The Power of Taking 10,000 Steps (Or More!) And How to Get There

Aim for at least 10,000 steps a day.

When it comes to movement, I try to make my days as inefficient as possible. I know that sounds crazy—especially since my book is all about getting more out of doing less—but hear me out. By doing things less efficiently (walking to the coffee shop instead of brewing a cup at home, pacing inside while talking on the phone, choosing the stairs) I’m able to build more organic movement into my day and reach at least 10,000 steps.

I do this despite getting regular “exercise.” Why? Because my health depends on it and so does yours: In 2016 the American Heart Association published a research-based advisory warning that even vigorous exercise doesn’t seem to erase the damage that multiple hours of sitting does—namely increasing your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

There’s also evidence that how active you are over the course of a day can impact your weight. On average obese people sit for two and a half hours more each day than lean people and lean people stand and walk an average of more than two additional hours a day than obese people, according to research by James A. Levine, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona.

That’s why I challenge myself, my clients, and now all of you to get at least 10,000 steps a day. That number may seem arbitrary, but 10,000 steps roughly equates to 5 miles, which (when it includes 30 minutes at a moderate intensity) satisfies CDC guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.

It may also feel high. If you’re like the average American, you’re currently only walking about half as much. But that’s ok. It just means you’re going to have to consciously build more movement into your day.

How to Sneak More Steps Into Your Day

The key is to make your step count a byproduct of your lifestyle rather than a goal outside of your day-to-day activity. Here are some of my recommendations for making small changes that add up to major mileage.

1. Nix the at-home coffee machine and walk to get your morning coffee instead.
2. If you drive into work, park your car a little further away from the entrance. If you take public transportation, get off the bus or subway one stop earlier and walk the extra block.
3. Go on a post-lunch walk, even if it’s just around the block. Not only will those extra 400 to 500 steps add a hefty amount towards your daily goal, they’ll also help you catch some vitamin D, which has been shown to increase serotonin, stave off seasonal affective disorder, and even help lower blood pressure.
4. If you have access to a treadmill or health club, watch your favorite show or sporting event as you walk. Even if you end up going at a slower speed, put the importance of achieving a maintainable pace at the forefront.
5. Don’t use weekends as an excuse to laze around. Work to consciously incorporate more steps into your day without having to completely deviate from your plans. Meeting friends for lunch?  Rather than driving, walk to your meet-up spot.

Keep the Momentum Going

Keep in mind, taking 10,000 steps  is the least you should do. To avoid getting complacent, I recommend gradually increasing your daily step goal by about 500 steps every other week until you’re achieving around 14,000 steps a day. Here’s how to change your step goal in the app.

Opting into Reminders to Move can also help. When turning on this function you can customize which hours of the day you want to aim to get 250 steps—or roughly two to three minutes of walking, which has been shown to help offset the negative effects of sitting. Your device will buzz 10 minutes before the hour if you have yet to hit your goal.

Absolutely no time to move? Try one of these 13 ways to sneak fitness into your day. Or pick up my book, 5 Pounds: The Breakthrough 5-Day Plan to Jump-Start Rapid Weight Loss (And Never Gain it Back!, for more ideas.

Next, discover Three Ways Sleep Deprivation Makes You Fat—Plus 5 Ways to Get More Shuteye.  It’s the fourth part of the My 5 Plan.

 

156 Comments   Join the Conversation

156 CommentsLeave a comment

    • 10,000 steps a day is an arbitrary figure that does not take into account age, physical ability, etc. While most 20 year olds should have no problem with this figure the same cannot be said for many 70 or 80 year olds. Of more assistance and more realistic would be a recommended figure for different age groups which can be modified according to ability and would thus be achievable.

    • I’m a 75 year old woman and I do
      Yoga regularly and some cardio. I have my step goal set at 5000 a day and I usually make or exceed that goal. A few times I’ve reached 10,000 and a couple of times I’ve climbed 10 flights of stairs in a day. Does age make a difference in where one should set a step goal?

