According to every tracker I have used almost never. Of course that is because they do not count pedal strokes on a bicycle as steps. Nothing like doing a 40 mile ride and only registering about 2000 steps for the day.
@yakkoTDI I found that my phone counts as steps when I am on the golf cart at one huge medical center making part of the 3/4 of a mile trek from one building to the far end of another one via overhead enclosed walkways. Must go by speed or something (it goes at a jogging speed),
@yakkoTDI When I used to commute by bike to work 15mi each way my Fitbit Charge 2 would somehow detect I was riding and convert my ride and heart rate into equivalent steps and exercise. By the time I went to the cafeteria for breakfast I had completed something like 25k steps already. I also got a bunch of stairs in by going through a hilly back road.
@phendrick If you break it down into 10,000 steps you don’t even notice it happening…kind of like “death by a thousand cuts” or similarly how we are slowly being stripped of our rights.
When I had a Fitbit it was daily. Then I got an Apple Watch and it’s almost never. I think the Fitbit was more sensitive. The Apple Watch likes to tell me to stand for 1 minutes even when I’ve been standing for 10 minutes already. Often while doing something like cooking or doing the dishes. It’s like it doesn’t register that I am moving around doing stuff. Pretty annoying for the price.
This question prompted me to look at my historical step data and now I’m even more depressed. You can see my steps take a nosedive when I started teaching from home.
My Misfit fitness tracker works on points rather than steps. You get more points towards a goal based on activity, not steps. (It also tracks steps but the goals are point based.) It classifies how vigorous and activity is, and the length of time. You can even attach an activity description like running, swimming or cycling and because it can also be worn on the shoe, it can track a cadence.
But the more important thing about any fitness tracker is not to worry about tracking your actual number of steps but to be able to compare yesterday to today. Don’t get hung up on a number. Just make sure to be just as active or even more today as yesterday.
A fun fact, if you have a low threshold for what makes a fact “fun”… 10,000 steps a day came from a Japanese pedometer maker that noticed the Japanese character for 10,000, 万, looks sort of like a person walking. There’s no scientific basis to it at all.
When I am at work I almost always pass the 10k step mark. Amazing how many steps you can make in a 5 bed, 55ft long ER.
When I am off it is entirely dependent on the tasks I have on any given day. Some days it is easily over 15k (yard work, site seeing (pre-covid), etc) other days it is less (woodworking, dishwasher repair, etc.)
Overall I am pretty happy with my activity level so whatever…
For years I walked 1.4 miles each way for work to a very long, three story building and always did 10k plus steps. The majority of my work is done standing too. When I started having foot and leg pain, I got a ride home and felt much better.
Now I work at home and really miss that morning walk and am happy if I get 5000 steps. I still stand most of the day.
I usually hit 10k steps on workdays.
But not on weekends during football season.
On those days I try to hit 10k calories of beer.
My watch does not measure that directly - but it does notify me when I fall down (which is about the same thing.)
Haven’t a clue. I don’t own any sort of fitness tracker. My phone could probably be set to count my steps, but I never carry it when I do my daily walk, and rarely carry it otherwise.
I don’t currently track my steps, but I know I’m only occasionally hitting 10K now that I work from home. When I was still commuting, I got 11K easily most weekdays.
Using VR music rhythm games for exercise my cheap watch tracker recorded 75887 total steps for the past 7 days averaging 10841 steps per day. It also says I’ve accumulated 100.2 miles for the past month. I don’t know how close any of those numbers compare to traditional exercises, but I do know if it weren’t for VR, I’d have done no exercises at all let alone have fun while doing them.
When I do laundry for the animal shelter I usually put in about 3-3.5 miles in walking just there over a 6-8 hour period. No idea how many steps that is as I pay attention to miles not steps. Outside of there it is really variable.
I just checked my app, the ONLY time I walked 10K steps in 2020 was went I went to Universal Studios Orlando. 3/12/2020 I walked 14673 steps, 3/12/2020, 20206 steps and then on 3/15/2020, I walked 10036 steps. Most days are sub 5K… I’m a sloth.
@daveinwarsh I agree with you re: counting steps.
Except when my employer’s health plan gave insurance discounts for initiating/maintaining some minimum wellness objectives - including a certain number of steps each day.
I think these discounts amounted to $200-300/year. I’m willing to be a bit silly for a few Benjamins
According to every tracker I have used almost never. Of course that is because they do not count pedal strokes on a bicycle as steps. Nothing like doing a 40 mile ride and only registering about 2000 steps for the day.
@yakkoTDI I found that my phone counts as steps when I am on the golf cart at one huge medical center making part of the 3/4 of a mile trek from one building to the far end of another one via overhead enclosed walkways. Must go by speed or something (it goes at a jogging speed),
@yakkoTDI When I used to commute by bike to work 15mi each way my Fitbit Charge 2 would somehow detect I was riding and convert my ride and heart rate into equivalent steps and exercise. By the time I went to the cafeteria for breakfast I had completed something like 25k steps already. I also got a bunch of stairs in by going through a hilly back road.
