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Weekly Wrap...May 14: How do the steps work?

The middle of May already and I can honestly say I have only done one run. My last run was May 1st during the tornado warning. Which I don't understand because the weather is gorgeous now and you would think I would be out enjoying it, but I just wasn't.



For some reason I've been more tired when I come home from work lately and going for a run seems like too much of a hassle.  I've even been behind on blogging because my eyes have just been too tired in the evenings too.

I have been walking though here and there in an effort to get my 10,000 steps in and to tell you the truth, I've been failing miserably on that one.  The only day I got my 10,000 steps in was last Tuesday because we did a Wellness Walk at work (We have a really great track that I should take advantage of using more often). We were required to do at least 4 laps. Most people did their required 4 laps and then left. I was determined to get my 10,000 steps in so I did 12 laps! We got a raffle ticket for every 4 laps we did so I got three tickets but I didn't end up winning anything. But hey, I got my steps in and that's all I really wanted out of it.

Because I am having such a hard time getting these 10,000 steps in, I even adjusted my goal and decided I would be happy if I did a 5K each day. I'm not sure how many steps that would be but I know I would only have to log 3.1 miles but half the time I couldn't even do that!

This got me thinking...Even if I did only do 3.1 miles a day instead of 10,000 steps, what is that doing for me? Is it making me any fitter? Slimmer? I'm I going to fit in my pants better? Probably not. There is a reason that we strive for 10,000 steps daily. I am assuming when you've reached the 10,000 steps you are burning the allotted amount of calories for weight loss?


This also got me thinking...Who picked the magical number of "10,000 Steps"?   And how can that work for everybody?   Someone who is 100 pounds won't be burning the same number of calories as someone who is 200 pounds and someone who is 200 pounds won't burn as many calories as someone who is 300 pounds, etc. etc.   So maybe for my weight, my magic number is NOT 10,000 steps. Perhaps I can get away with doing less and still make a difference? I don't know.



For those of you who are step counters can you weigh in on these thoughts?  -M

We are linking up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap!

47 comments:

  1. I reset mine to 15,000 steps but try to get 20k only because for me I like at least an hour of cardio a day and 10k steps is only a 40 min run at my pace and 15k steps is closer to 70 min run workout. But to be honest I'm more of a mileage counter than only steps. I like to average 7-8 miles a day and double that on my longer days.but that's just me.... I have no idea who set up the 10k step thing probably it just sounded like a reasonable number to get people active? ?? No idea. but it worked though so many companies and groups have adopted it and a lot of less active are more active and I suppose every little bit helps.
    Sometimes our lives drain us and maybe with your school year nearing your just burned out. Maybe you'll get the spring in your step back when you can relax more.

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    1. I am super impressed with all the steps you get in! Do you get at least 15K on a daily basis?

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    2. I try except on Sundays, usually I can hit the 15k. It's became easier than I thought once I started doing it. When you figure a 1 hour run can get in 13k, the other 2k isn't that hard to come up with in my life since I walk a lot.

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  2. I have always thoughts the steps were more about movement than calories. Like if you take 10,000 steps a day then you are spending enough of the day moving around rather than sitting/laying/etc. When I run I try to get more than 10,000 steps per day but its hard. I rarely hit 10,000 when I don't run, its more like 5,000. And I do think its an arbitrary number- if I bike for 2 hours that won't count at all towards steps but its still ALOT of activity!

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    1. I agree. It probably is more about the moving and not being sedentary.

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  3. I think the 10,000 steps thing is prob just a SEMI arbitrary number picked to get people to have a goal to get MOVING. I have no clue how many steps I take per day. If it is a weight lifting day, I probably do not get 10,000! I looked it up and 10,000 is like 5 miles. I know I walk a lot when I teach, but I'm not sure I walk 5 miles! I do a lot of standing...

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    1. You are correct. The 10,000 steps is indeed 5 miles. I usually get about 3k to 5k in before I leave work.

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  4. That's a good point - I never really thought about the logic behind 10,000 steps a day. On days that I don't run, I never hit 10,000 steps, primarily because I sit all day at my office job. For me, I would love to hit more steps daily not for weight loss but to make sure my muscles and joints don't get stiff!

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  5. I only get my steps in on days I run. Sad but true.

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    1. It's hard when you don't go out for a run or a purposeful walk!

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  6. As I was reading this, I came to the same conclusion as you. Who picked 10,000 steps as the goal? I think we need to just keep moving.

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  7. I've always thought the whole 10,000 steps is pretty arbitrary. I only hit 10K when I run, but don't come close if it's a strength day or if I do yoga.

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    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't hit 10,000 every day.

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  8. Actually, I've heard that the 10K was arbitrary. And not every step is equal - is your HR up or are you strolling along while you at an ice cream? ;-) I am aiming for 5K on days I don't run, otherwise it's just hopeless!

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    1. I thought about using the 5k as my goal as well but I am wondering if that is beneficial?

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  9. I have a Garmin Fenix and my step goal changes every day. Some days it's a little over 8,000. Some days it's 9,000. I really like that! I usually meet my goal each day!

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    1. My husband has that one too. I need to test the accuracy between his gadget and mine because he seems to get more than me and I KNOW he doesn't move as much as me...lol

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  10. I no longer track my steps after burning through two Fitbits. Good question, though. I assume it was to get people moving who did not really exercise. Is it as effective for very fit active and people? I don't know. Thanks for linking, Miranda!

