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

[SunsetRunner]

the only real rational reasoning is that they want to

whats that saying? no pain no gain?

it is like asking why some people go to the gym and lift immense amounts of weights

because they want to

I suppose they get high on the pain?

[Corney]

It's called obsessive compulsive behavior.  No pain no gain is an oxymoron.  You can easily maintain you health and fitness with a 1 hour brisk walk and a little weight lifting.  There's little gained in 50k steps but considerable pain to come.

[GershonSurge]

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@Corney wrote:

It's called obsessive compulsive behavior.  No pain no gain is an oxymoron.  You can easily maintain you health and fitness with a 1 hour brisk walk and a little weight lifting.  There's little gained in 50k steps but considerable pain to come.

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Granted, many people logging 50,000 steps a day are not getting them from walking, but I think your post is called judging something you know nothing about.

There are probably a 1,000 people on the Appalachian Trail right now averaging 16 miles a day. On hilly trails, you get about 3,000 steps/mile. Add in bonus steps, and they are getting over 50,000. People thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail have to average about 25 miles a day to meet the time constraints caused by weather. Many of them average over 30 miles a day. Almost the same for the Pacific Crest Trail.

There are people roadwalking the 3,600 mile American Discovery Trail who are averaging 20-25 miles a day.

Most people have something they are OCD about. This is called a passion.

Except for top elite ultra-marathoners, there are no long term health problems from participating. I'm not including those who run into injury, but people can do more than most think without injuries. At the ultra elite levels, some claim health problems, but no studies have proven they exist.

For longevity, a person can get all the longevity health benefits from an hour of exercise a day as long as they aren't sedentary the rest of the day.

I don't average 50,000 steps a day. But it's my life, and I get to choose my passion. 

[SunsetRunner]

It is more about what you eat than what you do

I try to do 30k most days, on those days like when it is pouring it down, I have nothing to do etc, I aim to do more instead of just sitting on the couch and watch tv, the problem with sitting on the couch and watching tv or use the laptop is that you are more likely to snack

It was tbh eating too much for the amount of exercise I was doing that got me and most likely most people where we are now

Doing 30k just means I get to my ideal weight quicker

The reason for 30k is that hopefully when I hit my ideal weight, I could in theory not exercise and still maintain that weight and that the calories would be neither too little or too much and if I wanted to eat more I just had to exercise if that makes sense

[shipo]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:
It is more about what you eat than what you do

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I have to disagree, at some point it would get difficult/impossible to out eat one's level of activity.

FWIW, I've been to that level several times and have found it literally impossible to eat enough to even maintain my weight much less gain.

[SunsetRunner]

Best way of putting it is

Training the body to get used to a certain amount of calories

So I don't end up in those so called yoyo diets, lose weight, gain weight, lose weight etc

[shipo]

I don't see what one has to do with the other.  The fact is, if you embark on a program to do, say, an Iron Man Triathlon, you will absolutely need to increase what you eat; has nothing to do with yoyo diets.

[Corney]

The people who are walking those trails have a goal in mind, after it's accomplished they go back to an exercise program that would be considered to be more moderate.  I do know something about what I speak.  I was a Physical Therapist for 38 years, studied Anatomy, Physiology Kinesiology, and treated many clients with degenerative joint disease.  You see very few ultra elite level athletes over the age of 40, why, because they've got smart and slowed down or are battling chronic injuries.  You a right, it's your life, follow your passion.  Good Luck.  Once again I want to here from those individuals who average 50K+ steps every day and find out what is their rational, what do they think they are getting from those steps and at what price?

[SunsetRunner]

to lose weight you need to burn more than you eat

so by that definition, you could techinical do sod all and sit watching tv all day, as long as you eat less than you burn, then you will lose weight

by exercising, all that means is you can eat more, or lose weight quicker

[SunsetRunner]

a yoyo diet is when you eat a severely low amount of calories to lose weight, and when you hit that weight, you eat more, gain weight, and then eat less again and so on

has nothing to do with eating more calories to do say a marathon/triathlon, that is eating to prepare your body for what you are about to do/come

[SunsetRunner]

I am in some challenges where some of the people do 100K plus, tbh we don't accuse them or ask them why, everyone in the challenges that I am in are basically in it for fun, the chatter and gossip and to help each other lose weight

yes if I was in it seriously, then I could understand, but not everyone is

I don't know about why those people who do 50k, but for me, trying to make sure I do 30k everyday, basically I want to, I'd assume they are the same

[shipo]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

I am in some challenges where some of the people do 100K plus...

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I've said it before, and I'll say it again; anybody averaging over 100,000 steps a day is logging a HUGE number of fake steps that don't burn squat from a calorie perspective.