    • I want to know the answer to this too. I am 73, and have had a heart attack, and am in remission from rheumatoid arthritis. I wish there was a place to add more facts in our profiles.

    • I’m 80 with arthritis and my goal is 1900 steps. Most days I get 2000 plus and every now and then I hit 5000, but that is truly exceptional. Some days it’s barely 1000 steps.

      I suggest setting a modest goal and increasing it slowly by 100 increments. If you are hurting yourself, cut back. If you can do it easily but aren’t motivated, find some interesting way to move around. Being with pple helps.

      I’ve accepted I shall never do 10,000 in this lifetime and so what, I shall celebrate what I can do. Like once I found a paved nature trail where I could use my walker and walked 0.8 miles. I was high as a kite!

    • I am 71 and do an average of 11,000.steps a day.To achieve this I walk 3.5miles a day and always park as far away as possible when I go to the store or Church. I also always walk when I talk on the phone even inside my home.

    • I am 76 yrs old and for close to a year was trying to get 10,000 steps a day. I overdid it though in Nov. 2017 walking hilly terrain and ended up with a pelvic stress fracture, which took 4 months to heal. During the healing time I had to limit my steps to 250 per day. Now I’m up to around 5,000. I’ve not gained any weight, thank goodness…trying to eat healthy. I look forward to getting out on the nearby trail and walking. My orthopedic doctor says that at 76 I shouldn’t be aiming for more than 7,000 steps a day!

    • I am 70. Started walking the 1st of the year. Now walk 10,000 step a day. Have lost 13 pounds. The only other thing I have done is cut back how much I eat.

    • My Mother would walk her dog 1 to 2 miles a day until she broke her ankle when she was in her early 80s. it is probably best to check with your doctor. Keep it up!

    • I’m 74, and I shoot for 12,000 a day. I don’t always get them. I’m happy when I get10,000.

    • we are a seventy year old male and a old schedule a to get up at 2.30 am to do meditation for one hour. some can get a spiritual inspiration to meet a similar face. a face in my meditation realised to meet a new friend. we take a fitbit charge 2 and put it on left wrist. A averaged step in a two room apartment it recorded 3500 steps. we go out for a walk at 4 pm and it is a 2000.

    • I’m a 75 year old woman who does yoga and some cardio as well. I set my Fitbit step goal for 5000 steps and usually make or exceed that. I’ve hit 10,000 a few times and twice got in 10 flights of stairs in a day. Does age make a difference in what one’s goal should be? I thought I was doing pretty good for my age.

    • I recently read, somewhere this week, that senior citizens can get away with 8,000 steps a day. I don’t know if Harley would agree, but if you can do ten, why not?

    • I am 76 and have pain in major joints 10,000 is a bit out of the question but I do try for 6 or 7,000.
      This is NOT a one size fits all goal. What is right for a young person of 25, (or 40) may not be ideal for an 80 year old.

    • I am in my mid 70s also, and while I occasionally make the 10,000+, as a rule I am more in the 7,000 range. Much more than that, I am tired the next day. In terms of calorie count consumed, I don’t feel there is sufficient benefit from pushing myself much over the 7-8,000 step range. I go to Curves 3 times a week and have no major health issues, and get fed up being told to do more, and if I can’t eat chocolate I can’t see much reason to live to 100.

    • Add to my message below, that I also work out with a trainer, mainly strength exercises, twice a week, that I don’t list on Fitbit and swim during the summer 3 -4 times a week.

  • I put my goal at 10,000 steps but usually get 15,000 a day. I have MS and I have to work hard to get those steps. But it is worth it for me. Keeping me active. Thanks H Hipp

  • I go for a walk everyday and it makes all the difference to get out in the fresh air and look at nature.
    Also belong to a gym that takes people of all walks of life, no judgements on people of all shapes, sizes and race. The atmosphere is great and a friendly place to go. Go to friendly places, not superficial flash places. Looks will only get you so far.
    Im learning to swim as well as having a personal trainer at the gym, I am not slim but I am made to feel welcome and have seen an improvement. Im alternating between gym and learning to swim.
    Im 63 years old. Never too old to learn, Im doing very well between the trainers, God and me.

