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SAHP

A place for stay at home mums and dads to discuss life as a full-time parent.

SAHM step count - Do you also run around like a headless chicken all day?

61 replies

Twopea · 12/03/2024 23:29

I have two small kids, one in primary school and one at home. I am constantly shattered. I recently got a smart watch and realised my step count is pretty high (c. 12,000 steps per day). School run accounts for a quarter of this max. Is this an abnormally high step count for everyday life as a SAHM?

OP posts:
SnapdragonToadflax · 13/03/2024 09:49

@Marblessolveeverything I think you need to recalibrate your step counter, that simply makes no sense. Unless you live in a stately home or are walking around acres of farmland while 'reading documents' (I read mine sat at a desk on a screen like most people), you simply can't be walking over 10 miles a day without putting some effort in. What do you do in the evening that gets so many steps in? I tend to do a bit of housework and then sit down for an hour or so before I go to bed.

For context, I've just done the school run (10 minutes), did a lap of the small park near our house (maybe 20 minutes?) then did a quick top up food shop at a Co-op. I've done 3500 steps. Now I'll be wfh the rest of the day, so I'll do maybe 3-400 more steps walking around the house. Can't go out for a walk at lunchtime as I have stuff to do here. A mile to the childminder and a mile back later today. I'll probably end the day on about 8000 steps.

25000 steps would be a day walking around a city, or a very long (like, most of the day) countryside walk.

BlastedPimples · 13/03/2024 09:55

I work 50% at home. 4 dcs. Run 5kms every day.

An average of 14k steps a day.

BlastedPimples · 13/03/2024 09:56

And I'm bloody knackered all the time.

shearwater2 · 13/03/2024 10:01

Running round after small children is completely knackering as it's mentally boring, stressful and exhausting at the same time as well as a lot of time on your feet.

I'm 48 and I average about 12k steps a day, go to the gym 3 x a week and do yoga, and am pretty fit, can run 4-5 miles or do a cardio/weights workout without being exhausted for the rest of the day, but don't run round after small children and also sit down for a lot of the day as well- if I'm standing or on my feet for a chunk of the day and cooking or doing housework I get more tired then. If I'm sitting down a lot working, have time to think and process and time to myself, and have slept well then I have enough energy.

I was bone tired and exhausted when the kids were small- by all means look after your health and have things checked out but it is just very tiring!

shearwater2 · 13/03/2024 10:06

10k steps is 2.5 miles for me which I get from walking to the station in the morning, walking back in the evening (about 18 minutes each way), a 20 minute walk at lunch time and a little light pottering round the house (making dinner etc). Steps are not everything though - look at distance. My 83 year old mum's steps are tiny compared with mine.

Hiddenawaytoday · 13/03/2024 10:07

I was generally doing around 8000 steps a day with school drop offs and general busyness. I then got a new smartwatch and it jumped up to 13000 most days - some watches count differently from others!

Caspianberg · 13/03/2024 10:10

I’m more on 10,000 average. That’s just day to day getting about, working, gardening, taking child out and about. It goes up to 15,000+ if we do an actual ‘walk’ or go to a bigger city all day.

I would be running a treadmill to do 25,000

Teddleshon · 13/03/2024 10:10

My children have now all left home and my step count average for 2024 is 12,867.

shearwater2 · 13/03/2024 10:12

It was quite interesting having a Fitbit and adding friends that my three most slender friends average 100,000+ steps a week as SAHP or part time WFH jobs - one is a dog walker, the other has a very active dog and has an allotment, one just does tons of running/cardio exercise.

I think I do ok really, working FT, 2 days from home, sitting 7 hours+ a day 5 days a week and averaging 80-90,000 a week.

shearwater2 · 13/03/2024 10:16

Also I was a lot more knackered being two stone heavier and in the obese zone, now my BMI is 26 and I have lots of energy, if I get down to BMI 24 I'll be positively supercharged!

Marblessolveeverything · 13/03/2024 10:18

What can I say my teen's are the same. I have always walked around while reading docs, it was a tip I got years ago from an ergonomic assessment. A lot of my colleagues do too. Seemingly it can help retention and posture.

I could be reading a couple of hours or more a day. I do six flights up and down a few times a day I don't use the lift.

It isn't difficult at all. Phone, fitbit and Strava all showing similar stats. In the evening I usually go for a walk, think it's c. 5. Km circumference of park that isn't a long walk, it's generally with a friend and coffee in hand.

Evening time, cook, tidy up, sort laundry and then read a book, film etc. I know I move a good bit but wouldn't say I am particularly fit or active. I suppose it's all comparable as my wider family would consider me the lazy one 😅.

I don't live in a stately home but an apartment c. 1400s, feet. Three bed plus study so it's a decent size but not unusually so for the area.

At the weekends we would go for a proper walk at the weekends up a coastal path which is 7 or 10kms, depending on path chosen it's gorgeous so tend to do it most weekends.

I suppose I am conscious that this is my norm, as a child our mother used to walk us ,5km or more daily to shopping centre, we played out all day and ran around a lot. I just followed suit with my children, they always slept and were typically in good form, I suppose my late mothers approach was fresh air and a stretch sorted a lot played a bigger part in my behaviour than I thought. Interesting, thank you for helping me realise that.

