How can a person average 80,000 steps in a day?

[prc1977]

I don't mean to call anybody out or question somebody's integrity but there are fitbit users who average better than 75K steps a day over the course of a week. Assuming they get eight hours of sleep, that means they're walking almost 40 minutes each hour every hour of the day unless they're asleep. Every day for a week.

It is possible that they're running or training for a marathon or walking really fast or are really really into this walking thing but it seems like it is too much. Any way you do the math, it is an incredible amount of walking and it is sustained over the entire week.

What's the most anyone has ever walked in a day? How about in a week? 

I wonder what it would be like if I got up at five am and walked all day until midnight? Doing the math, it would theoretically be possible to break 100k but I don't think I could get anywhere near that. And 80k a day for a week seems too much too.

What do you think?

Moderator edit: Clarified subject. 

[Junoberries]

maybe if you are the late great Terry Fox who ran across canada 

[SunsetRunner]

I think you are exempt from this curious anomaly of 80k steps PER day. At 225,000 per week, although very high, is totally doable. That’s about 32k per day so if you’re active and walk fast, you could get that in 4-5 hours of just straight on exercise walking. You could also do that in less time of straight on exercise walking when you consider all the steps you take just exiting, especially if you’re not a couch potato. So your situation is totally doable. I like to get in 20k steps a day so about 140k per week. These other people who get 80k per day, sadly, are either lying, cheating, or are spending all of their time walking when all you need is 40 mins to 1hr of high intensity, peak heartbeat maintenance work out. It’s not healthy to walk these ridiculous steps that others are claiming. The body can only take so much. But you’re good. 

[Daves_Not_Here]

I do at least 80,000 steps every day.  I also grew hair on my palms and went blind.

[writergal28]

I don't think 80K makes any sense.  If I walk for half an hour straight, I might log about 3,600 steps.  So that's 7,200/hour (though usually less than that.  I mean, you need breaks, right?). You're going to need to walk all day to get that kind of a number (maybe 12 hours to get 80K).  

[Patrick1]

Lol, I don’t know how 80k can be done in one day, but using a jackhammer in my case doesn’t count at all as steps, but it detects it as mountain biking, I have to discard that from my total if I don’t want to cheat myself. Jackhammer is more like weight lifting I found than mountain biking. So I don’t think the « using a jackhammer theory to cheat would work » imo, but nothing’s impossible!

[LindsayRG]

I wake up at five and often walk that many steps in a day not always ut especially if i walk two hours in the morning walk my kid to school both ways walk back both ways and treadmills at night hwne i am watching tv for several more hours. I do this without running

[annchristin86]

A few years ago I had a day where I walked 45 km according to fitbit, I had 54,000 steps.

[RobbieDi]

Good for you! It's really finding the time to get the steps in. I'm in the gym by 5:00am...I use the stairs at work...AND I've turned the third floor of my job into my own personal track...I walk five, six laps at least twice. When my Fitbit buzzes...I move ! 🙂

[Gimpycat]

Total BS -- it's not possible to average 80,000 steps a day with a standing or walking desk and still accomplish any work. To put that step count in perspective, one day recently I worked out for an hour, hiked for another hour and a half, took walks for well over two hours, rebounded for an hour, and walked in place in front of the TV for several hours. I logged well over 10 activity hours for the day and finished with just over 41,000 steps. It takes approximately 55,000 steps to run a marathon. Would you have us believe these office workers are logging an ultramarathon every day at their walking desks?

It's easy to manipulate a Fitbit. Easier still to simply lie, if data is entered manually in a step challenge. BTW, I have a standing desk and a desk cycle.

[LindsayRG]

I don't care what you believe my self-esteem and self-worth isn't based on
whether or not you think I am lying. I am asking a real question and for
real help. I get up at five am. I have a treadmill, a peloton etc. in a
house and I walk everywhere to get groceries and back and I accomplish all
my work on the phoen dictating to my assistant. I don't have the time or
the desire to manipulate my fitbit to lie to you myself or anyone else just
have a problem I am trying to resolve.

