How do people average 50000 steps per day?

[Emmeli]

Who has the time to average 50,000 steps a day!? How can this be possible?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[lukedga]

Falsely accusing a stranger of getting too many steps? Big deal. It's not murder were talking about. The people in the 50,000 step club always come back with these insanely long, super-defensive rants. The sect of super moms who walk everywhere with their kids on their back are well-represented, but then I know a woman with three kids who works as a personal trainer and averages between 15-25k like myself.

I did sit down to pen this response, so perhaps there enlies the rub. Until I master e-mailing while walking, I just won't get it.

I'm going to Unsubscribe since I'm starting to come off as salty. I think we can all agree that our FitBits have been beneficial. It just bums me out that I might, in real life, come across someone who lies about something so petty.

[SunsetRunner]

ok like yourself mistyped, that should have been approx 10 metres per second

41k steps per day, provided done continously

41k steps over 16 hours =  2562.5 steps per hour

2562.5 steps per hour/60 mins = 42.7 steps per minute

42.725 steps per minute/60 seconds = 0.71 steps per second

for me

41k steps over 16 hours = 2562.5 steps per hour

2562.5 steps per hours/40 mins = 64 steps per minute

64 steps per minute/60 seconds = 1.06 steps per second

For Usain

41 steps in 9.58s = 4.28 steps per second

so

that is just over 4 times slower than Usain

but that is comparing him to doing it in 9.58 seconds to me doing it in 16 hours

if I did 4.28 steps per seconds for 16 hours, I would have done 246528 steps

am I do that much? no

the number 1 person in my list is doing 456590 on average over 7 days

lets look at 19 April, you did 37567 steps

so lets presume you did it over 16 hours, that is 0.65 steps per second

which is slightly faster pace that me

but I doubt you ran for 16 hours, so lets say over the whole day you ran for 4 hours, that works out at around 2.6 sps

so by accusing me of cheating, false steps, what about you? you are basically accusing yourself as well

[SunsetRunner]

@lukedga

the reason for the long post is because I am breaking the data down

[shipo]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

so by accusing me of cheating, false steps, what about you? you are basically accusing yourself as well

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A typical day:

• Up at 5:00, feed the horses, get them out to the pastures, and clean up the barn; usually 8,500 to 10,000 steps (depends upon which pastures are in use and how dirty the barn is).
• Off to work, a fair amount of walking there even though it is a desk job; figure 3,000-5,000 steps, depending upon where on the campus my various meetings are located.
• Hit the trail on the way home for a run, some days it is slow and easy, say 10 miles in 1:40 with roughly 16,000 steps logged, or maybe a faster day like Monday where I only ran 8 miles in 1:10 with 11,821 steps logged.
• Back to the farm, bring the horses in from the pastures, feed them dinner and button up the barn for the night; usually 3,500-4,500 steps (depends upon which horses are in which pastures).

Not exactly any empty steps in that list.

[Nomad92]

I've never said that. Why are you making claims that aren't true ?

I am talking about people who got a daily amount of 70.000 to 100.000 steps. EVERYDAY.

I got up to 7000 or 8000 steps walking 8 km. 

What normal person walks between 80-100 km a day? This doesn't make any sense.

I also don't believe that people really get up to 50.000 steps a day. Not having a normal job.

Here is a platform to figure steps and km out.

http://www.convertunits.com/from/steps/to/kilometers

50.000 steps = 38 km. This is a pretty decent range I would already take 45 minutes to an hour using my car.

I would say a healthy person walks a mile in let's say 20 minutes or less. Walking 25 miles would take you something around 8 hours. Some might need 10, some hardasses might need 7 or even 6:30. 

Now let me ask you, what person having a normal job walks 8 hours a day? I am talking about WALKING, getting the miles down. Even if you work as a waitress, you would most likely NOT walk 8 hours constantly.

Just use some logic and simple maths.