MyBigFatGreekSalad · 13/03/2024 10:27

Marblessolveeverything · 13/03/2024 10:18

What can I say my teen's are the same. I have always walked around while reading docs, it was a tip I got years ago from an ergonomic assessment. A lot of my colleagues do too. Seemingly it can help retention and posture.

I could be reading a couple of hours or more a day. I do six flights up and down a few times a day I don't use the lift.

It isn't difficult at all. Phone, fitbit and Strava all showing similar stats. In the evening I usually go for a walk, think it's c. 5. Km circumference of park that isn't a long walk, it's generally with a friend and coffee in hand.

Evening time, cook, tidy up, sort laundry and then read a book, film etc. I know I move a good bit but wouldn't say I am particularly fit or active. I suppose it's all comparable as my wider family would consider me the lazy one 😅.

I don't live in a stately home but an apartment c. 1400s, feet. Three bed plus study so it's a decent size but not unusually so for the area.

At the weekends we would go for a proper walk at the weekends up a coastal path which is 7 or 10kms, depending on path chosen it's gorgeous so tend to do it most weekends.

I suppose I am conscious that this is my norm, as a child our mother used to walk us ,5km or more daily to shopping centre, we played out all day and ran around a lot. I just followed suit with my children, they always slept and were typically in good form, I suppose my late mothers approach was fresh air and a stretch sorted a lot played a bigger part in my behaviour than I thought. Interesting, thank you for helping me realise that.

I'm sorry but I think You're in massive denial about your step count being very wrong😅

Or you're just very competitive and trying to up the OP.

Louloulouenna · 13/03/2024 12:15

Completely agree it is not possible to do 25000 steps a day without a real effort. My target is 12,000 and even though I live in a large house set in 50 acres (and have no cleaner or gardener) have 3 horses and 4 dogs (who get walked for at least an hour every day) some days I only just manage it.

I do sometimes do 25,000 but that is either being at a horse event or sightseeing in a city where I’m walking pretty much all day.

Caravaggiouch · 13/03/2024 12:17

There are some highly inaccurate step counters on this thread.

LaPalmaLlama · 13/03/2024 12:24

Caravaggiouch · 13/03/2024 12:17

There are some highly inaccurate step counters on this thread.

I think they are just generally pretty inaccurate and tend to overestimate.

WithIcePlease · 13/03/2024 12:26

Caravaggiouch · 13/03/2024 12:17

There are some highly inaccurate step counters on this thread.

Indeed there are

Sundaygettingreadyfortheweek · 13/03/2024 12:31

Mine is between 15k to 20k. School run is 3,000 steps for me and I do it three things a day but I drive it about 5 times a week. I see being active as one of the perks of being a SAHM.

Bearpawk · 13/03/2024 12:41

Marblessolveeverything · 12/03/2024 23:43

I work from home most days my average is 25000+, I am neither fit nor particularly active. I would consider your figure a quite day.

@Marblessolveeverything sorry I also don't see how this is possible, do you walk a lot before and after work?
If I walk to the office and back (30mins each way) plus pottering around the office I'm on 10k.
25k is a large proportion of the day walking around for me such as a city break or going on a hike.

LaPalmaLlama · 13/03/2024 12:52

The average woman's stride (walking) is something like 70cm (closer to 1 metre if running due to the greater propulsion). That means 10,000 steps is about 7k (4.4 miles) of walking so you have to sense check what gadgets are saying vs that. I get wildly different readings from my running watch in exercise mode (closest to the stride vs distance calc), my watch not in exercise mode, my phone and a basic pedometer.

Twopea · 13/03/2024 12:58

All very interesting! Seems like my average is quite normal. It's much higher than my husband's or my mum's step count!

OP posts:
Hobbitfeet32 · 13/03/2024 13:00

Getting 12000 steps in a day is a lovely positive of being a SAHM!

PuttingDownRoots · 13/03/2024 13:05

My MILs fitbit often shows about double mine when we do the same activity. We have come to the conclusion its micromovements.

I notice @Marblessolveeverything actually does a 5km walk, which is probably the biggest contributer to her high count!!

Fizbosshoes · 13/03/2024 13:31

LaPalmaLlama · 13/03/2024 12:52

The average woman's stride (walking) is something like 70cm (closer to 1 metre if running due to the greater propulsion). That means 10,000 steps is about 7k (4.4 miles) of walking so you have to sense check what gadgets are saying vs that. I get wildly different readings from my running watch in exercise mode (closest to the stride vs distance calc), my watch not in exercise mode, my phone and a basic pedometer.

Yes same here. My watch, I believe, wildly overestimates how far I walk if just in watch/step counting mode, compared to if its measuring a walk or a run using gps

Colinswheels · 13/03/2024 13:33

I average just over 10k steps a day with an apple watch. DH has a fitbit and his steps are far higher than mine for a similar level of activity.

CurlewKate · 13/03/2024 13:58

@Marblessolveeverything "
At the weekends we would go for a proper walk at the weekends up a coastal path which is 7 or 10kms, depending on path chosen it's gorgeous so tend to do it most weekends."

But you're saying you do 19km in the course of your daily life?

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