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. 

[Liz_J]

Most weeks I average 85000 or 90000 but since my shinsplints it's down to 56000

Next week starting to increase.
It's quite easy to do that amount. I don't really try hard. Quick walk in morning before work then another round 5.30. Plus walking back and forth at school.

[LaTonya]

I've gone from 5k to 17k+ average since March.

I do most of it purely walking without equipment and without running. I think when you simply look at numbers, you fail to put the 'how' into context.

I increased my steps by walking in 'chunks.' I walk before I begin my shift. I walk on break and my part of my lunch. This is my core walking routine.

I take longer walks some evenings and weekends. I gradually increased my time and distance. I gradually increased my goal based on how I felt (better, more energy).

I don't own a car. I'm a bus commuter. I get off before my stop sometimes and walk about a mile home. I walk to and from my part-time job. I walk tto 95% all of my errands which include the grocer at least twice a week.

I find it ironic that on an online, social network many fail to mention the power of community/buddy. I attribute my current success largely to the support of a buddy I met in one of the groups I belong to here. We regularly chat and he challenges me to do more and to believe I can achieve more. My greatest jump in numbers is a result of our interaction.

[ac7ss]

I have a 12,000 step average. I take an hour and a half and walk. It's about a 5 mile loop "around the block". I listen to audio books or music to pass the time.

I am 6'3" and 290#. In other words FAT. I have a job that keeps me away from home (sitting) for 11 hours of the day 5 days a week. If I can do it, anyone can.

With the quality of television shows these days, you can skip a show and take a walk.

[Jabrat]

Yes, they can - I have a gal in my group that does 87,000 steps in a day !  

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@prc1977 wrote:

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?

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[Jabrat]

Every 10,000 steps you see - that's how many hours it takes them - I have hit my 100,000 in one day - although it does not show on my best - have been meaning to contact Fitbit and ask them to update it.  Just did 100,000 last Sunday - just a challenge to myself - we have many in our group that have already done 100,000 - one gal has done it 16 times - takes around 12 hours.

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@prc1977 wrote:

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?

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[OhioDeb]

Maybe some of those doing more than 80000 steps a day have a fitbit flex like mine.  Yesterday it has me at 30000 steps even though it was off for several hours while I was in the pool! LOL  Yes, I am trying to have it fixed or repaired but wish I coud claim those numbers LOL  How it can count steps while lying on a table I don't know!  Somethings wrong. Ohiodeb

[Gershon]

Maybe there are earthquakes from the fracking in your area. 

[josephz2va]

There's always getting an athletic job. Though that'll be a hard job to win the Olympics. They work out 8 hours a day.

The army I'm sure get 80,000 a day on boot camp.

Non-desk jobs definitely get 80,000 like construction companies and teachers.

If companies were willing to change desks to standing desk jobs, we'd get more walks in.

[OhioDeb]

good one Gershon!  

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@Gershon wrote:

Maybe there are earthquakes from the fracking in your area. 

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[oldrunner]

Although many will defend those who claim to do it, I do not think it is possible to average 80,000 steps a day. That would be 40 miles a day for seven days straight. 40 miles is an ultra-marathon! Every day for a week? Imagine running a two marathons a day for four of days of the week and on your rest days only doing a marathon. Most people I know that have run a marathon say it takes a week or more to recover from it. Being a runner for 50 years and logic make me feel these people have figured a way to cheat. When did it become worse to call a cheater a cheater and a liar a liar than to do the cheating and lying?

[Liz_J]

Ha ha. Yes my sentiment exactly. If I run 10 my legs are tired and stiff next day. I might walk 10 k. A day but that's not the same. I can do 15000. - 20000 steps but quite frankly I have to work and live life. Doing steps while watching tv is not the same as power walking or running. It's not increasing your heart rate. So it's pointless.