  • Love this article! I do my housework as inefficiently as possible. Adding extra steps where possible (hanging one item on a coat hanger then walking to the cupboard and back for each item of clothing). Sounds ridiculous but I add around 250 steps each load of washing! I always park further away from something as well to get those extra steps too. Some days it’s all study and I can only work in 1800 steps by night time so I’ve been breaking up my study by walking around for five minutes each hour which also adds a nice little sum of steps!

  • Age does not coiunt I am 87 and I do my steps most days and make up any deficit the next day. Being a bit forgetful helps (like forgetting the clothes pegs when going to the washing line and having to go back for them)

  • To reach your goal you need to move. Was a runner every day but knees not good, have osteoarthritis so instead I walk. Am 69 years old and average 90-100 thousand steps each week am very lean and very fit and healthy. Do a 5k walk before breakfast to start my day and if you want to add some fun to reach your step goal put on some music and dance around vigoursly so you also get a workout, line dancing is a great way to add steps.

  • Considering you sell your products worldwide and send your emails accordingly, phrases like ” If you’re like the average American” do raise an eyebrow or two… Please don’t be so US-centric.

  • I am 82 years old and do 10,000 steps if I can on Sundays but the rest of the week struggle to find time to do 5,000 as I have so many other commitments.
    Am I half way there?

    Male

  • what a load of rubbish, this theory makes no distinction between a 25 year old fit, healthy young man and a 65 year old not so young man. I personally have a minimum target of 60,000 steps per week, i am 66 years old and have Emphasema, but i do it and during the summer i manage 100,000 steps per week, but that does not mean everyone my age can or should do it. This is all just sales hype for Fitbit.

  • I do voluntary work 5 days a week, so find it hard to go for a walk, so I jog on the spot. This means I get my steps & more

  • I am 62 and get the recommended steps and exercise. I weigh what I weighed in high school, and hope I will be able to remain mobile into my 80s

  • I have a stand up workstation, and I spend 90% of my workday standing. 10,000 steps is achieved daily. Can I stand too much, and are there potential health problems?

  • I saw myself as really active and was surprised that although I’m always on my feet , I didn’t get that many steps. Now when I iron etc I ensure I walk to the various piles and bedrooms numerous times. Sunday’s are really bad cos I’m stood cooking so I walk about as I whisk! I can see that as an older person to achieve 10000 steps would be really hard. Working does add loads of steps in, as does having young children. Good luck on the steps!

  • Hi, I’m also in my 70’s, but have plates, pins, and replacements all over. I am very happy to get my 5000-7000 per day, and hope someday for 10,000, and don’t want to feel guilty about this!

  • Two years ago, on the 24th of April, I started walking 10K steps a day and have never missed a day…no excuses. Only three of those days were inside and I live in Iowa…..really cold and windy and snow and ice (yes, I have gone out in blizzards!) and really hot and humid in the summer…no excuses. If you miss one day, it is easier the next to make up an excuse so I don’t miss. I have lost 60 pounds, all my numbers are down to excellent, and I feel absolutely fabulous!! Oh, I am now 55 and a full-time college student on campus. It is just one step in front of the other 🙂 Most days I am between 12K and 20K. It all started with my Fitbit Alta….hope it doesn’t wear out! Thanks Fitbit!!

  • When I need a “bio-break” many times I’ll take the longest path to and/or from the restroom which adds roughly 150 steps to the break. I park in a far corner of our parking structure which is about 300 steps from our suite. It adds up.
    Avoid the elevator! Our building has 7 floors, I work on the 6th floor, we have meetings on the 2nd and 3rd floor, so I get plenty of stairs in as well.