The guys you were showing me, had around 400.000 steps a week, this is something around 40-45 km a day. WHO walks 40-45 km a day? I mean, go for it. Believe it or not, but I doubt that the majority in this community walks 45 km a day. I am not sure if you have ver walked 45 km, but this is a hell of a distance, and not even working on instruction sides, as a waitress or a postman will bring you up to 45 km a day. Except you live somewhere in Mongolia and haven't got a car. lol

Talking about 21.000 steps a day is something totally legit I believe, it's pretty average. But hardly anyone walks/runs down 40 km a day. For all Americans around us, 40 km is something about 24 - 25 miles.

I am not saying that there is nobody out there who gets down this daily amount, but on this site are just too many people having huge amounts of steps and distances, it is barely believable. 

I personally walk 8 km each morning carrying a 20 - 25 kg rucksack, I run an other 4 - 8 km each evening having my muscle-workout taking the last breath out of me before I even start my run. So I do lets say a range of 16 km a day. This is pretty decent and definitely far above average. But 40 km? Everyday? Nobody who has ever moved his legs for a while, knows that this is champion-level. Stop fooling yourself mate.

I am done discussing it.

[SunsetRunner]

sorry, another long reply, a bad habit of mine

you might be talking about 70k-100k every day, but this thread is about 50k, and fyi, my average is 41k not 50k

not having a normal job? I already stated numerous times that because of my illness I do not work, thus have all day spare, essentially, I am retired.  I get up around 8am in the morning as I have to take my meds and don't go to sleep till around 11-12pm

before my fitbit, I would either have been on the couch watching tv, playing on the ipad, or at my desk on the laptop

as for 70-100k everyday, like you said not a normal working person can do, or a retired person, I know how much effort I have to put in just to do 41k steps over the whole day, granted, I am not exactly fit

people that post long replies.... by that same token, those that accuse people of cheating are fat, lazy and can not stand the fact that other people are doing better than them...

or those that accuse people that post long replies are because they are uneducated and can not do so themselves

not that I am, some probably are, but I don't go round lumping all that do into the same boat

statements like those are pointless and are just to cause grief and arguements

some people maybe cheating, good for them, at the end of the day, they wasted their money and will not lose weight

stats were asked for, and posted, then the reply was that it is not hard to fake the data.... so why ask for them

the distance done can be easily faked, all it takes it is play with the stride length, heck the stride length may even be wrong thus the long distances, as for averages, unless the data was taken from everyone in the whole world, the average is not a real average, just for those people that the data was taken from

the users on this forum is not a true representative of the fitbit users, just those that post here, the majority of fitbit users don't even use the forum, those that are here, are mostly dedicated if that is the right word users

an average does not mean everyone does that average, some do, some don't

doing 40km in 8 hours after work, and 40km throught the whole 16 hour waking day is different

take the London marathon, why do you think some finish it quick and some take a long time? health and fitness as well as competitiveness

this arguement is like those that come last accusing those that come first of cheating and taking shortcuts etc or taking drugs to boost their performance

for me, it is not the distance, but the steps, and then the accusation that jogging on the spot are not real steps, not everyone can go out jogging, a step is a step, some have to do/get them anyway they can

I do 41k not 50k throughout the whole waking day 8am-12midnight, the pace and effort required to do it in 8 hours and 16 hours as I am sure you will agree is a big difference

at the end of the day, some maybe cheating, but to lump everyone into the same boat is not right

if I were cheating, faking my steps, then I will not have lost over 20lbs since getting my fitbit, well, the fitbit one, the zip was like a gadget/toy and never used for it's true purpose

like yourself, done discussing, this thread will never end or have an outcome, it can and probably will keep going until the end of the world