10,000 steps?
I thought a 12-step program would be challenging enough.
@phendrick If you break it down into 10,000 steps you don’t even notice it happening…kind of like “death by a thousand cuts” or similarly how we are slowly being stripped of our rights.
At least once a month, I’m sure.
When I had a Fitbit it was daily. Then I got an Apple Watch and it’s almost never. I think the Fitbit was more sensitive. The Apple Watch likes to tell me to stand for 1 minutes even when I’ve been standing for 10 minutes already. Often while doing something like cooking or doing the dishes. It’s like it doesn’t register that I am moving around doing stuff. Pretty annoying for the price.
@remo28 I don’t want an electronic device monitoring me and telling me what to do.
Ironic that the first ad for the Apple Macintosh was in 1984 and claimed that it would be everything 1984 wasn’t. How times change.
Covid has greatly reduced the number of steps I need to get to work. That has both positives and negatives.
@hchavers But the fridge and a nice refreshing beer are close at hand.
This question prompted me to look at my historical step data and now I’m even more depressed. You can see my steps take a nosedive when I started teaching from home.
My Misfit fitness tracker works on points rather than steps. You get more points towards a goal based on activity, not steps. (It also tracks steps but the goals are point based.) It classifies how vigorous and activity is, and the length of time. You can even attach an activity description like running, swimming or cycling and because it can also be worn on the shoe, it can track a cadence.
But the more important thing about any fitness tracker is not to worry about tracking your actual number of steps but to be able to compare yesterday to today. Don’t get hung up on a number. Just make sure to be just as active or even more today as yesterday.
A fun fact, if you have a low threshold for what makes a fact “fun”… 10,000 steps a day came from a Japanese pedometer maker that noticed the Japanese character for 10,000, 万, looks sort of like a person walking. There’s no scientific basis to it at all.
@thecosmicjester
sometimes artificial thresholds are the best!
When I am at work I almost always pass the 10k step mark. Amazing how many steps you can make in a 5 bed, 55ft long ER.
When I am off it is entirely dependent on the tasks I have on any given day. Some days it is easily over 15k (yard work, site seeing (pre-covid), etc) other days it is less (woodworking, dishwasher repair, etc.)
Overall I am pretty happy with my activity level so whatever…
For years I walked 1.4 miles each way for work to a very long, three story building and always did 10k plus steps. The majority of my work is done standing too. When I started having foot and leg pain, I got a ride home and felt much better.
Now I work at home and really miss that morning walk and am happy if I get 5000 steps. I still stand most of the day.
I usually hit 10k steps on workdays.
But not on weekends during football season.
On those days I try to hit 10k calories of beer.
My watch does not measure that directly - but it does notify me when I fall down (which is about the same thing.)
18 holes of golf, walking, is 15,000 to 18,000 steps. It always amazes me. 2-3 times a week.
Back when I went into the office it was easy - it was a quarter mile round trip just to get to the cafeteria!
Haven’t a clue. I don’t own any sort of fitness tracker. My phone could probably be set to count my steps, but I never carry it when I do my daily walk, and rarely carry it otherwise.
If anyone still uses fitbit, I’d happily add you as a friend if you’d allow me.
I don’t currently track my steps, but I know I’m only occasionally hitting 10K now that I work from home. When I was still commuting, I got 11K easily most weekdays.
Using VR music rhythm games for exercise my cheap watch tracker recorded 75887 total steps for the past 7 days averaging 10841 steps per day. It also says I’ve accumulated 100.2 miles for the past month. I don’t know how close any of those numbers compare to traditional exercises, but I do know if it weren’t for VR, I’d have done no exercises at all let alone have fun while doing them.
KuoH
When I do laundry for the animal shelter I usually put in about 3-3.5 miles in walking just there over a 6-8 hour period. No idea how many steps that is as I pay attention to miles not steps. Outside of there it is really variable.
I just checked my app, the ONLY time I walked 10K steps in 2020 was went I went to Universal Studios Orlando. 3/12/2020 I walked 14673 steps, 3/12/2020, 20206 steps and then on 3/15/2020, I walked 10036 steps. Most days are sub 5K… I’m a sloth.
I used to with great regularity, but then I started WFH because Covid, and all the walking I did on my commute and at work is gone.
Maybe once or twice ever-when I was doing something I would never do again like moving. Otherwise my feet would fall off.
I’ve never counted my steps.
Never had a reason to.
Sounds silly to me.
@daveinwarsh I agree with you re: counting steps.
Except when my employer’s health plan gave insurance discounts for initiating/maintaining some minimum wellness objectives - including a certain number of steps each day.
I think these discounts amounted to $200-300/year. I’m willing to be a bit silly for a few Benjamins
I don’t have a fitbit but when I went to Disney and Universal with friends that did, we cleared 20K steps/day easily.