how many steps do you take per day?? (update #22)

[♥ms.pacman♥]

W
I started working from home in Sept and plummeted to about 4K/day. On my days off, I get around 7K. I lift weights, so I don't get any extra steps on workout days (3x/week). Bummer!

yes this is how it typically is for DH..working from home = 4 or 5k steps, unless he takes kids to park afterwards (which is hard these days bc it's so dang hot in the evenings!) and yes, i typically do Pilates, core workouts or HOt Yoga (which estimates burns 400 cal/hour) yet it's not any stepping so it doesn't increase my step count, even though it IS exercise and i sweat a ton!

and yes, having a office job makes things rough. I have a 30-45 minute commute each way (by car), so i'm not even home between 8am and 6pm (escept today this week i have gotten home everyday at 8pm because i had physical therapy appts right after work) i work in an actual building and make myself walk the 3 flights of stairs to go get breakfast/lunch, and occasionally walk across the street to the supermarket to get something, but still, only get to 8k on average.

it's a tad infuriating bc in my 20s when i was a graduate student in Boston, i easily walked AN HOUR a day (of straight walking outside, not counting stuff inside buildings)..i would walk 15 minutes to work, then 15 minutes to go get lunch, then the way back. I also ran 20miles a week. Unfortunately i live in an area where you have to drive to EVERYTHING, and it is too hot to run in the evenings for 8 months out of the year (anything about 60 is too hot for me).

for me, it is way easier to get steps in on weekends when i'm not at work so i don't have so spend much time on the computer..on Saturday mornings i stay at home with the kids while DH was at a volunteer event, and i easily log 5,000 steps by 1pm just being at home..the kids literally keep me on my feet!!

anyways hoping in the next few weeks i can increase my average as PP said. having friends to compete against helps

[BabyBearsMom]

I had a fit bit (lost it) but I do a lot of steps anyway. I run 2.5-3.5 miles every morning (more on weekends). I also have a rule that I don't take elevators so I always do the stairs. I like to park at the empty back end of parking lots (I have big cars and I'm not a good Parker) so I get steps that way too. When I had the fitbit I averaged around 12k

[♥ms.pacman♥]

ok i guess embarrassment as motivation works (LOL)...managed to hit 11k steps today (w00t -this is my personal best, don't laugh!) even though i mostly sat all day at work and didn't do any cardio exercise (i was only at 6k by 6pm). we ended up going out for dinner at a place where we could walk around for a while afterwards, which helped a ton, and after gettign home i did a ton of the kids laundry (lots of folding, putting away, which takes forever but gets tons of steps in). omg, the laundry..it is never ending and there is always so much of it..at least i feel better that i get so much exercise out of it.

i do want to start c25k program, once i finish doing PT..that should make it a ton easier to reach 10k everyday, not to mention running is a great stress reliever!

[hillview]

I bet I am close to 4-5k. I work from home. I wonder how many steps I take in a crossfit workout ...

[ilfaith]

On an ordinary day I have no problem getting 10-12K. If I squeeze in an extra walk/run or Zumba class or tennis, it's more like 15,000. I've gotten as high as 25-30K several times, but that's unusual.

I was doing a walkathon fundraiser last month, and the goal was to walk 100 miles in the month. I walked 170. But my poor bicycle sat in my garage the entire time, because I didn't want to waste time on exercise the Fitbit wouldn't count.

[stefani]

I have a desk job, so it is about 6000 steps a day (3 dots on the Fitbits) during weekdays. Occasionally during weekends when we walk a lot then I would get to 10000 steps. It is a rare event though. Working out in the gym does not seem to increase it that much more, maybe because I don't move my arms as much as when I am walking.

[essnce629]

The days I have only 6000-7000 steps I do my Walk Away the Pounds: 4 mile challenge dvd! Yes it's an old lady workout, but I love it and it gives me close to 7000 steps. Some days I get 10,000 steps on my own by just being out running errands, etc. Those are the days I tend to skip my dvd. I also do things like walking around the house while brushing my teeth, etc to get more steps in. The most I've ever gotten is 17,000 steps and that's only because I did my walking dvd after midnight before bed and then again before before bed later the next night (so in one 24 hour period).

http://www.amazon.com/Leslie-Sansone.../dp/B00008DDJD

My mom is a dental lab technician and works in a tiny lab the size of my bathroom. I got her a Fitbit for her birthday last month and she only averages 4000-5000 steps a day, even if she goes out and walks around her building on her lunch break. The most steps she's ever gotten is 8000 and that was when she was staying with me for the weekend.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

ok so still averaging 7k here. yesterday i had a total of 5,500 steps and today looks like it will be 7,000 max. i do not think i am that horribly sedentary ...yesterday i woke up at 5;30 am to go to 1 hr yoga class. i park the farthest i can from work, and NEVER use the elevator at work and i take 3 flights of stairs at least once a day to the cafeteria for lunch (more if i have meetings). today i spent 3 hours at a fairly large science museum sans DH with my kids, yet after i was done, my daily total (for the entire day) was 3,300 (ARGH). Went out to eat and took a 20 minute walk with the kids around a creek (so we were each holding a kids hands most of the time) and nearing 8pm i'm still barely over 6,000 for the day. i would walk more, but i am downright exhausted.

i do think that walking around holding a little one's hand OR pushing a stroller GREATLY reduce the step count. PP mentioned going to DIsneyland as "easily" being 20,000 steps...well DH had his on our 4 day DL trip, and it only cracked 10k steps ONCE while we were there (and we stayed at DL from rope drop to closing or near closing..didn't come back to hotel to rest). We were pushing a double BOB most of the time so i wonder if that is the reason. We have recently figured a way around this..to take it off the wrist and put it in our pocket...then it seems to actually count our steps when we're using a stroller or shopping cart. However, it's hard to remember to do that every time. I also think that holding something in your hand seems to make it stop counting..i am always carrying something at work.

i feel lame as i added a "friend" on fitbit from grad school (who has young kids) who averages 15k steps per day. I just can't wrap my head around that. Either mine is not counting that well or to get that much i would have to spend at least 1.5 hours a day (nowhere near practical) running to get the 10k per day. DH does 30 min on the elliptical most days and it typically counts that as only 2k steps...

Anyway the one good thing is that despite all this i have been losing weight (am at lowest weight in 10 years, lower than pre-kids weight) so maybe it is working after all to get me more active. So i shouldn't complain i guess!! BUt still, my total step count seems abysmal compared to most anyone elses.

[specialp]

Hmmm. That doesn't sound like it is counting correctly to me. A large science museum? 30 minutes on the elliptical? Those would be big for me. I split up my cardio a lot between elliptical and open stride, but I think I get about 4k on 30 minutes of elliptical. I wear mine on my bra (or swim coverup when I am walking to the pool) & DH wears his in his pocket).

FWIW, I think you are getting more steps than it is counting. And hey, you look and feel great whatever the number is!

[pakin]

I agree with PP that it doesn't sound like your fitbit is counting steps correctly. I run 6 days/week. My average is about 13,000 -14,000 steps/day. When I did my once-a-week long run (1.5+ hour), I normally got over 20,000 steps. Maybe you could try using a pedometer app on your phone and compare the results with your fitbit?

Pakin

DS 4/2001
DD 6/2005