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    1. How did you burn through 2 fitbits? My husband is actually on his 3rd one because the bands keep breaking.

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  11. I read an article or listened to a podcast about this recently - the 10,000 steps is an arbitrary number! I tell my clients that it isn't worth stressing about if you don't achieve it every day - more movement can always help, so perhaps thinking of it that way can be more motivating. I actually have trouble hitting that amount of steps on days I don't run!

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  12. I'm not surprised if 10k is arbitrary. Like you said everybody burns a different amount. I rarely get that many steps in if I don't run.

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    1. Perhaps it is just to keep people more aware of their movement?

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  13. I don't use a counter but the hubby does. I'm just not into gadgets (and rarely use my Garmin unless I'm doing a race). I agree with most of the others (and you as well(, it should be about constant daily movement and not just a arbitrary number.

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    1. I was never into the gadgets before but now I love all the data! The only thing I couldn't care less about is my sleep pattern!

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  14. I rarely track my steps unless I'm just curious after hiking 15K and want to know how many steps it was. I like the idea behind the 10,000 though because too many people are sitting for too many hours. It's a fun motivation to take walk breaks or use walking desks...to just move more.

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    1. I started tracking my steps when I wasn't running a whole lot because I felt I needed something to work towards.

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  15. My husband actually sent me an article on the origin of 10k steps once, but I forget what the gist of it is.

    I like that my vivoactive reminds me when I've been sitting too long (like now) & will sometimes make an effort to pace around -- but not always. I actually think that's probably more important than trying to get the 10k in all at once.

    I have a lot of days where I'm only 7-9k, but i don't worry about it if I've made an effort to be active. Yesterday involved a whole lot of sitting, totally out of my control, but I managed to get in about 7k steps due to walking the dogs before we left.

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    1. Mine also reminds me by vibrating. That's why I don't wear it to bed.

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  16. I'm not a step counter, but my Dad is. His goal is 10,500 because he figured out that is 5miles for him. It's actually helped him keep weight off... but I don't do it because I can be too hard on myself when I don't hit goals and I'm already really active. lol

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    1. That's great that your dad tracks. Does he walk 5 miles every day?

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  17. I do not count steps but I do try to get at least 90 m of some exercise a day that seems to be the magic number for me. But you are right, every body is different and we all require different amounts of movement. If you are feeling so tired, perhaps your body just needs a little more rest right now. Maybe try doing something else this week like yoga?

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    1. I would love to try yoga but I would be afraid I'd fall asleep!😴

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  18. I've had those days when I'm just too tired to do much when I get home. That happened two weeks ago on a run day, and I decided rest would be better. Sometimes my allergies will make me tired when a front's coming in, and something I can run through it, other times I can't.

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    1. Oh allergies are definitely something that can make you tired!

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  19. You raise a good question about who picked the 10,000 steps. Perhaps it ties in the amount of cardiovascular exercise that the American Heart Association recommends we average over a week... Just a guess.

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    1. I was thinking that too. It probably has something to do with heart health.

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  20. Walking challenges are the only way that I can get motivated to walk up to 10,000 steps - even the FitBit challenges don't motivate me most of the time! Our work walking challenge is going on now and it's been a help. I think the more time we spent out of the chair, the better!

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    1. We had a challenge last year at work and that is what got me started with tracking the steps.

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  21. Hmm. I've never been a step counter, so I can't really weigh in on that. I can say that listening to your body is most important, though. If you're too exhausted, pushing yourself won't necessary help anything, so I'm glad you're taking some time to recharge. :)

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  22. I don't really care about my daily steps- right now I'm in marathon training so I'm trying to make sure my weekly mileage is in. I just pay attention when my Garmin flags me and says that I've hit my goal for the day!

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  23. I think 10,000 steps was decided on through some "research" logic, but I don't think it benefits active people. It benefits people just starting to work out. People who sit 80% of their day...They benefit from starting a walking routine and getting their steps in.

    When I'm in DC with the kids this week, I'll be tracking walked-miles/steps because it's the main exercise I'll be getting and I like to remind myself that I was active even if I wasn't able to do a full workout.

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  24. Some days it's relatively easy to hit 10,000 steps for me, but more often than not, it's a struggle. I've previously read that 10,000 steps is the magic number where *men* have burned an additional 300 calories (versus not hitting 10k steps?) to help prevent cardiovascular disease. So it feels like an arbitrary number and really needs to be more individualized!

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  25. I read that the 10K steps are supposed to be what is good health for your heart, and because of activity, that can lead to weight loss. Once I got into an argument with my fitbit app.. it told me that if I wanted to lose weight, I had to do 12K steps per day! I wasn't trying to lose weight, so it made me mad that it was suggesting that.

    I do a lot of things to get more steps in, because I find it helps me stay in a better mood. It sounds strange to use my activity tracker to measure my mood, but it's more useful to me this way. If I have no desire to get up and walk to meet my step goal, then I know I am in a bad mood.

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  26. Here in the Netherlands 10,000 steps is actually the health standard. That plus other things, like cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. But I do wonder where that number came from originally. maybe something scientific behind it?

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Fairytales and Fitness is a personal blog authored and edited by us, Meranda and Lacey. The thoughts expressed here represent only our own and are not meant to be taken as professional advice. Please note that our thoughts and opinions change from time to time. We consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind in an ever changing society. Any thoughts and opinions expressed within our out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those we may express today. Some links may contain affiliate links. Some links are just to pages we'd like to share.