  • I am a 47 year old male who enjoys fast food and a few beers. I have made 10,000 steps a day a goal for myself daily. In 2016 I was dealing with a Gout flare up and once it got better I said I had to do something about it. On June 6th, 2016 I made sure I hit 10,000 steps. Since that day I have hit at least 10,000 steps for almost 2 full years without missing a day. I am still not in incredible shape but I can say I can not remember being sick enough to stop my 10k a day and I haven’t had another gout flare. Thank you Fit Bit for giving me the tool to stay focused.

  • I’d love to. But I’m in a wheelchair roughly half the time and even 5000 steps on a good day leaves me in agonizing pain the next. I’d love to see some suggestions for people with disabilities and/or chronic pain please.

  • I am 79 years old and have always been active until bad knees and feet have stopped that. I have become a sitter instead of a doer and feel the effects of that every day. Walking is terribly painful, and I am at a loss to know how to put activity into my day that will offset the hours that I have to sit (dialysis 3 days a week for 3 1/2 hours besides the painful knees). Pounds are creeping up, and I must do something. I would appreciate your advice.

  • I realize you’re trying to encourage health, but health shouldn’t have to come at the expense of peoples’ bank accounts. Advising people to skip home-brewed coffee in favor of walking to a coffee shop? Have you any idea how expensive coffee shops are? We’re talking a cup of coffee for cents to one that costs dollars. It is cheaper – and wiser – to make your own coffee at home. Not to mention that, unless you drink coffee black, there are loads of calorie bombs in coffee shop beverages.

    There are better ways to encourage people to walk more – ones that don’t require them to ignore basic financial smarts.

  • I started my goal at 10,000 steps and have increased to 13,000 steps over the past few months! I used to take a basket of laundry and fold all the items then take a “stack” of clothes to where they belong. Now to get extra steps, I fold a towel and walk that one towel to the linen closet and so on. It’s amazing to see how many steps add up by doing it this way!

  • Or instead of buying a cup of coffee, start brewing your own and then go for a walk…by the time you’re back the coffee will be ready for consumption.

  • I find one way to build in steps is to put items, like folded clothes or clean dishes, a way one at a time. I also try to pace during TV shows/commercials.

  • I aim for at least 18000steps a day. I’ve managed as much as 25000. Walking my dog at least twice a day makes the difference for me.

  • Whenever Fitbit encourages me to get 2,200 or even only 1800 steps more to reach 10,000 any given day, I always wonder if they realize that I am 77 years old, still pretty active for my age, despite having Arthritis in both knees and waiting for my surgeon to get ready to operate. On a good day, or if I golf, I will get anything between 13,000 to 17,000 steps a day. However, because of my limitations, at the moment, I am now considering to get a Handicap Flag for my golf cart, just in case I can’t complete 18 holes, otherwise.

  • Much too simplified suggestions that do not apply to all types of people. I don’t drink coffee, for starters. Not everyone does. I am not walking in the rain or 90 degree days. I wouldn’t walk through a snow blizzard either. It’s taken me two months to finally walk 7,500 steps a day—after many years of doing nothing but gain more weight. New healthy eating habits and a 1,000 calorie deficit have helped me to become stronger and leaner. I’ll get to 10,000 steps when my body allows me to and once my doctor gives me the go-ahead. It’s just not possible yet.

  • Adopt a dog from your local shelter. You can not say “No” to those sweet little eyes when they ask to go out for a walk. It will make your heart melt with joy and happiness too.

  • No, make the coffee at home and put the savings into your retirement fund. Do use other opportunities to move more. However, there is a common sense and relative component. If you have physical challenges, are out of shape etc., increase activity level gradually. And if you’re older, move more but not so much that you aggravate arthritis in your hips or legs. Flexibility (stretches) and resistance (weights) are also part of a healthier routine….

  • I walk a lot every day I average 50000 steps a day sometimes I do more. my max was 102000 steps . I enjoy walking it’s part of my routine

  • Plus if you download the Dicks app and get 10,000 steps or more in a day, you earn 3 points. Once you reach 300 points, you get a $10 reward from them! I’m on my way to a $20 reward right now! Get those steps in! It is good for your health and you’ll feel better about yourself.