I know my steps are real, I bought the fitbit to lose weight which I am doing, I am here to get help, have friendly banter and help others, not have pointless arguements like this

for those that spend their time here accusing others, why not go out jogging etc to increase your steps

as for the users I showed you, those are the top section of users in my friend list, not real friends, but fitbit friends, no I do not compete with them, but I do not accuse them of cheating, after all they are not the true representation of the whole fitbit userbase, for all I know they could be professional runners etc

if I go round accusing all the users in my fitbit friend list above me of cheating and those that are below me of being fat and lazy, well, my friendlist would not be very big now would it

no longer subscribing, so say what you want, I'm going to use my time for better things, like stepping

so cya, have fun

[HelenaFitbit]

Hey everyone - I understand that this is an important topic to the posters in this thread, but I'll remind you that our Community Guidelines ask for civil discourse on these forums. Please refrain from inflammatory posts and personal attacks.

[Marcy]

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@HelenaFitbit wrote:

Hey everyone - I understand that this is an important topic to the posters in this thread, but I'll remind you that our Community Guidelines ask for civil discourse on these forums. Please refrain from inflammatory posts and personal attacks.

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For what little it is worth, I've always felt the Fitbit community has been incessantly polite. Count me in as one that actually enjoys the community's new tracker-wearing spitfires. 

[Marcy]

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@Nomad92 wrote:

Nobody here is critizised. It's about people who cheat and obviously put their fitbit on their dog chasing it over the field.

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Speaking of dogs wearing trackers...A Fitbit friend and I got bored with competing on daily steps so we put Fitbit trackers on our dogs one day and let them duke it out. My dog lost. 😞 But I walked away with the impression that most dogs would have dismal daily step counts.

[The_Dash]

Being a 56 YO laid off metrology engineer with nothing to do, I felt compelled to satisfy my own curiosity regarding my personal Fitbit daily step maximum, and decided to conduct my own Maximum Daily Step Test. Instrument used; Fitbit Charge HR. In the past, I've been able to hit 10K, 15K, and 20K a day without making a serious effort. You know, just letting the chips fall where they may and power walk for one or two hours every day. However, recently, I became curious as to "How many steps I could possibly walk in one day?" So, I got a good night's sleep and did my Maximum Daily Step Test the very next day. I walked from 10AM to 8PM in good weather. I took water and pee breaks every hour or so. I did not eat lunch and only ate pistachios on these breaks. So, 8 hours were spent power walking and 2 hours were spent resting. All of my walking was done on the Folsom-Auburn Trail that runs through the hills of my community. The end result: 40,333 steps, 19.1 miles, 8 hours, Power Walking all the way. By 8PM, my feet, ankles, knees, thighs, and hips were very stiff and sore. I am thinking about conducting this test on a weekly basis; since it made me feel so good the next day. I am now further challenged to break my record again. I believe that 45,000 steps is possible in my existing environment and 50,000 may be the absolute daily maximum for myself.          

[BruceBu]

Old runner, I think your capacity for belief must be modulated by your own abilities and opportunities. I am retired and often walk 50, 70, even 90 thousand steps a day in the front range of the Rocky Mountains - and I don't cheat. Averaging over 50k of real power walking (avg ~ 4 mph, cadence 120)  is not easy but it is certainly not impossible - I did 1.6M steps in April, avg = 54k/day.

[Corney]

I don't doubt people are averaging 50-70K steps per day, but I wonder why?  Is it making you fitter, healthier, what is it doing to your joints. I'm a retired Physical Therapist who worked 38 years, dealing with Orthopedics, mainly degenerative joint diseases.  It may make you body has a whole healthier but certainly not your feet, ankles , knee, hips and back.  So keep on power walking and soon you will be seeing an Orthopedic surgeon and possibly a Physical Therapist.  Good luck.  I have the time and energy to log 50K steps, but choose not to abuse my body.

[GershonSurge]

You didn't see the people who didn't have problems.

[Baltoscott]

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@Marcy wrote:

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@Nomad92 wrote:

Nobody here is critizised. It's about people who cheat and obviously put their fitbit on their dog chasing it over the field.

