I read 10,000 steps/day could be a good goal. Does that sound right? My husband says he has a pedometer he is going to find for me. It isn't anything special but it will be good to start with. Is that all steps during the day or just additional ones?
10,000 steps a day was my original goal when I got my Fitbit. I think that originally it came from a study that said that's what the average Quaker woman steps in a day and they are quite healthy. It's total steps. My job is quite sedentary, so an average day for me with no added exercise is about 4000 steps. So to hit 10,000 steps I have to walk about 3 miles additional per day.
10,000 steps a day was my original goal when I got my Fitbit. I think that originally it came from a study that said that's what the average Quaker woman steps in a day and they are quite healthy. It's total steps. My job is quite sedentary, so an average day for me with no added exercise is about 4000 steps. So to hit 10,000 steps I have to walk about 3 miles additional per day.
Personally, I think pedometers are motivating in that they let you know how active or inactive your day is - I like how EagleRiverDee uses it to gauge how much extra exercise she needs. You can also choose an amount of time like 20 minutes, or even ten, and see what #'s it gives you as a baseline. However, they can be inaccurate & I've had two die; maybe they are better made now? But if you have a time or distance goal you'll know you've achieved it even if your pedometer took the day off.
I found I had problems with pedometers. My steps only registered if I attached them to my shoe. According to pedometers, if I attach them to my waist band or bra then I'm simply floating along and never making a step. I must have an unusual way of walking. However I attached it to my shoe for a week and wore the shoe all that time so it would register my steps and I did find out my average activity level for the day, which was somewhere between sedentary and low active.
There was another thing I didn't like about it and that was that it doesn't count the exercise I do on a stationary bike, rowing machine or swimming. It encouraged me to just do walking for exercise.
I've lost 27kg with 10000 steps per day total as my only exercise. Some days with the kids I can clock it up with just everyday mum tasks but on slower days I need to go for a dedicated walk to bring up my 10000. I use a fitbit and love it.
I had very good luck with an Omron pedometer before I got a Fitbit. It counted my steps accurately whether I wore it on my bra, pocket, or even my purse. I wore it all day long.
I shoot for 10,000 steps. I walk my son to preschool every morning and then go for a walk. By 9:00 I've usually racked up 7,000 steps and 3.5 miles. I get to 10,000 just by going to pick him up. I walk way more though, to the grocery store, around the house, doing laundry, going to work etc, I finish the day around 15,000 or more.
I think it depends. Some people can lose weight on 10,000 steps a day....it certainly won't hurt to reach that goal. I wore a body bug...now a fitbit. I like it because you can wear them 24/7 if you want to. So I get a good count of every single step I take. I get an average of about 12-13,000 steps a day and I don't drop a pound, or I'll even gain. I'm very much a "weight loss is 80 % diet and 20% exercise" type of body.
My dr. told me the more steps I take with an elevated heart rate, then the more I will lose. (Meaning I have to jog or run or some type of aerobics.)
However, if you are just starting out, 10,000 is the perfect goal.
10,000 steps?
