To think that 10,000 steps is a lot?

[Bluebelliphant]

I have been feeling quite pleased with myself as I've been easily smashing the recommended step amount of 2,000.

However I've just found out it's in fact 10,000. That seems a lot?

Do others manage that every day?

I used to work clearing tables at a cafe, 5 hours a day and used to do anywhere between 20,000-25,000. Though once did 29,000.

After 6 months I had lost weight particularily off my legs and feet..shoes were now really loose

Working from home I was only reaching around 300 steps a day. Dog walking helps, 4 miles yesterday and that was still only 8100 steps.

It is five miles, so quite far - especially for those of us who don't live in houses so large we walk a mile a day before we step out of doors.

Others of us who live in small houses find it quite easy to achieve, as long as we don’t step straight out of our small houses into our cars.

On a work day I do three of the four 20 minute legs of my daily journey on foot, the fourth by car - DH does the same due to impractical nursery and school pickups. Along with walking around the office, going out for meetings etc I do around 14,000 steps.

Weekends are often lower, but it’s very rare i be below 5000 even on a pretty sedentary day.

@ASauvgnon - are you sure those are real steps? The pedometer on my phone counts 1-2k steps every time I take the train, even though I sit all the way. Counting distance actually walked is more reliable.

Well done @Bluebelliphant ! You have made a cracking start that's not to be sniffed at! Just start challenging your self to do a little more each day. And by the end of the summer you will find the numbers are almost irrelevant, you will know when you have done a good amount without even looking . Key is to enjoy yourself, otherwise you may get bored or injured or loose interest . Keep going and well done for starting this journey !

I've done 3k today and I have barely moved other than to get to car and go to Aldi and another shop Normal working day I probably do 6-8k and to do 10k I have to make an effort to go for an additional work or exercise in some way, but that's the whole point surely.

@Chouetted who knows - I like to think so? I've counted it before over short distances and it seems to count accurately

2000 is hardly any. I do more than that on days when I work at home and don't actually go anywhere! You have to work very hard not to top 2000!
I have to put some thought into making 10000 but it just needs a few short walks in the day, you don't need a huge walk.

Working from home I was only reaching around 300 steps a day.

I find that so hard to believe! Is this a step counter you wear on your wrist? Are you sure it's counting your steps?

10,000 is actually very little. scientist (or whoever makes these stats up) now believe 20,000 is nearer to the mark.

i would do 2,000 by 8am just making breakfast and get ready in the morning.

when i am sick (hungover) and only move from the sofa to go to the loo, i do about 4,000

On my laziest of lazy days I tot up about 4k. A normal day working from home gets me 10k comfortably.

2 walks a day with prettypup plus a day at work and I easily get 18-20k steps...will be a lot more when prettypup grows up..

I sometimes think some people swing their arms more or have dodgy fitbits or whatever. When DS1 was small I used to walk 30 mins to a park and do several laps (say another 30 - 40 mins) then 30 mins back, plus day to day stuff incl parking further away and barely break 5000. I used to watch my fitbit to check it was counting correctly and it was. For me to hit 10,000 I had to go it for a specific long walk and maybe have a short run in the evening. Yet I have friends screenshotting 9000 steps at 11am after 'running after the kids and walking to nursery". They must flap their arms

It's not much - I do it daily but I do have a dog that needs walking for two hours a day!

It is five miles, so quite far - especially for those of us who don't live in houses so large we walk a mile a day before we step out of doors.

Obviously not what makes 10000 steps or not, but this is very important! The smaller your house, the smaller your indoors step count is going to be. I could walk round my whole house in and out of every room in about 50 steps.

OP, on a day when I have work I find I’m only doing 6000 steps. I have to drive to school in order to drive to work and be there on time. I only work 5 hours days so I don’t get a lunch break and I am stuck at my desk the whole time. Then have to drive straight from work to collect my children from school and then home. Then I just have my tiny house to walk round in. No space/ ability in my day to get an extra 4000 steps.

when i am sick (hungover) and only move from the sofa to go to the loo, i do about 4,000

What is it counting as a "step"?

YABU, 10,000 isn’t a lot over the course of a day (assuming good health/physical ability).

The original number recommended to Public Health England (I think it was, happy to be corrected by someone more in the know) was considerably higher but because they thought people would be put off (like the 5 a day fruit and veg, which is actually 9), they settled for 10,000.

I average 30,000-35,000 a day. (Yes I know! not everyone can, don’t have the time, ability, etc. I’m very fortunate, I do). 25,000 is in deliberate walking, the rest just tor’s up in regular daily activity.

@jassradlet Well i don't have a car, I walk/train/bus everywhere, and I'm saying I find it difficult to achieve.

I walk maybe 2-3 miles every time I go into town - that's not even half 10k.

As for inside, it's about 10m from one side of my house to the other. That's small. The stairs are steep, so not many steps there. That's what a "small house" means. If you're walking five miles inside a house like mine, I'm surprised.

Tots, not tors

I average anywhere between 9000-20,000.
Probably only don't manage 10,000 on a weekend.
I'm always on my feet. And have normally done at least 1500 before I've left for the school run in the mornings.

It's a totally random made up number. But if you only get to 2000, then you really should consider incorporating some exercise into your life.

I average 15000 daily without really trying. 2000 really isn’t a lot. It’s a start though... keep increasing

2000?!!
I do about that by just getting ready for work work in the morning. I average about 15K a day during the week although about 4K are done in the gym as some days I spend quite a while at a desk.
Weekends are at least 20K.

I find it quite shocking that somebody would only move 2k a day, unless they were ill of course.

The 10000 recommended is the minimum really.

I did a brisk 50 minute walk today plus a fair bit of housework and I’ve done 5800 steps.

I'm on mat leave and easily do 10,000 a day, when I'm at work and I drive to work I regularly do 12,000 walking from the carpark across town to my office and back, always take the stairs not the lift and walking around a large open plan office, I sometimes walk to our satellite office about ten minutes away, and to the local court about 6 minutes away. I actually said to my pretty sedentary DH yesterday, 10,000 is too low if you're managing it every day 😁