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Speaking of dogs wearing trackers...A Fitbit friend and I got bored with competing on daily steps so we put Fitbit trackers on our dogs one day and let them duke it out. My dog lost. 😞 But I walked away with the impression that most dogs would have dismal daily step counts.

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@Marcy -- similar experience with my dog.  Fitbits just don't seem to work very well on dogs.  But I guess that makes sense given that they weren't designed to work on dogs.  Sorry your pup lost his match 🐶😃

[USAF-Larry]

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@BruceBu wrote:

Old runner, I think your capacity for belief must be modulated by your own abilities and opportunities. I am retired and often walk 50, 70, even 90 thousand steps a day in the front range of the Rocky Mountains - and I don't cheat. Averaging over 50k of real power walking (avg ~ 4 mph, cadence 120)  is not easy but it is certainly not impossible - I did 1.6M steps in April, avg = 54k/day.

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How many steps per mile, do you get?  If we assume approx 2,000 steps per mile, 90K steps would be about 45 miles. An average of 25 miles/day. That's a lot walking in the mountains.

[BruceBu]

Actually, about 1800 steps per mile. Yes, it is a lot of miles in the mountains. To be clear, I have done 100k in a day (55 miles) once, 90k 2 times, and averaged over 50k/day for a month only once. Long term average is about 30k/day over the eight months I've used Fitbit (although I've be power walking for 40 years). I do it because I love walking in the mountains, not because I like making big numbers on an accelerometer. I was just irritated that Old Runner accused me (indirrectly), or anyone else who has averaged 50k/day for any extended period, of cheating. He apparently does not know much about what what he is saying, and is prone to making accusations based on personal experience.

[GershonSurge]

There are many people in great shape who hike and run in the Rocky Mountains. Sometimes, I see people miles from a trailhead wearing nothing but shorts and a fanny pack. Some people even run with donkeys.

I live in Pueblo, and there aren't so many in the Sangre de Cristos or the Wet Mountans, but even there, I see some. (The trails are steeper down here because they are older.)

Bruce's numbers look legitimate to me. 

(I'm not one of those people in great shape.)

[Corney]

Once again, as a retired Physical Therapist who has alot of experience workibg with clients with Chronic, hip. knee and back problems, I ask why would anyone want to log 50-80K steps per day.  Do they have knowledge of Joint metabolism, Joint kinematics, stress fractures, overuse syndromes.  I've in the past told my clients, after explaining how they are abusing their joints, It's your joints and I'll see you later.  I challenge any of you 50-80K steppers to seek out the advice of an Orthopedic Surgeon before it's too late.

[shipo]

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@BruceBu wrote:

I was just irritated that Old Runner accused me (indirrectly), or anyone else who has averaged 50k/day for any extended period, of cheating. He apparently does not know much about what what he is saying, and is prone to making accusations based on personal experience.

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I don't think OldRunner, or any other skeptical poster, me included, meant to say everybody logging 50,000 steps per day, day-in-and-day-out, is a cheater; that said, many of those steps some (most?) log are empty or fake steps.  Based upon your description of your typical day, it seems pretty evident your steps are legit; it also seems just as clear you are the exception and not the rule.  My hat is off to you.

[Corney]

Back in those days there wasn't Fit bit with thses crazy challenges.  I can't remember 1 client that came to me saying I'm walking 50K steps per day.  I quit running after over 25 years of running 6-7 miles everyday, running in over 30 10K races and 2 marathons, but I listened to my body.  When I began battling with Plantar fasciitis, and Patellar Femoral Syndrome, I knew enough to stop running and seek other forms of exericse that were more friendly to my feet and knees.  From reading these threads, I feel all my experience and warnings are going unheeded, so I gracely bow out from further comments.  Some day people will realize that I wasn't all that negative of crazy, hopefully before it's too late.

P.S. 6-7 miles never approached 50k steps and I doubt I could have logged 50K steps running a marathon.