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

[Corney]

Supply your proof!!!!!. Not one day, but 7 days a week for a month.

[sn2019]

---

@HES1985 wrote:

Yesterday I had to go shopping 2x but due to epilepsy I have to walk fast 7,5 km/hour. And its a long distance and I danced and boxed and walked before that so it is duable. Also if you keep on walking and don't stop taking loads of breaks, than your counter continues and before you know it... buzzer 5th of the day!

---

That all sounds good except how many people will devote 5 hrs of their day doing walk/run/dance non-stop every day for days?

[CSMike]

Working 10 hour shifts in a restaurant. 👍

[sn2019]

---

@CSMike wrote:

Working 10 hour shifts in a restaurant. 👍

---

Don't think so. Wait staff walks a lot but there is no way they walk 25 miles in a 10 hours shift. 

[SkinnyInMay]

I was working toward one day i will walk 100k in a day (not run, i hate running).

I have insomnia, and .. tada eating disorder, maybe that explain why i put myself to do 50k+ lately. I also walk as a meditation way - especially now about all the abortion, birth control issue in usa - everytime i read something that upset me i keep walking until im clam down or when i have a fight with my partner, i walk and walk : /

I would say with a bit effort and pacing around the house and workplace for me can get me 30k with one walking/jogging session a day
50k for me, for a week, i have to say it puts my legs very very sore, when im standing up i need to balance myself, that type of soreness. 

i just hit 60k lately too but i didn't sleep much and walk all day in the building and outside, even when i eat i walk... 

well, just saying it's possible for me who is not jogging but no way it's healthy or ... really maintainable. 

i believe someone who is retired/umemployee and a jogger can achieve average 50k if me who is only walking can (im 5'1 tho)

PS. if i do arobic, dancing, and stuffs, i let my fitbit counts it as steps, i dont feel like im cheating, but just to clarify if someone feel that's unfair.

[BeSieged]

Look, there aren't that many people who can average 50,000 steps/day over a prolonged period.  I have one week where I was above 50k/week and my highest month (which had that week) I averaged 49k.  My average so far in 2023 is a bit over 42k/day (though I expect the year will end up less than that ... upper 30s?). These figures are honest as I track against myself and not worrying about others.

How do I do it?

1. I referee soccer as a passion/second job.  350 or so matches / year.

2. To maintain shape to be able to run with college athletes, I do a lot of running.  Most days, I do at least one if not several 5-10 k runs (25 to 50 minutes).  

3.  I am an independent consultant with 95+% of my work remote.  I am able to do work calls while jogging (just had a 30 minute productive call with a client while jogging at a 10.6km pace (about 9.5 minute miles).

4. If on a Zoom meeting call or watching something, unless it requires taking notes or keeping my end of the video on, I often will be doing a light run or jog in place.  

5.  Combing 1 & 4, when watching a soccer match on TV (not that often), I typically will be running for at least a full half trying to be exerting myself while paying attention as if I were the referee on the field.

6.  Walking the dog (often with my better 95+%) multiple times/day.

7. Life ... grocery shopping, gardening, cleaning, ...

Sometimes I'm forcing myself because I want to hit a number of steps, I really have been sparked by the Fitbit to make sure to get up every hour, I typically am quite aware every day where I am in terms of steps/hour (right now rather low at 3,200 steps per hour of my 10 hour set period), but I am feeling pretty good as I push myself into more activity as time passes and pleased that I can do several matches in a row with young men and not have a problem keeping up with them even as it might be the third match in a row.

I have the professional flexibility w/the time/ability (and sort of second-job requirement) to get in a lot of exercise (it is good to be paid, rather than pay, to exercise), support (okay, tolerance) from better 95% (as I've lost weight & am in clearly better shape), and I'm enjoying it.   

[Walks2sol]

People who work on their feet all day, walking around, can log 50K step.  Example: messengers, workers who walk through large warehouses retrieving goods, mail/pkg deliverers, health club workers, 

My personal best was about 22k, when I walked a trail for about 3 1/2 hours.

[sn2019]

Unless one's job requires the person to walk 2.5 - 3 miles per hour for their 8-hr shift and the person works 7 days a week, they can't average 50k steps/day. messengers, warehouse workers, and mail/pkg deliverers don't.

[brunoray]

They don't.

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

This was "different" to read thru.    I think this post keeps coming up because people are interested in the topic, it's a reflection of our trust in social media and any online site in general.

The average step length for males is 2.6 feet so 50,000 steps equals 24.62 miles. The average step length for females is 2.2 feet so 50,000 steps equals 20.83 miles.   If a Fitbit user decides to participate in a "challenge" then seeing someone doing that every day for months is not only hard to believe, but demotivating for those of us who do keep true records.    Then to be chastised for questioning it is very indicative of the cultural environment we're living in today.    It takes away from the fun and trust in "making friends".

[Triletics]

@SunsetRunner There are people able (as long as they can stay away from injury) to achieve that quite frequently (yet not every day). I know many ultra runners who do much higher mileage. The thing is, such people don't care about steps and step challenges and you rather won't find them challenging regular Fitbit users (and let's be honest, nobody goes on 50 or 100 miler ultra with Fitbit). Well... Fitbit kind of solved this problem by removing challenges completely from the platform 🙂 But I know there are other platforms like ie. Stridekick where Fitbit users compete.

50k steps for me would be approx. a distance of 51.5km which is 32 miles. I clock in 195 to 200 steps per minute (when running, I don't count my walking) so this means I could (but don't as there are always some stops, and slowdowns due to the nature of the terrain) reach 50k steps within 256 minutes. Let's say 4.5 hours, maybe 5 (I always stop to take pictures and rest/eat). It's a lot of time and for a walker that would be even more time. A brisk walker would make roughly (on average) 110 steps per minute. This is over 7.5 hours (not including stops to rest, just continuous walking) spent walking each day at a brisk pace. As a part of the ultra runners' community, I can smell BS and if somebody says they achieve 50k every single day that stinks with BS all over it. It shouldn't be discouraging but simply if somebody's results are suspicious then the person should be flagged and had to prove it somehow. Otherwise, the person should be removed from the group.

[14kk]

I've often wondered that too.. It could be  done on a treadmill ? I've never done 50,000 but I have done 40,000 in one day and only once. I'm a walker and today I did 32,000. LIke today I walked 4 different segments each doing 8,000  steps.  But it took me pretty much all day in and out to accomplish this amount..  It wasnt non-stop. I started at 7 AM and finished  my last outing at about 10:00 PM. Im retired so its possible to do if you don't have to work . My goal was 12 miles and surpased it with 12.21 Miles. I would try the treadmill and see your results.  Good Luck!  Whatever amount you complete it is worth it.!

[freedom65]

I have done 50,000  plus steps once. My average is 21,000 steps per day. I am 71 yrs old and body is starting to making it a little more difficult. We walk every day . Start off with 10,000 to 14,000 steps. We take and eat our breakfast once or twice a week in the woods. We walk 2-3 times every day. We like to take different walks on different trails, mostly cycling trails in the woods, paved and unpaved. We live near Montreal and are lucky as we have many trails available. Starting in April we usually go and stay at hotels frequently walking and I also like to bike. Best way to visit other towns. I am very lucky to have a partner that likes walking anywhere and everywhere.