  • If you download the Dicks app and reach 10,000 or more steps in a day, you will earn 3 points. Once you reach 300 points you’ll get a $10 reward! Get those steps in! I’m on my way to a $20 reward! You’ll feel better about yourself.

  • Wait, so you’re telling me to skip making my own coffee and spend a couple extra thousand a year buying coffee from the local Starbucks?

    That’s exactly what we need to stay healthy. More stress as our budgets tighten!

    Terrible suggestion. There are many other ways to increase your daily activity that don’t require people breaking the bank.

  • Walk to buy a $3 cup of coffee? Just to get in a walk? Why not cite evidence that coffee can enhance a workout or a walk? And save $80 a month by making a perfectly delicious cup of coffee at home that you can enjoy in your pajamas. Then walk the dog.

  • Very interesting story. I have my steps set at 8,000 and it’s a struggle with my knees in really bad shape but I make it tho. Some days are more but at least it keeps me going. The advice you gave is great to achieve extra steps. I will definitely give it a try. Thank you

  • Pace around house while coffee machine going do dishes check email computer whatever I usually get over 2000 steps doing that before hit showers before hike. Starbucks is 2 miles away dude. Did 33000 and 29000 steps last 2 days. Do at minimum 5 mile walk then other yard whatever before hitting couch and watch golf 🙂

  • I am on my feet at work walking back and forth in a huge grocery store, I go to the gym and do an hour on the treadmill and still I am obese. At 70 what else can I do.

  • Thanks for the prompt to increase my daily goals. Now that Winter seems to have (FINALLY!) ended, it’s a great time to step up my fitness game.

  • Great suggestions, Harley. It is absolutely critical to change your mindset from “O, I have to accomplish 10,000 steps today” to “Walking is the form of getting around I use first.”

    I use the 250 steps and hour reminder all the time, and it works.

  • Here’s my routine. I’m 65 and my goal is 12,500 steps daily. I walk every morning for 90 mins or 5 miles, which ever comes first. I lay low on the weekends because living in Florida, theres always some type of Yard work to do, plus it gives my much needed legs and feet a break. Should I stretch out my 12,500 goal over the week days, or getting them all in on one walk OK??

  • I’m 70 and I walk between 5 and 7 miles, 5 days a week. I work and the job I have requires me to walk.

  • Once I got my fitbit as a present, I started enthusiastically to hit 10,000 steps a day or even more by walking to my club, doing my workout & walking back home -only three days a week- then I had a family trauma that drew me all the way back..Now I feel it’s so hard to get into shape again:(

  • Here are 3 additional ways I get extra steps into my day. I take laundry out of the dryer one at a time, fold and walk to put each away. I walk all the aisles at the grocery store or department store, even if I only came in for one item. I transfer items that need to moved from one floor of our house to another one at a time, even if I could carry them all at once. Not very efficient but I get more steps and stairs as a result.

  • I do not eat any food except fruit after 3 pm. I average about 11,000 steps a day. I lost 55 in 1 1/2 years. Portion control is also a big factor in my eating habits. It is a lifestyle change but my body has adapted to it and 190 feels so much better than 245.

  • I do 12k steps and 10 floors for 5 days a week I walk at 2.3 mph on my treadmill for 30 minutes, twice a day. I’m a 67 year old woman. Am i doing ok?

  • My inefficiency trick is to stop combining trips around the house to ‘save steps’. Example: Laundry days will find me bringing one article at a time to where it belongs. Why? I do laundry on my day off and do not have access to the safe walkways on the campus where I work. At work, my reminders to move get me out the door-or circling a large empty conference room in inclement weather-on both breaks and lunch! Love my Fitbit!

  • Now that I’m retired (not by choice), I have gotten a part time job at a local grocery store bagging. The Fitbit gives me too much credit for bagging and not enough for walking to or from work?

