Walking Target

[brijmehta]

what should be ideal steps target for a healthy person of 72 years of age.Thanks

[SteveH · Accepted solution]

I'm not sure there is a number that works for all. Why not use your fitbit for a while to get a feel for how many steps you take now and then set a target to increase that by 10%. Then, when that seems easy, increase it again. In other words, focus on improving rather than just the numbers.

[LZeeW]

@brijmehta   Here is a link to a CDC guideline for physical activity in older adults.  It focuses less on steps and more on minutes of moderate-vigorous activity per week.  I looked at your profile and I see that you are in India.  You can always check to see if this is consistent with India's health recommendations.

One of the features of the newer Fitbits is that they award active zone minutes.  You get one zone minute for each minute in the moderate range and two zone minutes for each minute in the vigorous range.  The CDC recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous activity if you are physically capable.  This is the same as 150 zone minutes per week.  It should come as no surprise that the default zone minute goal is 22 minutes per day.

I am also moving this thread to the Get Moving forum.  I'm sure others have insights.

[shipo]

@brijmehta, as has already been mentioned, there is no "one size fits all" recommendation; the two extremes of the question would be a person who has lived 72 years with virtually no activity and another person who has lived 72 years and been highly active and physically fit.  I'm thinking 5,000 steps per day for the former would be a challenge, however, 30,000 steps per day may not be enough for the latter.

Needless to say, the rest of us fall somewhere between the two extremes; I'm in my mid 60s and my target is roughly 20,000 steps per day, most of which come from running on the forest trails near where I live.

[brijmehta]

Hi this option of increasing targets by ten percent if one is comfortable
with the enhanced steps target.Thanks--

Moderator edit: removed personal info

[brijmehta]

OK,got it,however ,related to this if I complete my targets of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity ,how does plan the remaining two days of the week ? should it be total rest &  recuperate or light walks ? Thanks 

[shipo]

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@brijmehta wrote:

OK,got it,however ,related to this if I complete my targets of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity ,how does plan the remaining two days of the week ? should it be total rest &  recuperate or light walks ? Thanks 

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There is no hard and fast rule, as with much else in life, "It depends."

The only thing hard and fast rules do is help folks get into a routine, but that isn't always the best, sometimes the "routine" can be too much and folks will get injured by sticking to the plan, other times the "routine" is no where near enough for optimal fitness, and folks will lose out on valuable workouts by sticking to the plan.  Are you someone who needs a routine?  If so, then a hard plan may work best for you.  For folks who take it day by day and adjust accordingly, plans are looked at as very loose guidelines and nothing more.

[DavideFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @brijmehta! 

I agree with everyone else, I think it depends. At the beginning of 2020 I had certain goals and was reaching 15,000+ steps per day, but last year I was diagnosed with some hernias in my lower back (accompanied with leg pain) and had to reduce that to 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day. 

There's probably a recommended amount of moderate activity level, as others have mentioned, but it always depends on your situation and how much you feel comfortable doing. 

Let us know about your progress! 

[shipo]

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@DavideFitbit wrote:

Welcome to the Fitbit Community forums, @brijmehta! 

I agree with everyone else, I think it depends. At the beginning of 2020 I had certain goals and was reaching 15,000+ steps per day, but last year I was diagnosed with some hernias in my lower back (accompanied with leg pain) and had to reduce that to 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day. 

There's probably a recommended amount of moderate activity level, as others have mentioned, but it always depends on your situation and how much you feel comfortable doing. 

Let us know about your progress! 

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Yup, in 2019 I broke my left leg, while it was healing, 2,000 steps was a lot.  Once cleared to lose the crutches and don a walking boot, 5,000 steps became a good goal, and as recovery continued, ten, fifteen, twenty, and sometimes upwards of thirty-thousand steps in a day gradually  became the norm.

Then in 2020 I got COVID-19 and 10,000 steps in a day was a heck of a lot; I ended up being a "long hauler", and with the exception of a few 20,000 step days out hiking in the wood (for which I paid dearly in the form of massive knee swelling), I never got back to normal.

This year started off well, I started running again last Christmas, logged 75 miles in January, averaging a little over 10,000 steps a day, then 100 miles each month from February through May, and maybe 15,000 steps on average, and then hit a high-water mark for the year in June where I logged 155 miles of running and nearly 20,000 steps per day; then the wheels fell off the cart.  As I reported elsewhere on this forum, nearing the end of a 7-mile run I had an unscheduled encounter with the business end of a 150 pound dog and woke up in the hospital some 30 hours later; I mean, "Hello, zero steps per day?", yeah, I hit that threshold.  Once again, my step goals are dramatically reduced, but hopefully climbing; I'm playing it day by day in the hopes of hitting another 100 mile running month in September, October at the latest.

[DavideFitbit]

Definitely, @shipo! That's a good lesson, unexpected things can happen to us at all times, and although it takes time to recover, it's important to stay positive and slowly make progress to get back on track. I hope you feel better soon! 

Thank you for sharing your story. 😁