[oldrunner]

Jabrat, I think you are missing his point. Did the ‘gal’ do it 16 days in a row? His point was people are claiming they are doing it every day for a week straight and some every day for a whole month. I get less than 2,000 steps per mile while walking @ 4.2 mph. If I run @ 9 mph or more I only get about 1,800 steps per mile. I saw you post at another site that several in your group had surpassed 125,000 steps in a day. For me that translates into over 62 miles in a day and walking 15.5 hours @ 4 mph, leaving 8.5 hours for preparation, eating, eliminating, resting and sleeping. Positively possible, but logic demands I should be skeptical of anyone claiming this since it is impossible for most. 

[Gershon]

Jennifer Pharr Davis hiked the Appalachian Trail in 46 days averaging about 48 miles a day. Steps are shorter on steep trails. I think it's quite possible she could have averaged 80,000 steps a day. Recently, a couple ran a marathon everyday for a year. 

Yeah, some people probably game the system by putting their Fitbit on a grandfather clock pendulum or attaching it to their dog. What difference does it make in my life? 

I find it humorous that this thread keeps appearing in my email.

[prc1977]

I think it is kind of surprising how this thread has kept going too.

And I guess Gershon is right in asking, 'What difference does it make in my life." but the way fitbit is set up, competing with friends is kind of a big part of it. The number of steps seems to be the whole point of the fitbit experience and if somebody has figured out how to knock out 50 - 60 miles or 80,000 - 100,000 steps every day, well, I want to find out more. Likewise if people are just tossing these things into the dryer every morning and running up the averages it throws things off for the people who are walking and care about the big friends/steps listing that takes up the entire side of the fitbit dashboard.

In the scheme of things, the competitive aspect of Fitbit doesn't make a big difference in my life or anyone else's but it is fun and it motivates me to keep going when I think I can catch somebody before midnight. To find it trivial is fine but considering we are all people with $100 step counters talking about the number of steps taken, it has to matter to some extent, right?

[Gershon]

I've learned that competition is irrelevant as people make different choices to focus on in their life. The rank in a competition is merely a reflection of these choices. 

When people choose to compete, of course they want a fair competion. If someone is choosing to do 80,000 steps a day, then that's their passion. It's not one I'm going to adopt. If people choose to cheat to beat me, it doesn't matter to me as they will soon get so far ahead I won't worry about them.

I never thought of putting the fitbit in the dryer. 

[prc1977]

I think if I chose to walk 50k steps a day that would be a life choice but if I chose to do 60 miles a day I still would not get to 60 miles per day. At some point life choice or not, it isn't going to be possible.

Once my fitibit went through the washer and the dryer and it said I climbed 75 flights of stairs that day. Somehow it didnt seem to matter too much with the step count. I got a badge for forgetting to empty my pockets.

[Gershon]

Well, 60 miles a day is possible. Some of the walkers in the late 1800's and early 1900's averaged over 70 miles a day in walks across the United States. 

Anyway, I gotta go run 57 miles.

[oldrunner]

When I did research on Pedestrianism, I found that it was walking races in the late 1880s that fizzled out by 1910. For the most part it was not sanctioned and teams counted their own laps. They were professionals paid for their success. I am sure the sport was as trustworthy as professional boxing was in that era. Jennifer was a professional setting a world record and that was her only job. The emaciated couple in Australia were also professionals promoting their business and that was their only concern at the time. We are speaking of ordinary people with jobs, families, etc. Using your twisted logic, a half dozen or more fitbit users claiming to run 100 M in under 9.6 seconds should not be doubted since Usain Bolt ran the 100 M in 9.58 seconds. By the way, you forgot the decimal point in the .57 miles you were going to run.

[Gershon]

Hopefully, you didn't take my 57 miles seriously. I show everything on my profile, so you can see what I really do.

I'm more into a personal challenge which you can see here.  It's a virtual hike that touches all 48 states.

[zeeze]

hi all  am pretty new to fitbit... just over a week... the most steps i took in a day was just over 40k and it was all walking and it was a long day!

but i joined a group on here the "fibit uk" 

fitbit uk <-----

now the person  top of the leaderboard on their daily step count one day had 1589880 for just that day.... all i can say is how? 

yes i know the number next to your name is th avg for the week but some people have their profile open so you can see the daily step count and that number i just put down is a daily count and isnt the only day with a number that high for them....surely its not poss