[b.chaudhury]

I didn’t see 80000 steps a day among Fitbit users inly when my Fitbit
packed up and I started using Garmin Vivofit did I see this. Can understand
this for a day or two but average this over a week/ month makes me wonder
how the person is doing it. All such persons will either not log their
activity or share
--


Bikash Chaudhury

[RobbieDi]

You do realize that I am NOT the only person that does not understand how
this is possible. Please go and yell at someone else. Please. I was simply
stating my opinion. Have an 80K kinda day!

--

RobbieDi

[Ronlaub]

Can't resist adding my two cents on how difficult (or easy) it would be to AVERAGE 80k steps a day for a normal person.

In the ultramarathon world, six day (144 hour) races are one of the most grueling races imaginable. For six days, all the entrants have to do is run, walk, eat, sleep and use the restroom. No household chores, no job, no commute, no children to care for...nothing to do but race.

Two big 144 hour races in the United States are Three Days at the Fair in New Jersey and Across The Years in Arizona. Top ultra racers from across America and around the world travel to these elite events to see how many miles they can do in the allotted time.

Since doing 80k steps would be roughly the equivalent of running/walking 40 miles a day, let me share the results. In these two races, ONLY 49 of 125 registrants were able to accomplish at least 240 miles over the six days. Less than 40% of these elite athletes can do in race conditions for six days what several Fitbitters CLAIM they can do on a daily basis week-after-week, month-after-month.

This is why I'm a skeptic.

[brunoray]

Too funny.  An 80k kinda day.  Anyone says they 'average' that.  I call, well, you know.

I certainly realize you are not the only one.  I'm surprised this is still circulating.  I think MOST understand that unless you are currently involved in some ULTRA Event, it's not very likely that people are averaging 80K per day and IF there really are people doing that - I guess I would say..... WHY?

Moderator edit: merged reply

[Venmar]

depends on where you live I guess, I live in norway, only started walking for exercise a month ago, and bought the fitbit charge 2 5 days ago, its logged 20-25.000 steps a day, except one where I had 37k.

I dont think im particularly fit tho, so many probably have way more, and I only spend 3-6 hours or so walking outside a day.

[b.chaudhury]

Exactly the point I was making. Once in a while logging even 100,000 steps
may be possible but if you are averaging 80,000 steps in a day for months
together I find it unbelievable for average healthy human being. May be a
top athlete in training may be able to achieve this

--


Bikash Chaudhury

[Wowken]

I get weekly reports of my buddies who use FitBit and there is one female in her late 30s who consistently logs in 575,000 to 625,000 steps every week for the past three years. My best is 100,000 a week but only when weather permits. She lives in Philadelphia and as I said is first every week, all year long with the totals above. Not sure what she does as she will not reply to my request when congratulating her for her performance and how I can work toward reaching that weekly total. My son says she must put her FitBit on a hamster wheel or on a vibrating robot. Crazy. 

[Ronlaub]

This was my daily stepping a few weeks ago.

I did four 5-mile walks before work (the other day it was raining) and a few shorter walks in the evening and Sunday.

I got more than 10k steps each of the five days at work. My job allows and requires me to move around a lot.

I did a 17-mile walk/hike on Saturday that week.

And with all that, my 7-day step total was 173k.

To those who claim it is so easy to average 80k steps a day (560k a week), please share with us YOUR workout schedule. 

[Corney]

I'm asking those who log 80-100K steps per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year to please show me your weekly summary provided by Fitbit.  I average 72-74k steps per week, burning 2100-2200 calories per day.  Anyone who is claiming 90K steps per day should average burning over 16,000 to 18,000 calories per day.  If this is true all they do every day is walk and eat and complete bodily functions.  Copy one of your weekly reports and post it along with your weekly step count and time spent walking and sleeping.  Put an end to all the questions on how someone logs 80-100K steps per day.

[Madogmolly]

People are posting 100,000 steps a day badges all the time. I don't believe them either.