If you own a Fitbit, by default, you will automatically have a goal of walking 10,000 steps a day. Depending on which Fitbit model you own (I have the Fitbit Inspire 2), if you reach that goal, your watch or fitness tracker will have some sort of celebration for you to watch on the screen. It could be fireworks. It could be a bird flying across the screen holding a banner. Either way, it’s a celebration because you did it; you walked 10,000 steps. But why?
Why 10,000 Steps?
According to Fitbit’s blog, the reason the company chose 10,000 steps is that for the average person that will work out to walking about 5 miles a day. That step goal also means you’ll be getting 30 minutes of active exercise each day which fulfills the CDC recommendation of getting at least 150 minutes of exercise per week.
Hold on. We’re not mathematicians, but 30 minutes of exercise a day times 7 days in a week, is 210 minutes of exercise a week; however, 30 minutes of exercise a day times 5 days a week is 150. Does that mean we can take the weekend off? Does that mean we can walk less than 10,000 steps a day?
If you’re trying to lose weight, you might want to stick with the 10,000 step goal. The average person who walks 10,000 steps a day will burn an extra 2000-3500 calories per week, and 3500 calories equals burning off one pound. Obviously, diet and perhaps additional exercise could speed up the weight loss process.
If you’re already at your goal weight, walking 10,000 steps could still be a good goal because walking has health benefits besides weight loss. I almost always feel like I’m in a better mood after an outdoor stroll. The extra vitamin D from the sun doesn’t hurt either. Besides being in a good mood, going for a 30-minute walk can also reduce your risk of stroke by 20% according to Harvard School of Public Health.
Arguments for Different Step Counts
The number of steps you walk in a day really depends on your goals. Personally, I’ve found that when I don’t focus on steps but do other types of exercise besides walking, like HIIT exercises or tabatas, I build more muscle and get a more intense workout in a shorter amount of time. I also end up coming nowhere close to getting in 10,000 steps that day unless I go for a very long walk.
Does 10,000 steps seem daunting? According to a study at Harvard Medical School, 10,000 steps is not a magic number. The more steps you take the better until you get to about 7,500 steps. Then the benefits pretty much plateau, at least when it comes to mortality. If weight loss is your goal, that’s different.
Even Fitbit admits that 10,000 steps doesn’t have to be your goal. It could be more or less. If your goal is general fitness, you might want to simply push yourself a little bit further than what you’re already doing. For example, if you’re typically walking about 5,000 steps per day without trying, you might want to set a goal of 6,000 steps.
On the flip side, if you’re already pretty active and find it easy to walk 10,000 steps a day, that doesn’t mean that you have to stop walking when you hit that number. You can set a higher goal to challenge yourself. We’re all at different fitness levels, and if you like walking 15,000 or 20,000 steps a day, you do you!
My Fitbit Isn’t Always Accurate
On a side note, I’ve discovered that my step count isn’t always accurate with my Fitbit because, after all, it’s not my wrist not on my foot. It doesn’t always know I’m walking if I’m holding my daughter’s hand or carrying a laundry basket, for example. It also sometimes thinks I’m walking when I’m not if I’m moving my arms a lot, like if I’m cleaning or putting things away.
In order to make my step count more accurate, I’ve come up with a pretty easy solution. I don’t wear my Fitbit on my wrist. Instead, I put it in my pocket. That’s one reason I really like the Fitbit Inspire 2. It’s pretty narrow, so it’s not bulky in my pocket even when I don’t take the band off (and I usually don’t take the band off); however, there’s also a clip that Fitbit makes so that you can clip the tracker onto your clothing, you know, if you don’t have pockets or want to make sure it doesn’t fall out of your pocket.
I have yet to upgrade my Fitbit from the Inspire 2, but there is a 3rd generation model available, the Fitbit Inspire 3. If I didn’t already own one, I might consider buying that latest model.
Do you own a Fitbit or other fitness tracking device? How many steps do you usually walk each day?