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

[WoodlandsTexas]

I haqd 60,000 steps on my Marathon Day

[WoodlandsTexas]

Ken, Ironman Athletes do it all the time.

[A_Lurker]

@WoodlandsTexas - what you can do is post in this thread:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Be-Inspired/Looking-for-Fitbit-Friends-Find-some-here/td-p/1257283/p...

When you do the post, mention what your average is and that you're looking for someone around your number or slightly higher.  Although this week I've been on a bit of a break I posted in it recently looking for people doing 15-20,000 steps a day.  I was finally hitting 15,000 and higher each day*.  I asked for friends doing more. I started off under 10,000 a day and I slowly worked past all of my friends until I was at the top each day. At the moment I'm 7th on my friends list.  I should be 3rd or 4th once I'm back to my usual routine next week.  I'm a little competitive, but I think it will be a while before I pass the person in first.

*(not too bad considering I still have well over 100 pounds left to lose)

[GershonSurge]

@WoodlandsTexas,

There is a lot of cheating in the activity groups, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as it used to be.

Back in May, we had a long discussion in this topic about what constitutes a step for activity groups. On one hand, there are those who think anything the Fitbit logs is a step. On the other hand, there are those who think a step is only walking or running. 

I generally pay more attention to those who show their steps, calories, and activite minutes on their profile. My only reason for this is I can choose to compete against those who are doing approximately what I'm doing.

I suggest looking for groups from Colorado. As you probably know, there are many elite and sub-elite runners clustered around Boulder. Some of them seem to be in the activity groups, but they don't advertise it. I like this one from Colorado Springs as the top competitors are near my ability: https://www.fitbit.com/group/223H5Y. I'm not always near the top, but I can be during my high activity periods. 

You might try joining 10 or 15 activity groups and then friend those who are near your ability. They will show up on your profile, and you can compete against them.

[shipo]

I'm in a challenge group at work; in October I ran 345.20 miles and logged a total of 517 miles of total distance, and yet, at the end of the month I was third out of six on our team.  Hmmm, asking about a bit they admitted they had "tricks" they used to run up their steps.

[paso]

All we can do is recognize our accomplishments even in challenges. Challenges are great motivation for some but always there is the caveat of buyer beware. The stats some others are "selling" may be hookum😕.

[paso]

Great idea.. Thanks for sharing☀

[paso]

Congrats on your accomplishments! I honestly think we should add ceiling fans and hamster wheels for those looking to cheat.

[paso]

I really appreciate the wear and repair approach! I'm finding the older I am the more I recognize maintenance is key. Not just to things but to ourselves and relationships.

[Ahlyss]

It might be impossible if you're lazy and don't lead an active life, like much of America. I'm walking from 9am-7pm. There are no chairs at my job. If we have constant orders, I walk between 45k and 55k steps. So I assume the answer would be long, busy hours at on your feet jobs (nurses, waitressed, dogwalkers). I'm not concerned if someone cheats and lies about 40k Or 50k because it is entirely possible. Especially if you're a runner, you could do that in a morning. 

[Corney]

      Ahlyss:  Assuming 50K steps in 10 hours would be 83 steps per minute every minute, how do you get anything done?  What do you do with these constant orders?  I've worked with Nurses and they do very little walking, they spend most of their time at the nursing station writing notes, Nurses aides answer all the call lights, make beds, deliver meals, bathe patients.  Waitress's might be on their feet for eight hours but they are not walking all the time, as for dog walkers, they don't walk dogs for 8 striaight hours and don't walk 83 steps per minute every minute.  It's possible but not everyday, day after day, month after month.  Sorry, but I don't believe it, and I don't care.  I guess it's another example of an alternative fact or reality!

[Kimbit9]

True- be concerned for yourself however, when you are involved in challenges or just pure competition and it averages out some absurd number, you have to wonder why or how?

Example: this morning I was 20 some odd thousand steps ahead of a friend- my average was 56,700... theirs was 35,000.  5 hours later they are almost 4,000 ahead of me and I know they are at work....  doesn't make sense and It kind of takes the excitement of the competition away knowing it is somehow skewed.

Disappointing!

[Run_Rabbit_Run]

I'm at somewhere around 30000-40000 a day but I am walking almost constantly for hours, I have free time right now and use it to walk places. The most steps I've ever recorded in a day was over 65000 and my legs knew all about it the next day. Sadly my FitBit records flights of stairs only when it feels like it so my stair record hasn't been beaten since I switched trackers 😞

About skewed results for competitions - been there, been on the losing end of it. Some people will always find a way to game a competition. Yes, they're only cheating themselves but it sucks when the cheats win the prizes you genuinely earned!

Another thing to think about when looking at massive step counts is all the group messages to join Bounts and the like.

[prc1977]

"Another thing to think about when looking at massive step counts is all the group messages to join Bounts and the like."

I am just curious: what does this even mean?

[paso]

Please ask them one on one why that day was different.  I once watched a man berated on the subway for his child's behavior only to hear that they were returning from the funeral for the youngsters mom and he (Dad) wasn't willing to make his sons day more difficult.  It was an eye opener.  I try , not always, to honestly to see why something is dramatically different.

If no change then make your personal assessment.  There will always be remarkable results without proof that have to be taken with a grain of salt.

Hope you are closer to the answer.

Meanwhile, ☀Happy trails ...your accomplishment is all that really matters.

[paso]

It's always ok to ask,  how this was done, is it regular....or an exceptional circumstance.

Extra ordinary results require extra ordinary proof (my inner science nerd is coming out)!!

☀Happy Trails

[Run_Rabbit_Run]

@prc1977 Bounts is a website that lets you sync your FitBit account and you earn rewards for activity, vouchers for shops etc. I'm not going to link it, I'm not interested in it as it asks for far too much information.

However in the FitBit groups I'm in, almost all the messages are from people trying to get referrals as you get extra points for signing people up.

But given that you can earn physical rewards for FitBit steps it's not inconceivable that some people might game the system.

[Socalragamuffin]

Is it possible the could be shortening their stride in the options?

[Socalragamuffin]

I tend to believe it's not possible unless you're a hiker on trails. Having said that, It is an important matter when it comes to the Fitbit Challenges. If you can find a way to manipulate the system, why bother to accept the challenges?

Are you hearing me Fitbit?

[Corney]

Socalragamuffin: I see many individual posts trying to explain how people
could log 50K steps per day I just ask you if it's possible? At 100 steps
per minute it would take almost 8 and 1/2 hours of continuing walking to
reach 50K steps. Taking a shorter stride would slow their walking pace
considerably so it would take longer than 8 and 1/2 hours of continuous
walking to reach 50K steps. When will this inane subject run it's course?
Maybe some one could do it once or twice, but no one could do it day after
day, week after week, month after month. And what research has anyone
found that states walking 50K steps a day makes one more fit or more
healthy?
What keeps this going is peoples GIANT EGO'S.