  • It can be hard to get steroid in when you have a sedentary job, but I’ve found ways to be creative. One walk around the perimeter of my office is just about 250 steps. If my reminder to move goes off, I do a circuit, and I do the same when i get up to get coffee or use the restroom. If the weather prohibits walking at lunch, I walk 200 stairs inside my office building. We also have a mini mall across the street that I can walk in. You just need to think outside the box!

  • I try to get in at least 24,000 steps per day which amounts to 10 miles per day for me. My stride needs 12,000 steps to attain 5 miles per day. The dog walks are especially helpful and I walk to as many places as I can instead of driving. I am 61 years of age, and I started using the fit bit because I needed to lose fat and improve my cardiovascular health. I now weigh around 110 pounds.

  • What can you do if your starting to get bad knees? I’m 71 still try to walk as much as I can daily, not bone on bone yet but dr says knee replacement in future. Trying to keep that from happening. Help lol

  • What can I do if starting to have bad knees? Dr say not bone on bone yet but knee replacements in future. I’m 71, do walk daily as much as I can but want to avoid that as long as possible. Help

  • I am 62 yrs old and sit at a desk behind a computer 8 hrs a day sometimes more. I bought my Fitbit Charge 2 last July 1st and have lost 10 lbs. just walking and maintaining food intake. Best thing I ever did.

  • Thank for the excellent advice. Of course, I work in an office, however I am going to change my steps from 5k to 10k. I have the reminder on my Fitbit to step every hour.

  • Great article and very good tips. I usually do 10,000 steps a day. After reading this article I’m going to raise the bar by adding 500 additional steps as part of my goal.
    Thanks

  • Good article except that part about walking to the coffee shop in the morning rather making a cup at home. Do you own stock in Starbucks?!?! Sorry, I’ll make a cup for 3 cents rather than paying $3 for the same thing at Starbucks! There are better ways to get steps that don’t cost money! I get about 18k per day by employing other strategies you mention and getting regular aerobic exercise.

  • I walk about for laps a day and do 4 days of cardio but I can’t loose my weight. I am eating healthy too. Any ideas how to shed 30 lbs.

  • I’m a counselor who also has lots of writing and computer work, in a desert community where it’s almost 90 or up to 120 degrees every day. I also commute 2 hours every day. 10000 seems impossible.

  • Lol……………in South Africa, most of us would have to walk at least 2 hours to our nearest coffee shop, and most places are not open until normal working hours, when you yourself have to be at work too…..plus this would mean having to pay R35 each time (appx R700/month) – not all of us have celebrity cash flow. Also in South Africa, meeting friends for lunch would definitely mean driving there and maybe walking from a parking area. Walking around the block at lunch time – hmmm depends where you work. Where I am personally, I would need to take off all jewelry, hide my phone and wear street appropriate clothing to take a walk around the block. For many of us, it is home gym, or/and gym memberships and other group classes one can be a member of – which you definitely have to drive to 😉 🙂

  • Suggesting that everyone buy coffee instead of making it at home is the height of ignorance from someone who spends his time training the uber wealthy. Most of us can’t afford too waste money like that. Walking is free. Starbucks is not.

  • Yes I believe exercising is helpful, but a lot of factors go into your health, one: heredity, I think that plays a major roll, and no matter how healthy you try to be, there is a need for rest too, one Cardiologist suggests that taking naps instead of vigorously exercising is more healthy for you, So to boil it all down it one persons advice will be different than another it should be based on each individual instead of grouping everyone together and saying we should all walk 10,000 steps a day

  • I started with Fitbit and WW 9 weeks ago – I made my goal 10,000 steps 6 days a week and to follow my WW food recommendations/points. I have lost 21 lbs. – over 2 lbs./week

  • I’ve had and returned 2 gold fitbits because no one could get them to work. I took them to every possible repair place.

  • Got a new puppy last August and walking 10,000-12,000 steps per day. Have lost weight, blood work best ever been, have more energy. Goal is to reach 15,000 per day. May have to get another puppy! It really works!

