10,000 steps a day?

I just purchased a new pedometer that I've been wearing from the time I get dressed in the morning, to the time I put on my pjs. It's an Omron model HJ-105--not super fancy or anything, but gives me the number of steps I walk in a day, calories consumed and other useful information to let me know if I've been fairly active each day, or rather, a couch potato.

The 10,000 steps a day thing has been the standard universal goal for the past few years in the media. Wow, that's a lot of walking. Yesterday, I walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes, and walked about another 20 minutes after dinner--and still only logged about 4,000 steps.

Today, I seem to be doing better. In the process of getting my daughter ready for school, and getting her there, I've already logged over 1,000 steps and it's only 9:18AM. We'll see what I end up with later.

Anyway, this little gadget is a great, passive way to let me know how I'm doing each day, and a gentle reminder to exercise a bit more after dinner if the numbers reveal that I should.

Comments

[Molly]

Some pedometers are not as sensitive as others and you have to be sure to wear them in the *exact* location they mention on the package or they will not be accurate.

It can be extremely frustrating.

[Robin]

ten thousand steps a day for me is around six kilometres of walking. If you can set your step length in the pedometer, you can work out distance.

[Jolene]

My husband gave me a pedometer as a gift about two years ago. I have found it to be a great incentive to try and get my 10,000 steps in each day. I have found that I may only log 6,000 to 8,000 steps on the days that I do not take a walk; but I routinely log 12,000 to 15,000 steps on the days when I make sure to get my walk in (2.4 miles takes about 37 minutes and logs about 5,000 steps). There have even been a few days that I have logged 16,000 to 17,000 steps on very busy days when I also take a walk.

My advice is to set small incremental goals (i.e., increase number of steps by 1,000 over a week), keep track of your progress via a simple written log, and enjoy! Take Amanda or Joe with you and make it a family event! I also find that I regularly log more steps on the days that I make it a point to take my walk in the morning.

[Roberta]

Is a "step" toward the 10,000 a single step of the left OR right foot or is it the left AND right foot? I don't have a pedometer (I know I need to get one)but would like to estimate the number of steps in my morning walk. Thanks!

______________________
NOTE FROM MARIA GRACIA:

Each single step is a step, so left foot forward is one, right foot forward is two, left foot forward is three, etc.

[Chris]

I have also found that in order to
log 10,000 steps a day, I must walk for an hour at a pretty quick
pace. Usually when the number from the walk is added to my daily routine I can make it.
I started the program 8 months ago, along with a heart healthy diet at www.startmakingchoices.com
and have lost 45 lbs.

[Maxine Timazee]

I have been using a pedometer recently and am striving for 10,000 steps; which is much more than you would think. I have gotten up to 6,500 but it has taken me almost a month to do this. My problem is that sometimes I bend down or lean a certain way and the pedometer resets itself to 00 again. This is so frustrating because then I don't have a clue as to where it was. I wish there were some position you could place it where sitting or stooping, etc would not reset it. Any suggestions?

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NOTE FROM MARIA GRACIA

I haven't had this problem, but on mine, I could adjust the "sensitivity setting." If yours has a similar feature, perhaps you can set it to "not so sensitive."

[teresa]

i read somewhere that an average 2000 steps is a mile. But looks like to me to get the whole 10000 steps in somewhere other than daily walking that we do just moving about we would have to have a walk or 2 or 3

[Cyndi]

does anyone know about how many calories are burned walking a mile at a casual pace?

[The Strategy Pro]

10,000 steps a day is a wonderful goal for working professionals who want to keep up a healthy lifestyle. Health and wellness is a very important part of professional success.