Yesss 10,000 steps is bad for you!

10,000 steps is a good target. If you can do it then fine, if not then perhaps start off aiming for less and build up to a point that seems right for you, even if that's just 5,000 or even less. Giving in to aches and pains may not be the answer as gentle walking can actually help keep us mobile; use it or lose it.

Of course common sense should prevail. Nobody says you have to do 10,000 steps. But the message is quite clear that keeping moving as long as we are able, be it walking, swimming, gardening, cleaning, trampolining or running marathons is good for your heart, muscles, bones and may even prevent some cancers.

And it's quite possible to programme Fitbits and other apps with your own target.

I don't think anyone is disagreeing with the fact that doing some exercise is good for you sunlover. The problem is that giving this arbitary number of steps as something we should aim for based on one study done in the 1960s with 30 year old Japanese men means that people are trying to achieve it with conditions that actually may be negatively affected by a lot of walking, such as hip and knee problems.

I'm one of those people who has a fitbit and walks 10000 steps a day. I have found since getting the fitbit last September I am far more motivated to walk and have lost a little weight and feel much better. Surely any exercise is better than none. I can't see how walking can be bad for you.

Not necessarily bad for us. Just not suitable for some of us.

Reported in The Telegraph.
A Dr Greg Hager, a computer science expert from the US said "popular fitness apps set users a pretty arbitrary goal of 10,000 steps.... But it's not clear what the relationship is between what we know in terms of scientific evidence and what's actually built into these apps."

Never mind, it's only February. You've got the rest of the year to work on the resolutions - I haven't even decided on mine yet!

All I need now is for experts to decide that drinking some more water is bad for you and staring at screens until the early hours is good for you and I can abandon all three of my New Year resolutions. As you can see, I'm doing so well with the internet ban after 8pm. And what I have in my glass at the moment is not actually water

No, I think I must have got that wrong - but it's good news that we were all striving towards an unworthy goal, isn't it?

Indeed we were, Ana! I was so full of good intentions - but of course the spirit was willing and the flesh was very weak!

I don't understand your reference to strawberry creams. I'm sure that was nothing to do with me .

Weren't we both on a 10,000 step thread a couple of years ago, Maggie? I know I never got near the target but was there something about strawberry creams...Anya would know!

But what are the dangers and where are these press articles? I've not seen them and googling just brings up lots of advice about how good it is for our health.

Not that I ever manage it . I average around six or seven thousand by walking instead of riding for journeys of less than two miles, and making sure I get out in the fresh air every day. I do think it does me good. Running gave me back pain - I don't seem to have any ill effects from walking. I admire the 10,000 steppers and the ones I know are pretty fit.

My friend was given a Fitbit by her husband. He was really impressed at her activity levels. I wonder if she's told him yet-that she puts it on the dog's collar!

I walk into the centre of our small town quite often, about 15 to 20 mins. The more I exercise the more my worn out back joints complain. I feel that while I do excercise I do not want to wear them out any quicker than I need to and I can feel they have become steadily more worn over the last 10 years.

. gp

Fitbits are a joke, my friends Daughter couldnt work out why she was doing so many steps even when she was stood still, it was because she was behind the bar pulling pints and as the fitbit was on her left wrist the count went up as she pulled the pints. What a con

Getting out and walking at a good pace is just good for general health. Or gardening. Or cleaning or any of the other activities one does on a day to day basis. Just move. Don't give a fig for how much or how long.

I'm so glad that most of you feel the same as me. I have a daily walk round the town walls - DH has just measured it and he takes 3360 steps Things men will do!
We reckon that we probably take about 6000 a day, what with going up and down stairs, going to the Coop for the forgotten bananas, etc.
So I think we are fit enough, without any extra stuff. Neither of us are on any pill whatsoever too. Healthy pair, us!!

I'm so trapped by joint pain. If I exercise the way my heart/lungs need I damage my knees and hips! What can I do? I really never imagined being so disabled at this stage in my life (aged 62) Sigh. Feeling sorry for myself. Sorry all

I get exercise by walking instead of taking the car plus 30 minutes after porridge with toast, to burn it off, and 30 minutes before tea to bump up my heart.

Reading this has really made my day!! The DDs gave me a fitbit for my birthday, I didn't want or ask for it but they obviously thought I needed it. It is like having a big brother watching over you - sending weekly reports about my pathetic daily steps total. I have sneakily left it at home at times, only to then regret it because that generally happens to be the day I end up taking more steps. Thank you, grandMattie, you have released me from it's tyranny.

I've always wondered how people find the time to do 10000 steps a day. I get nowhere near this normally - and to be perfectly honest, I find walking in general really boring! I used to enjoy going for a (slow) jog, and found that often it would clear my mind and solve problems, but I've never been able to do that walking. Hopefully, I'll get back to a state when I can start again. This has brightened my day immensely

I do a minimum of 10k steps a day (using a fitness band) and it has definitely improved my general fitness. I used to suffer from a weak bladder but this has improved hugely since I started walking.

On Saturdays, I do the local park run (5 km) and there are several ladies over 50 who started last year walking and now run most of the distance. Two of the ladies in their seventies who walk are much faster than some of the younger walkers.

Regular daily exercise is key to good health, I'm certain.

So climbing the mountains every day isn't advised ? What a pity

I think the 20 mins walking per day is much more realistic. I did 3 hours on Sunday, walking round beautiful Kew Gardens with the family, and thought that was more than enough for the week However, in order to keep the lungs and muscles active I did 30 mins on Monday and aim to do similar each day. That's unless it's raining of course ...

Phew! There was a doctor on TV the other day who said Dry January does more harm than good. It's looking good folks