a lot of walking but my phone only registers that I do about 5k steps most days - I do have the Active 10 app which registers how much brisk walking you do, which I actually think is better for your health anyway, and I average about 30-40 mins a day. I get close to 8k steps that’s a really good day for me. I do have lupus and Addison’s and asthma and all sorts of things so do find it all a struggle but determined to do as much as I can!

AlrightTreacle · 11/04/2021 22:59

Just been for a one and a half hour walk, which was 9,893 steps according to my fitbit.

Average 15 - 20k most days, 20 - 30k one or two days per week. But I have a fairly active job, enjoy walking and running, and walk various family and friends dogs. Currently in the routine of going for a 45ish minute walk in the morning before leaving for work, so have usually done at least 5,000 steps before 7am. I enjoy the peace and quiet in the morning to help me wake up a bit before I have to speak to people all day. Plus listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

From a fitness point of view, 10,000 steps is a completely made up goal, think it came from a advertising campaign. It's better to aim for brisk walks, ones that get your heart pumping a bit. NHS recommends aiming for to walk briskly for 30 minutes per day, no mention of the number of steps. Also more achievable as it can be done in one go, or broken up into three 10 minute walks or two 15 minute walks. There's an NHS app called 'Active 10' that tracks your minutes spent walking.

caringcarer · 12/04/2021 00:31

Most days less than half as wfh. Weekends I do get up to 8000.

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