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?

@clairemcnam I only get near that (and have never hit 40k) when I run 13-15 miles and also have to pop to town - so not too often! Usually after a long run I like to sit. And not move

I've got 65k steps on fitbit in a day, but now I want to try to get 70k to see what the next shoe "award" is!!

You walked 35 miles in a day? Seriously? That means you were walking for nearly 12 hours non stop!

I average between 10000 and 15000 typically but yesterday was my day off so I went for a long walk and hit over 30000. So 2000 a day is pretty much sitting down all day. It’s not good to move that little

BertrandRussell

You walked 35 miles in a day? Seriously? That means you were walking for nearly 12 hours non stop!

My legs can vouch for that! I ran the marathon, but also did a lot of walking around before it and then afterwards as well. Visited a few pubs...

I haven’t done much today - just went to work. I have managed 8500 steps though - I consider that fairly sedimentary for me as all that literally consists of is short walks (in heels!) to the station and then my office. Nothing particularly strenuous. My phone has been in my bag/pocket.

I haven’t done anything special to do that so definitely think 10k steps a day is an achievable goal, if you can avoid driving absolutely everywhere. I usually average around 15k when the weather is nicer, and 20-30k when I visit the gym or go on a brisk walk.

Today 14k steps.

That's a mildly active job and a 3 Mile run.

That’s all right then, @PocketFluff.
So long as you didn’t run the marathon before breakfast......

@BertrandRussell oh, the 60k steps was from pottering about in the morning, the marathon only generated 5k. Obviously not moving my arms enough.

I found I'd done 10k yesterday when I got to my home train station after work. I walked to a meeting and back, 40 minutes, and I was out for half an hour at lunch time. Then I walked home from the station, about 15 minutes, then walked the dog for about half an hour, so it was over 15,000 steps in the end and nearly two hours of brisk or leisurely walking without taking up huge amounts of my day or making a special effort to do anything.

If/when I send DS to nursery it'll be an 8km round trip twice a day so 25-30k steps each day (based on the 15k I got on a similar length walk the other day) - I think I'll die. I might have to wait until he can ride a bike!

I probably average 10,000 but I think if you wanted to do that much, and have a naturally more sedentary lifestyle/work, then you'd have to purposefully do excercise.
An hour walk with the dog, pottering around the house, and maybe a nip up to the shop 10 mins walk away would do that for me.

Some days I do wayyyy less.

2000 is a bad day for me. I would be disappointed in myself.

I manage 6-8k without any effort, and thats working a desk job and driving to and from work each day.

Add a lunchbreak walk, an evening dog walk and I'll have easily done 11k. If I make to the gym that day, it'll be 16-17k.

On the weekends I will easily to 20k just running errands or being out and about.

My machine, not a Fitbit, doesn’t give me high number of steps that others are getting from doing the housework. Hours of walking around will only give 2000 steps. It’s very accurate when I’m out for a proper walk though.

From this thread I am getting that people think they are doing enough, when in fact not. A false sense of security, and smugness. (I do not mean those who are actually going on long walks etc, but the ones who don’t leave the house and get 6000 from washing the windows)

Ok so I have finished my experiment.
(You may remember me from such posts as ' 497 steps all day' and 'I have only 4000 steps after walking for miles'.

Well I wore my daughter's fitbit yesterday all day, and got to almost 10000 steps.

I think there are 2 reasons why,

1. The fitbit definitely counted more steps than the phone.

1. I apologise for this, but I realise that i dont actually have the phone on me all the times

So in summary, 10,000 is definitely achievable if i make an effort AND also wear a step counter.

The fitbit also counted a few steps as I was driving. It must have been from changing the gears? I think it was being generous.

From this thread I am getting that people think they are doing enough, when in fact not. A false sense of security, and smugness. (I do not mean those who are actually going on long walks etc, but the ones who don’t leave the house and get 6000 from washing the windows)

It probably depends on the size of their house and how much walking they do in it though. I live in an average size house and only walk about 3,500 if I don't go out all day but cover 6,000 in a relatives much larger house.

What’s the point of bothering with step counts if you don’t actually leave the house though? It’s not actual exercise if you’re just walking to the bathroom etc, so it’s pointless to monitor really.

I find it odd that people stay in their houses all day on a regular basis too.

What’s the point of bothering with step counts if you don’t actually leave the house though? It’s not actual exercise if you’re just walking to the bathroom etc, so it’s pointless to monitor really.

For actual aerobic exercise I swim. The point of wearing the fitbit even if I am in the house all day is to make sure I don't sit still all day and have moved around a fair amount.

I find it odd that people stay in their houses all day on a regular basis too.

Why? There could be lots of reasons for staying in the house all day on a regular basis. Some people work at home. Some are disabled etc.

I agree it is quite a lot for a normal day! When I'm in work (office job, drive there and back) I do none, probably 4-5k max in the whole day including taking the stairs, regular loo/drink breaks and pottering at home.

Currently on mat leave and today I've pottered/done loads of jobs at home, walked to play group and back twice (1 mile round trip so 2 miles total) and it's still only at 7k. I think it doesn't count as much when you're pushing a pushchair though?

The only times I've hit really high steps eg 20k and over is on holiday, on a city break, walking everywhere and later nights.

I don't think 10k is much. I do believe we're all so sedentary these days that we think 2000 is normal when it's not. I average between 10 and 15k a day. That's from doing the school run 2x a day (7 mins walk). Walking to and from work (20 mins) and just doing stuff around the house, popping out to shops etc. I can't imagine walking less and feeling healthy.

I don't think 10k is much. I do believe we're all so sedentary these days that we think 2000 is normal when it's not.

Where is your evidence that people think 2K is normal? Noone on this thread thinks that. Most people seem to do over 15k, it seems.

@Dungeondragon15 Well I don't have evidence as such but I do believe as a nation we've become pretty sedentary. Obviously not everyone! But I know plenty of people who drive to work, sit down all day, drive home, then watch a lot of TV. For many people 2000 steps a day is pretty normal. I find it worrying (that and the amount of processed food some people eat)...

Basically 10k seems to correspond to a moderately active lifestyle - so your day has a fair bit of walking in it on work journey/school runs/dog walking etc. If you have a sit-down commute and desk job then you would need to find time for "purpose" walking or some other exercise. I don't think it's headlines that a sedentary lifestyle is not good for health.

I have just had a safety induction at work where the importance of exercise and getting away from your desk was emphasised, this from a client notorious for unrealistic expectations and deadlines!

Well I don't have evidence as such but I do believe as a nation we've become pretty sedentary.

Yes, we are sedentary nowadays but there is no evidence that everyone thinks that it is fine for health to only do 2,000 steps and no other exercise. I think most intelligent people realise that they need to do quite a bit more exercise than that which is why fitbit and other step counters are so popular.