  • It’s good info but your first suggestion, “walk to get your coffee…” made me think of the drinks most people order when they do that. LOTS of sugar and fat! (Not to mention the money you’ll spend buying coffee 360-some days a year. For your health, if you walk to get your coffee and you order anything other than a cup of drip coffee, choose lower fat milk and skip all the fancy flavorings or ask them to add just 1/4 the usual ‘dose.’ Just an observation.

  • This worked for me. Since March 2017 I’m down about 140 lbs and besides fixing my diet (and counting calories in) I’ve become a walker. on
    Aug 1 I changed my “goal” from 5k to 10k steps per day and have 2 days that I haven’t done at least 10k. I’m happy when I go over 20k and happiest when I go over 30k per day. My wife now believes I’m addicted to walking.

  • It used to be hard for me to get more than 6-8000 steps a day. My work involves a lot of computer time. But I got a small stair-stepper that I’ll use when I’m on the phone, or I’ll put it in front of the TV and get in my steps while I watch a movie. And I challenge my sister each week to see who gets the most steps. She usually beats me because she is a hospital nurse. But sometimes I’ve clobbered her numbers. My best day was almost 20,000 steps when I was pulling weeds and doing yard work. Even arm movement counts!

  • Mary, I’m also in my 70s, and I try for at least 10,000 steps each day. But I’m happier with 15,000. Unless you have arthritis or another limiting factor, try to keep up with the younger people. Your exercise may be less intense, but you can get in the steps even during bad weather. A small trampoline may work for you, or one of the small stair-steppers that cost about $30-40. Even if your balance is not good, you can use a cane for support while you use the stepper. Don’t think of your age. Think of your ability!

  • It makes a lot of sense you will see the difference. I would take a short cut this work. I gain a lot of weight, since I’ve work to the train I saw the difference, in feel so much better. I’ve lose almost twenty pounds!!!!!!

  • You must live in a warm climate in the city. Walking to get coffee is hardly an option when the closest shop is more than 5 miles away particularly in the winter when 20 degrees is a warm day. I make my own coffee and still get 10k steps in a day thank you.

  • What happens when your doctor says NOT to walk due to Scoliosis? I used to love to walk, but now I sit around and watch others walk. I do exercise through only in the water, every other day. Can you help me please? I would love to get back to walking, but no surgery for me anytime soon.

  • My average daily walk is around 13.000 steps every day but saturdays for last 6 years is fun walk around too many kids playing their sports

  • you are assuming everyone lives in a city close to a coffee shop and not out in the country where it would take you three days to get there by walking.

  • I’m a sahm and I’m on my feet for 16 hours straight taking care of two kids (6 & 2) yet at most I hit about 6,000 steps according to my tracker. Each night I collapse from exhaustion, yet you people are constantly ridiculing those that don’t meet or beat your arbitrary 10,000 steps. If I hear another person telling me to just move more I’m going to end up in jail for murder.

  • This past winter I did 10,000 step challenges with friends in MN. I’m retired but work part time. I belong to the Y where I walk, do the Elliptical bike which a combo of pedaling and arms as well as forward and backward pedaling. I also do the circuit machines and enjoy this workout. I have Walk Away the Pounds CD’s at home which I also do. The other thing I have is a rug in my living room and when need be I will do 900 steps once an hour throughout the day. This has been very helpful in getting in my 10,000 steps and just keeps me moving.

  • I tried to do 10,000 steps, but it seems I always get injured. The latest was bilateral ankle synovitis. It took six months to mend. So, now I get 7,000-8,000 steps a day. I guess everyone is different.

  • Great Article!!

    May I, also, recommend dancing around the house to your favorite songs.. I love House music, which is very upbeat, so my dance moves kick up my steps. I tend to walk in place while washing dishes or watching tv (well, mostly during the commercials).

  • It’s annoying that my Fitbit doesn’t count steps taken when I’m on my bike, though. I know I’m taking lots of steps in an hour workout, but I get little to no credit for the steps.

  • Thank you. I am currently at a consistent 5000 – 8000 per day. Sometime I have difficulty with getting in a consistent 8000 per day. Any additional recommendations?

