Number of steps

Thank you for good wishes. I'm just beginning week 3 and time is passing a little slowly but wonderful dh is doing lots and lots if steps looking after me.

My watch adds in steps when I conduct my choir (standing still!).

The arm flapping fools it into thinking I am marching along and swinging my arms!

lixy Yep! Madness 😂
Smart watches are a curse, as far as I can tell. They are a fashion statement but they also rule a person's life. A friend of mine wears one and he looks at it every time it buzzes on his wrist and it does that for every notification of texts, emails, stats etc. I expect it counts his steps as well! 😂

lizzypopbottle

knspol Well done for getting did of the step counter! It's too easy to become obsessed with what it instructs you to do, or else! When I had one, years ago, I'd be walking round the block at 11.30pm to get the day's total up to my target! Nowadays, smart watches are a fashion accessory. They rule people's lives!

If I'm out and about, on my own, I go by the mantra, "the faster you walk, the longer you live" but that doesn't work if you're with a slower friend.

I can definitely relate to the late night walks - I used to jog on my kitchen door mat to bring up my daily total. Madness!

I don’t have any kind of watch now, but do make sure I walk and exercise daily. I try to walk fast enough to be a bit puffed.

I guess I would barely make 1000. I am out of breath through AF and in desperate pain cos of problem with hip replacement. I move as much as I can and do not need someone telling me how many steps I should be doing - believe me I would be out and about walking miles if only I could!

Away with all these bossy health gurus!!!

I wore a step counter when I was cutting grass sitting on a tractor, I forget how many steps it said I had done whilst just sitting! It's very unreliable.

Maggiemaybe It's to do with the gait, the way a person walks. The step counter measures acceleration, speed and direction, according to Google. I just searched the terms 'how do step counters work' and that was the answer along with the info about errors.

lizzypopbottle

I just asked Google how step counters work and, apparently, the main causes of error are slow walking and obesity. Both may result in underestimating the number of steps.

How would slow walking or obesity affect the number of steps recorded?

I just asked Google how step counters work and, apparently, the main causes of error are slow walking and obesity. Both may result in underestimating the number of steps.

Grr! Getting rid 😠

knspol Well done for getting did of the step counter! It's too easy to become obsessed with what it instructs you to do, or else! When I had one, years ago, I'd be walking round the block at 11.30pm to get the day's total up to my target! Nowadays, smart watches are a fashion accessory. They rule people's lives!

If I'm out and about, on my own, I go by the mantra, "the faster you walk, the longer you live" but that doesn't work if you're with a slower friend.

07:56Maremia

You will be amazed at how many steps you do around the house.

I agree! The kids bought me a Fitbit a couple of years ago. Two things surprised me - even after a long quite strenuous walk I might only do about 8000 steps - bigger strides perhaps? And if I have the odd day when I don't go out at all I still manage to do about 3000+ steps just pottering around.

I think this is just a rather blunt tool to encourage people to be more active . Not all steps are the same. Walking on level flat ground, going up stairs, walking up hills on uneven ground, walking down paths on gravel, walking as quickly as you can, walking slowly to take in a view or let the dog pee all do different things to our bodies and variety, change and challenge are all relevant too. Just getting off our backsides and moving is so much better than just sitting and if you can add in some strength work that is even better. One of the weights classes I go to has participants from women in their 30's to 70's. I'm the oldest at 77 and we have all shown improvement. We are stronger and hopefully we will have improved our bone density and flexibility too, it's also good fun. Another that I do weekly is outdoors using an outdoor gym provided by the local council, again all ages and a couple of men too. Exercising outdoors is really enjoyable even in January even if we get a bit wet! Nothing a change of clothes and a hot coffee doesn't put right! IMO it's never too late to get a bit fitter.

Stillness

I see that it’s recommended that a 70 year old woman walks 6000 to 8000 steps a day. Do you honestly do this every day? I don’t! ( even though I’m out most days).

Who recommended it?

I normally do 6,000 a day if pain allows, I don’t mind walking more but ankle joints will suffer later and no operation is possible, which is a shame as I am only 76.. Today I have walked over 9.500, not counting those steps done at home, but that is rare these days.
I have walked with a friend sometimes and for the same distance they had done a lot more steps than was registered on my phone because a stride was smaller than mine.

Etoile2701

I am 80 and I have done 14, 958 steps so far today.

Wow! Impressive !

I too wish Nanny27 better

I definitely don’t! I have a smart watch and my count is usually between 2,500 and 5,000 dependent on whether I go out or not.

I march on the spot whilst I'm cleaning my teeth; I'm disabled, & find activity difficult, so when I first started I was only managing about 30 steps within my toothbrush's one-minute timer ..... on a good day I can now do 150 steps!

With the weather being so dreadful atm, I’m afraid I’m on the sofa with my feet up, reading and scrolling on my iPad.
The cat comes and sits on or with me, so much better than having to take a dog for a walk!

I find that I do 5-600 just gardening, hanging washing etc; add shopping and this goes to about 1500 to 2000. (He bought me a counter for my birthday last year).
If I go to DS, I can add at least another 1,000 because of the stairs
Walking an elderly dog and DH is 1700 to 2000

But not really about steps but the speed and raised heart rate you put into them and the amount of time you spend doing it.
I did the pre-diabetes course and one of my "class-mates" reckoned he did 40-50,000, but by raising mine to 10, I lost a bit of weight - he lost none; but you are correct - it is hard to find the time most days

Ouch, Nanny27: get well soon.

Nanny27,hope the six weeks pass quickly! At least it’s while it’s Wintertime, so you can rest and recuperate.x

I am 80 and I have done 14, 958 steps so far today.

If you wear your Apple Watch while hoeing in the garden your step counter rockets😀

Thought I was pretty fit and active until I got a FitBit some years ago and found out I was only doing around 2/3000 steps per day. I was shocked and started walking 2 miles per day on treadmill and still nowhere near the 10k mark. No longer bother to check, gave FitBit to charity shop and carry on as normal.