To wonder how on Earth I can manage 10,000 steps

[BlossomRain]

I have a fit bit zip that I wear on my body. Yesterday I walked for 6 hours solid as well as pottering before and after, I managed just over 11000 steps. I want to do the 1 million steps challenge from July to September for diabetes uk but I work a desk job and generally average 3,000 steps a day how on Earth will I hit my target of 11,000 steps a day on a normal day?! I DO have a very long stride not sure if this is a factor

I have the same fitbit and wear it in the same place as you OP... I'm also sat on my bum all day so 10k a day is quite a challenge for me, but achievable if I manage to either go for a run (over 5 miles), or a walk for two hours so six hours should have gotten you a lot more steps in my opinion! Can you try and compare it to another counter like your phone?

Other than your fitbit being a bit shit, suggestion for hitting your steps -
Go for a walk before work, for your lunch break and when you get home. If each walk is approx 30 minutes you'll likely hit your target.

It’s not sensing the movement, because of where you have it. My understanding of them is that they need a swinging motion, so unless you were jiggling your boobs, while walking, the steps won’t register. When I’m walking dogs, it doesn’t register all the steps, because there isn’t enough arm movement. Doesn’t matter that I walk at least 5 miles, a day, but it zips though the steps when I’m doing housework.

I can manage about 3000 in 30 minutes when going for a walk so the estimate sounds way out. I would say 1 hour 45 mins to break 10000 steps if its continuous walking

I just walked 15 minutes and clocked almost 1600 steps on fb. That is a pretty typical rate for me but you may have been more stop/start.

I agree it must be faulty. I don’t have a car and I walk a lot with my son in his pram. I average about 13000 steps a day and that’s just going out and about to shops and baby groups. I’m 15 weeks pregnant and there is no way I’d manage 6 hours solid walking!

Some of these pedometer apps don’t register any thing till you’ve done several steps in a row - I had one that required at least 12 at a steady pace before it grudgingly agreeed that I’d moved. If you are doing a lot of stop-start walking, it may be missing most of it.

I can't see how it would work. The wrist ones work by arm swinging. I once did a 5 mile walk and mostly had my hands in my pockets and it only registered 8000 steps. If it's on a zip the movement is going to be variable and possibly not register at all. But they must have thought of that?

I had a Fitbit One until recently and did about 30K steps in a seven hour walk so there’s something wrong somewhere. A mile is about 2,500 steps for me too.

Some of these pedometer apps don’t register any thing till you’ve done several steps in a row - I had one that required at least 12 at a steady pace before it grudgingly agreeed that I’d moved. If you are doing a lot of stop-start walking, it may be missing most of it.

This is their attempt to ascertain you are indeed 'walking'. A one off trigger is far to easy to happen by chance, even just shifting your bum from one side of a sofa to another, but a dozen 'theoretical' steps in a row is probably a good indication that you are indeed walking, so subsequent triggers will count. Hope that makes some sense!

Hi Olga, how do the steps register when you're holding onto a pram? Or do you hold on with one hand and swing the other?

Use the iPhone counter as well for a few hours and see of they compare over those few hours.

I've been shopping today. I was there for about 4 hours. That included a 30 minute coffee break and lots of stops to try on clothes and shoes. My iPhone tells me I've done 9,000 steps.

I can't see how it would work. The wrist ones work by arm swinging. I once did a 5 mile walk and mostly had my hands in my pockets and it only registered 8000 steps. If it's on a zip the movement is going to be variable and possibly not register at all. But they must have thought of that?

Sort of. When you step, there's a small 'impact' on the ground which causes a spike on an accelerometer. There's a whole world of science in trying to differentiate a bump against the coffee table vs a bump on the ground etc. The software tries to measure the pattern and timing to discern if it's a step or not (or even a staircase climb / descent). You're right in as much as swinging your arm is a clue, but it's a bit more complex than that alone.

I used to rack up a lot of “steps” at night rocking DS back to sleep about 4 times... as I was quite often on my feet and bouncing about too I was at least expending energy!

@70isaLimitNotaTarget

I put mine around my bra strap and it's reasonably accurate.

Hmm. It might be faulty but around a safari park you were probably not actually walking as much as you think. You wouldn't expect to see as many steps as if you had walked for six hours in a straight line.

I walk for around an hour a day (fast - it's part of my commute and I'm always running late). That plus pottering around the house and office gets me around 12-13000 a day. Around 8000 would be the hour of brisk walking.

I think it is probably faulty but having a longer stride will effect it vs others - my dad had one and used to get annoyed that we would go for a walk and I would have way more steps than him.
Where you have it can also make a difference - I hav to put mine in my pocket if I am pushing the pushchair (or a trolley in Tesco) as it doesn’t count them.
I would suggest you count 500 steps yourself and then see what your Fit Bit says...

I did 20,000 steps yesterday and I definitely wasn’t walking for 6 hours! And I have a long stride too.

I push a trolley a lot at work and annoyingly my Fitbit (on my wrist) doesn’t count the steps I do then. Very annoying!

I have a wrist Fitbit and it works when I push the pram!

I take 1200 steps in 10 minutes at 6.2kms an hour. When I first got my fitbit I checked it against manually counting. Go for a quick walk outside and double check it.

Were enough pushing a buggy ? It doesn't log them if I am pushing my son .

I find that bizarre. I do about 12k before trying and I work on the City.

I'd get a Fitbit charge 2 and wear it on your wrist ..