  • What age group should be getting 10,000 steps a day or more? I’m 64 an usually get alot more steps in summer but walk an light weights in winter at gym. I’ve had an SI fusion on right side, 2 ruptured disks & sinal stenosis.When I get 8-10 thousand it feels like enough.

  • You state that 10,000 steps equate to 5 miles?
    My Fitbit tells me that my 10,000 equates to around 3.5 miles..
    Why the discrepancy?

  • Parking a little further away from the entrance is not a good idea for women. It is a safety issue. I did and a man exposed himself to me and it was too far away from the security cameras to capture.

  • So How does one do that one both knees are compromised and painful? Are used to do 10 to 11,000 a day now I’m doing 5 to 7. But my knees are paying for it. Any suggestions would be helpful.

  • How many steps for an 82 yr old aim for. I set my goal for 5000 and sometimes I do not meet it. I guess I need to get moving. I am in good health.

  • having a good support team or friends and family to keep me accountable like planning walks with orhers

  • This is so true. I am able to reach 10,000 steps or even more than that when I incorporate walking, standing, getting up from my desk and constantly moving. This is done through out my work day then I hit the gym afterwards. The gym alone won’t give me all my steps. I have to get them in throughout the day and I feel more energetic when I move too. Good article. 5 Stars..

  • I am 70. Started walking the 1st of this year. I walk 10,000 steps a day. Have lost 13 pounds. The only other thing I did was to cut back on how much I eat.
    I have notice lower rest pulse rate and other good results.

  • I can personally attribute these exact behaviors to my success in losing 33 pounds in the last year. My goal started at 8,000…10,000 felt great so I pushed for 12, then 15, I now average about 23,000. I also do focused exercise (gym, sports, walks, whatever) at least 4 days a week. I eat and sleep better, drink a minimum 80oz of water a day, I monitor everything!!! My vitals and overall health are the best they’ve been in my adult life, and I’ll turn 40 this year. I feel amazing, and my fitbit is a big part of that. It is, my lifestyle. Keep pushing people, you CAN do it! Set realistic goals, and even if you don’t reach them right away, the effort will make you feel good and the change will happen. I never imagined myself where I am today! Thanks for this and all of your tips and articles!

  • I don’t like that when I DO up my goal, suddenly all the lovely green stars that I worked so hard to get disappear. I had a solid line of 8000 steps a day (desk job woman) and when I scrolled down and there were tons, I upped my goal to 10K. But now all those days prior to my goal change have lost their stars because they weren’t at 10k. Hoping Fitbit will update that so it doesn’t change. Those green stars really motivate me.

  • Is there a difference between getting 10K every day vs. averaging 70K per week even if the daily amount vary widely?

  • A person with MS getting steps while the rest slack off all the time. What a motivation to get off your duff and get about living life. Our population is turning into fat asses from birth up. At 64 and weighing 147lbs and benching 225, i started working out regular in 1972 when i first saw a weight bench at a gym in college. now i look at my peers and they are bending over and shuffling through life. If you call that life. The cost to health care not even considered.

  • I’m 76 and do 10, 000 to 13,000 steps per Day! I was a runner and skier until age 66. Need to keep moving!

  • we take normal 7500 steps. our diet is vegitarian with one glass of milk and calorie intake average 1500. my calorie burn is fatburn. on walking fitbit charge 2 indicates heart beat 150 when i walked 30 minutes, this showed some pain near upper point of ribs. on increasing the walk pain continued till some gas passed out.

    • we forget a new research in my institute and a engineer has a style to make a tour of a labs in a natural slow walk. it makes some pain in both toes. step count was not done. is it a mental fatigue a to meet a few scientific smells. i take a bottle of ammonia for inhaling few seconds as it freshes my brain

  • What is the Calculation for Body Mass Index? I know it involves factors like age, sex, weight and height, what else and what is the formula to determine one’s BMI?

If you have questions about a Fitbit tracker, product availability, or the status of your order, contact our Support Team or search the Fitbit Community for answers.

Please note: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately after submission.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.