if you use a pedometer, how many steps do you average per day?

[DarylDixonsDarlin]

Just got a fitbit flex, been using it for a few days and have been very surprised to have hit/exceeded the 10000 steps target twice already, on a quiet week at home with the DCs. No school runs and I've driven everywhere as its been pissing down since I got it. Now I'm wondering if its wrong or just a bit innaccurate...

(not a stealth boast, I'd have put myself down as fairly inactive on the whole, when I'm not actively trying to lose weight)

Just wondering: firstly how others feel it measures up for accuracy - if you have a Flex, what's your opinion on this? Secondly, anyone who uses any kind of pedometer/app to track steps - how many do you average, and how would you describe your lifestyle (active, sedentary etc)?

Thanks

15-20000 steps daily, but if I'm in work and don't walk dogs or go to the gym I struggle to make 10000. I try to do both dogs and gym whenever possible.

My sister has a pedometer and a fitbit and she says that if she goes out for a walk they measure the same, but during the day the fitbit measures far, far more than the pedometer. It appears to count every small movement, whereas the pedometer only does actual steps. We were comparing our steps on FB and here is what she said about one particular day: I got BRILLIANT numbers the day before. Well, brilliant on the fitbit. I got to 32740!!! My highest ever. Disappointingly it was only 15K on the pedometer.

I have a pedometer only and on a day at home could get as low as 2500. (It only counts steps when you have done 10 in a row, so if you are in the kitchen doing two steps to the fridge, stopping then two to the cooker etc you get nothing.) I am on my feet most of the time in my job but I only score about 5000 on work days. I need to actually go for a walk to make the 10,000 in a day.

I guess the trick is to see how many you get on a day you don't think you were very active, and set yourself a target of more.

(Potentially silly question alert) how do the Fitbits measure your steps if they're on your wrist?

Just remembered, if DH shakes his wrist it adds steps...

maybe because am old but my body actually keeps a really good record of what I do each day, I know when I've been on my feet too much because everything aches and I'm overwhelmed by fatigue

but am addicted to these gadgets

I have a pedometer app (Accupedo) and it records the school run etc fine - so on days of school and me working, I notch up around 10,000 steps. However if I do stuff at home with the kids I'm constantly getting up and down, ditto in the playground, but it registers nothing. Then I have pain days when I'm trying to do as little as possible so mostly in bed or on the sofa.
Probably 6k on average.

One thing to remember as well, is that the fitbit has a default stride length, if I'm not mistaken, which is a bit longer than most women would manage. I'm 5'8" or thereabouts, I had to scale down my stride length. As that's quite tall for a woman in the UK, you'd have to scale it down a bit more still.

And yes, the fitbit covering every step you make however diddly in the kitchen or bathroom, will count.

When I wore the fitbit, I couldn't make 10k steps a day when working, though. Off at half 6, home at half 5, 10-15 minute stroll in the evening, some running around in the garden. Never amounted to more than 6-7k. I'm sure running around after kids will clock up more.

I easily make 10000 steps and with a bit of effort can reach 15000. If I go for a run I'll make over 20000

I have a step - counter on my phone so only the steps I do outside are counted as I don't carry it round with me all day. I do around 10,000 steps outside most days

9-10,000 on a day when we are just pootling about and walking into town. I think it will be more when i go back to work, but I have only just got my pedometer (my second - the first fell down the loo)

If you really wave your arm up and down vigorously then it counts it as steps but it doesn't unless you do that. I have to take it off with some things - I was doing something the other day which was making my arm vibrate (maybe the hedge trimmer?) and I had to take it off as it kept going into sleep mode.

I've set my weight and height on it (not bothered with stride length) and it's fairly good

DH was given a free Flex Fitbit, I flogged it, we both thought it was quite inaccurate in every way (I spent a while trying to calibrate it). I added 700 steps by just jiggling my leg during a boring talk. Not impressed.

After reading this I experimented this evening by just counting my steps when I was walking. I consistently averaged 100 steps per minute at a bit faster than a strolling pace, definitely faster than a small child would walk and a bit fast for a comfortable conversation.

That fits exactly with my earlier thought that 10,000 would be about 5 miles and take about 90 minutes.

I honestly don't see how someone with a sedentary lifestyle could fit in 90 minutes of walking a day.

The idea of the fitbit is to encourage someone with a sedentary lifestyle to do a bit more walking. It doesn't need to be 90 minutes of walking in one go. I now park further away at the supermarket rather than trying to get a spot near the doors. If I need a couple of bits from the local shops I will walk instead of popping over in the car. I get in a 20min walk if I'm feeling bored instead of vegging on the sofa watching something on the tv that I'm not really interested in. It counts your steps as you go about the house, so pottering about doing housework or watering the garden etc all count. I try to get in 45 mins a day of active walking where I'm walking at a good pace for a length of time as I think it's good for your fitness rather than little bits here and there.

DH and I both got pedometers and we got a bit competitive.

After using it for 3 months, I realised that I was generally doing 1 or 2 days at 22,000, 3 or 4 days at 14,000 - 16,000 and 1 or 2 days at 9,000 so I gave up, I know I am active.

We both work in jobs where we are on our feet all day though, plus I walk to work and back and we own a GSD who needs exercising.

Thanks for replies and sharing your experience, I will have a good read through them all later. Perhaps I'll download a step counting app on my phone and see how that compares with the Flex, I'm also trying to work out how useful an indicator it is with regard to sleep, cant really tell at the moment with less than a weeks worth of data.

Have forgotten to put the damn thing back on this evening! but I'd already exceeded 10000 by tea time so perhaps I'll charge it up before putting it back on before bed.