[BruceBu]

Simple question for the cynics that feel that 50k/day average is too much because it is either to dificult or too damaging:

What do you consider an acceptable number for a high stepper????  30k certainly must be OK - I know all kinds of people do that, even in my 60+ age class. Unless obvious, no one suspects or accuses them of cheating or taking a large number 'empty steps' - they are just good hard workers, dedicating 4-5 hrs to modest walking exercise. So 30 must be OK - well then what about 35k (about what I average year-in year-out), what about 40,45, well then 50???? So give me a number, or should I just stop walking?

For whoever asked why we do it - final answer: you can ask all you want, you won't really know unless you do it yourself. Train up for a year or so, so as to not hurt yourself, then come back and tell us about it. If you still don't know why - guess it just isn't for you. 

[SunsetRunner]

how many steps you do in a day comes down to many factors

how fit you are

how much time you have

etc

you could be as fit as Linford Christie, but if you do not have much spare time, then you will not do many steps

by that same reasoning, you could have all the time in the world, but if you are the unhealthiest/laziest person in the world for example, you will not do many steps

so people like to sit down all day and watch tv, some like to jog on the spot whilst watching tv for example

it is down to the individual

if I wanted to, walking at a pace of 2 step per second, because I have the time, it would take me 7 hours out of the whole waking day to do 50k

you might say, what about work, etc, for someone that works 8 hours a day, has a house/family to look after then yes it would be difficult, but I have 16 hours a day to do what I want

if I were then to spend the whole waking day to walk, I could technically do 115k, will I? no. could I? at a push, possibly, but I will not be well the following few days after and will have to spend it recovering

before anyone says but you are doing those steps inside/on the spot etc, I am talking about going outside

if you have the time and commitment, even at 1 step per second that would be 50k in 16 hours

so before judging others, you may not have the time, it does not mean that other people do not

just because you work on your feet, it does not mean that you are moving, you could be working on your feet in a warehouse stood still packing stuff all day, just because you are on your feet, do not automatically mean you are doing steps

for example, a company where I used to work, I worked at the collection point and was constantly walking in and out, to and from the counter to the warehouse etc, in that working day I will have done more steps than those in the warehouse, that were picking and packing, because they will have been  stood still most of the time

[SunsetRunner]

you make that presumption based on the spare time and lifestyle you have

just because you do not have the spare time it does not mean other people do not

at 2 steps per second, to do 100k it would take someone just over 14 hours a day

in your daily life you may not have the time to do it, but it does not mean no one has

like myself, I have the whole waking day to do what I want, so if I were to say go out walking at 2 step per second for the whole 16 waking hours, I would do 115k, whether I will or not, or whether it is healthy in the long run is another matter

lets put it this way

if you were to wake up at 8 am, go out for a walk at the pace of 2 step per second for 16 hours, that would mean you would have done 115k

or if your farm work required you to be constantly moving all day, you will do that

are you saying then that you are doing huge amount of fake steps?

I know your are saying to average 100k, but unless you know what they do, what their lifestyle is, then you can not really judge them

if they were to say they were unfit, did a job sat down 8 hours a day etc then yes I would agree with you, but until I know for certain what they do, how healthy they are etc, I will not make any accusations or presumptions

another perspective is this

what you are saying, or accusing is like my dad who is phsyically disabled, so the amount of steps he can do is limited, to accuse someone who is able to walk etc as cheating, logging fake steps because they are doing more than them

going by what you say regarding your lifestyle, fitness etc you could go jog/run at 4 steps per second for 7 hours a day everyday and log 108k if you wanted to and did not have to look after the farm etc

for someone who is fitter etc, at 6 steps per second if would take them 5 hours throughout the whole waking day, whether they have the time to do it or not is another matter

some people have all day to do what they want, and choose to walk/jog/run to keep them active instead of sitting on the couch watching tv etc

but you don't and can't because you have a farm to look after amongst other things, but what about if you did not? what would you do? from what I gather, you would choose to spend that time being active and go out jogging/running, which would mean that you could do 100k yourself if you wanted to

[shipo]

Once again I cannot read your entire long winded rants.  I stand by my statement; for folks who claim 100,000 steps on a daily basis, I say those are fake steps.  Could I do 100,000 in one day?  Probably.  Could I do it two days in a row?  Hmmm, *maybe*.  Could I do it day-in-and-day-out?  Not a chance.

[SunsetRunner]

this thread is about people averaging 50k

and you were accusing people along with some others who did that as cheating

I brought up the 100k as an example

[kens33]

nice answer, its the average thats at question not the one off great day, but hey if they feel good all power to them

[shipo]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

and you were accusing people along with some others who did that as cheating

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If the shoe fits...

[Corney]

I have never accused peole of cheating!