Do you get in 10,000 steps a day?

[Gahhhhhhhhh]

I don’t doubt the benefits but I’m not sure how realistic it is for lots of people. Which is obviously the problem (ie that modern life gets in the way of being active).

My kids walk themselves to school. I work mostly from home or drive to the office where I’m desk based for my full time job.

I would love to fit it in. But 90-120 mins of walking a day just seems unattainable.

Does anyone here consistently hit 10k per day? Do I need to be prioritizing this more (obviously the answer is yes)?

If you WFH can you walk between the time the kids leave and you start work and then walk again at lunchtime?

Totally unattainable for me except on office days. I find walking without purpose quite boring. Plus, as already posted, it's just a made up, easy to remember, random number. I always read these threads for the guaranteed "I've already done 20k steps just cleaning the house by 7 am" comments.

10,000 was a number pulled out of the air tbf, so never been sure why it became the holy grail! It's one of the reasons I could never get on with RH fitness- he advocates 15k a day and I simply can't do it!
As a runner I sometimes do 30k, but most says it's 3-5k.

Yes now I have a dog! Average about 20k a day during the week, sometimes less on weekends if just DH takes him out.

We went on a sightseeing holiday recently and I did less steps there than I usually do at home

There was an article the other day that health benefits start form 5k steps per day and improve as you in crease un to 20k steps per day so while 10k is made up it seems a reasonable target for people trying to improve their health.

I manage it on a work day as my office is 2.5miles away so perfect walking distance - I do spend too much of the day sedentary though, I'd like a standing desk but I have no hope of getting one.

I largely ignore the step count on my fitness tracker but just looked at it. I average 15-20k a day. I'm probably pretty active in that I work out every day and go for a walk most days as well. I did 30k a day last week but I was on holiday and did some hiking and spent some very long days walking round cities and various tourist attractions (9am till midnight in Paris for example).

10k seems pretty realistic to me but I never sit down. It's probably as arbitrary as the whole 5 a day thing though.

Usually, yes.

My commute is 20 mins walk to a station then 10 mins from the station to the office. Then I usually go for a walk at lunchtime.

At the weekend, usually get more, things like playing football with my kids

I set my pedometer to 5000 steps as it's more achievable and realistic for my daily life plus I like seeing the shower of confetti when I've hit my goal

I think as someone says upthread, the trick is to make it shorter but more challenging. Walking at a properly brisk pace (gets the heart pumping, slightly out of breath, sweating if it's warm) is fantastic exercise. Uphill is good if you can. 4/5,000 steps of that per day plus a little weight training three times a week (gym, at home, carrying heavy shopping, bodyweight exercises etc) is going to make you feel good.

Yes, always, but I am fortunate to be able to prioritise keeping active and healthy.

I exercise to keep my weight down and to keep my blood pressure under control. I take medication which is inclined to increase it so walking an average of 5 or 6 miles a day counteracts that.

Ten thousand steps is a lot for someone who is largely desk bound. I have a friend who struggles to get to 5000 each day.

Also a dog owner, and two walks a day plus two school runs puts me at 15-20k a day. I'm in the office two days a week and DH does one of the dog walks and a school run and I'm much less likely to hit the 10k unless I do a lunchtime walk from the office.

Easily. I'm out for hours every day in all weathers with dogs and we are all active in the family.

I do about 6000.

Ten days ago, I installed a standing desk with treadmill underneath- now I get 2-3 hrs walking every day while working, almost without noticing. I love it.

Undoubtedly an expense to install, but so worth it so far.....

As much as you he 10k steps was plucked out of thin air as a marketing ploy, there is also no denying that getting up and walking in much better for our bodies then being sedentary. And a brisk walk outside has been proven to benefit not just our physical health but our mental health also.

Having a target number of steps encourages a person to park further away from the entrance, take the stairs instead of the lift, etc. it's like a game, a challenge to ourselves.

I do go to the gym before work, and then take the dog for a walk in the evening so always do hit my 10k steps

No. Never. Even in covid I went for an hours walk every afternoon but was never anywhere near that.

I try to. If I haven't I try to go out for an evening walk but that's much easier in the summer than the winter. Even now, the nights are starting to draw in and once I've put the DC to bed, it can be starting to get dark and doesn't feel too safe where we live for me to be out on my own.

My physio says the 10,000 steps is a myth. 3000 is just attainable for some whilst others feel they aren’t achieving anything close to fitness if they reach 20,000. Do what suits you.

Yes 99% of the time. But sometimes I have to walk up and down the lounge or jog in place to get them in especially if the weather is bad.

Yes, I manage that on average - 2,000 each way commute, 2,000 at lunchtime, 3,000 walking in the evening to the library/shops/takeaway, and 1,000 pottering round the house.

You'll gain (on average) health benefits for every additional thousand steps from 3,000 up to 20,000, so really your target should be as much as possible - but if you don't have enough time then do the walking that you do have time for at a faster pace, and get in as much stair and hill climbing as you can.

I do at least, usually it's 15-20k. But I think how achievable this is is entirely circumstance dependent. I live in the town and to the shops etc, and have a dog that I walk most days. I'm walking around all day at work. I know when I've stayed with relatives who live where they're very car dependent, I barely touch 5k, even with a dog walk. It doesn't make me feel good tbh, maybe because I'm used to being active pretty much all day. As a result, I wouldn't choose to live somewhere where I couldn't walk to the shops and amenities that I need to use on a daily basis.

That should say I *walk to the shops etc.

Yes, because I walk to the gym and back 6 days a week. I’ve done 13, 453 already today and I’m off out on foot soon.

Yes! The benefits are massive. If I ever feel bloated a 40m walk sorts me out.

Office job, 3 days WFH.

What works for me is first thing to go for a 30m walk, take a podcast or check emails = 3k

Lunch time walk = 2k

Pre dinner walk = 2k

Miscellaneous steps = 2.5k

Even little things like when you go to the supermarket, park further or walk round the car park!

On days when I go into the office, I walk there and back, so can hit 13k-15k those days.

If raining I will ride on my exercise bike and check emails. I also bought a desk riser so I stand for the first hour of the day too at home.

TBH 4k is probably your minimum for health benefits. But to help weight control more is good as it increases your NEAT ( how much you move in the day). I also feel much more alert, and sleep better if I walk in the mornings.

20000 a day, sometimes more. I walk to work and back.