10,000 steps a day seems impossible??

[Walkwalkinthelight]

Just started a 'healthy living ' programme (weight loss, well being, fitness etc).
One of the goals is 1000 steps a day??

I work from home, mad busy and sit at desk all day then gym at night. I've only done 1300 steps by teatime.

How the hell does anyone with a desk job do 10000 steps a day!!

My teenager walks to school and back and round a massive school all day and he only does 7500!!

Steps/walking are a different type of energy expenditure than swimming/weight lifting.

steps/walking count towards your NEAT which is your NON exercise activity - ideally you should be doing a bit of both. Minimum 8k steps a day for majority of people is say, even if you are doing other exercises that day. It’s not one or the other typically.

I found 90 mins to 2 hour walk would have me losing the weight I wanted without having to change my food intake much (as you say it does take time out of the day to do too much overeating!). It was hard to fit it into my day. When on maternity leave I got up at 5.30am and did 90 mins while kids still in bed (and DH still in if baby woke up) and then half an hour after they had gone to bed in the evening. I went to bed no long after the kids did so I reduced down to 30 min jog when I lost the weight I wanted to lose but I lost 2 stone in a few months. It’s hilly where I live in every direction to that helped too.

Like others have said, you won't get anywhere near 10k steps if you're in the house all day. If I didn't leave the house I would probably get about 4k, which would consist of up and down the stairs, housework, following kids round etc.

However I do some form of walking every day. Mid week I walk the school pick up which adds an extra 2500 ish. I also do a 20-30min run on the treadmill twice a week which adds a lot on these days. At weekends I go out for a 45min walk.

I don't get 10,000 every day though but always aim to get at least 7,000. If I've not met this I will purposefully walk round the house to get to this. On really active days when I've been the gym and walked I get to 12,000.

I wfh on my laptop. I have to walk 3.5 miles on my lunch break to hit 10,000.

In an ideal world you might be able to walk and workout but if you don't have time for both then working out is still good, then get as many steps as you can.

@DontLikeMenthols can I ask what one you bought? I’m torn between paying £200 or £500 so any personal recommendation would be good, thanks!

Could you try short intensive bursts of HIIT instead? It’s a good way of keeping your heart healthy and is much smarter than slogging out a random 10k steps.

Surely you need to actually go for a walk, as others have said. You can't expect to walk that many steps if you don't make some effort.

I like the concept of 'exercise snacking'

just do a little a few times a day.

Not helpful to you... But small kids.

Pre kids I once did less than 1000 steps in an ENTIRE weekend. (Hungover, on my own, in a small flat).

Now have 3 kids under 6 and although I WFH at a desk I still easily clear 7.5k in an average day, barely leaving the house. Quite often hit 10k in a busy day! And I still take every opportunity to sit down as much as I can... Just not many opportunities.

I've done just over 24,000 today. The joys of not owning a car!

I run as a hobby but Mondays are a rest day. My day doesn't feel especially active but I'm on 9750 so might squeeze in 10k by the end of the day. (Although Im sure my watch overestimates how much i do - once it told me I'd done 35 steps before I'd even got out of bed - I'm quite a fidget but that's ridiculous!🤣)

I walk 10 min each way to the station, and work is less than 5 min away the other end. I always take the stairs and and have done 2 errands at work today which probably totalled 15 min walk (max) and extra 11 flights of stairs.

Its about 4.5 miles for me, which is around 90 mins of walking. If you work out of home then its probably easiest to fit it in as part of your commute. But it is a made up number. Just do what you can to fit walking into your life naturally.

Get a dog 😀

I WFH and hit minimum of 10k each day by going for an hours walk each morning before starting work. I get it out of the way early then if I am busy with meetings, I have still reached my target. I listen to a podcast every day which makes the time fly by.

If you work at home then a couple of walks a day - but build up to it slowly. Start where you are and add 2 or 300 steps a week.

You surely don't need to do as many steps on days you're swimming and cycling

Er no - 10,000 steps isn't some sort of exercise high point to aim for, it's the basic minimum expectation for moving around IME. Of course swimming/cycling/yoga/aerobics etc should be on top.

I don't. Would have to do all my steps after work so I just exercise (spin classes instead)
It's not a good goal for me as I'm stuck at a desk 8-5

Get a dog 😁

I easily do that now, quite often twice that much.

Two decent walks a day come rain or shine thanks to the dog.

But sometimes it's just not possible
I don't want to get up earlier (plus it's dark and not safe)
I get 30 mins lunch which by the time I've cooked something, eaten, been for a wee and made a cup of tea, it's over or I've got 10 mins left)
Finish work at 5 or 6, 60 min workout (spin/weights) then shower, cook, eat and it's dark again and I like having a couple of hours to chill out
It doesn't fit in my day as I can't leave my desk so it's either vigorous spin class for 45-60 mins OR walking

I don't want to get up earlier (plus it's dark and not safe)

You answered your own question there though - you don't want to get up earlier; and you like having a couple of hours in the evening to chill out.

I get that, but it is possible to fit more activity into your day. You're just choosing other things (which is absolutely fine!)

30 walk to and from the train station from home. 20 mins from work from the tube. Ten mins at lunch. Done.

It's harder if you can't integrate into your day like that. You need to have somewhere to go or something to do. I do way less if I work at home or at the weekend.

If I don't get out for a morning walk I struggle to get to 10k working from home. Even if I do a lunchtime walk. So I always walk the dc to school then go for a dog walk at lunch or after work. That and all the pottering around usually adds up to 10k. If it's bad weather do a walk workout on YouTube.

I only hit 10,000 steps if I run when I'm at the gym.

TBH I don't pay too much attention to my step count. Some people may regularly hit 10,000 steps but never get their heart rate up or break a sweat. I'd rather do an hour in the gym running, spinning, weights than monitor my steps which might just increase from pottering around the house.

Yes and no. I mean I don't think many people want to trudge round the streets when it's dark! In summer yes, evening walk is lovely
If I went for a walk after work I would need to do what, 90 mins to get the 9000 steps? I hit 1000 during work hours

So finish work at 6pm, 60 min spin, that's 7pm, walk around the streets until 8.30pm, shower, it's 9pm and I haven't even cooked and need to get to bed

That means I've spent the entire day either working or walking/exercising
So no TV, no reading, no catching up with friends etc, no cleaning, it's not realistic for me