how many step a day should you take ?

[frankie123]

how many step should you take in a day to impove your fitness?

[Jim_M]

10k is kind of the standard (that's why it's the default for goals at fitbit), but even if you do less, your goal should be to do more!  If you only do 2k, push for 2.5k, etc!  

While 10k+ is where you want to be, you may want to set goals that work for you, as it's easer to meet, one bit at a time.  Same with weight - for me, I knew I wanted to lose x lbs, but I'd set my goal to something "within sight", and when I'd hit that, I'd set an new goal...

[Starchivore]

I've read that Amish women get 14,000 steps a day and the men get 18,000.  I think that's a good idea of how much we would walk if we didn't have modern conveniences.  I hope to eventually get there, but right now my goal is the standard 10,000.

The question can't really be answered without knowing how many steps you take now.  Without a baseline number, there's no telling what will be an improvement.

[Slimkat]

I have found that it works best for me to set daily goals that relate to my schedule. SO I have more time on the weekends and have the goal of 10000 steps and less time especilally on Mondays so 5000 is my goal.  I think the best thing is not to try and be unrealistic with your goal and to just start slow and build slow so that you see steady improvement.

[SunsetRunner]

ten thousand steps is receommended....

[Hats26]

@Slimkat I like your thinking with changing your goals depending on how busy/free your day is. I guess I've accepted when I've not reached my 10k steps but had not considered my goals. I probably forget about my goals sometimes. I seem to be a spontaneous exericser. I randomly was wide awake at 4am earlier this week, stay in bed till it was a more acceptable time and then ran 8k before going to work. Yesterday, I ran/walked for 4 hours and then today I did a 5k with Park Run but did not get my PB. My time could have been much worse though. 

I should probably consider my goals more and make them more realistic, more achievable and to encourage motivation. I am off to London on 10th but found out about the Sahara sand adding to the pollution there, so my exercise will have to be in the house. 

[0752chris]

I have stuck to the 10k steps per day for a year now and became a lot fitter as a result.  I also lost weight - on average a pound per week.  For me this meant changing my routine so I go for a walk every day for at least 45 minutes rain or shine.

From what I read I understand 7500 steps is probably enough for basic health and I might reset my target downwards when I achieve my weight goal, hopefully in a few months from now.  My fitness is such that it would be relatively easy to increase the steps or intensity of my daily routine but I don't see myself maintaining that rhythm for future years.  My belief is that the combination of diet and exercise has to be sustainable - so a real lifestyle change and not a project.

I could not have achieved what I have so far without my fitbit, that is for sure.

[CandyElektra]

When I forget, I average a shocking 200-400 steps a day. When I really PUSH I am lucky to get as high as 5 thousand whole steps. That's usually pushing until i'm dizzy. I can't seem to move at the rate that is required to sustain life as a human. Fingers are crossed that I make it to my 34th bday at this rate. 😉

[Leanmamma]

I really try to get in 10,000 steps a day. I find it hard even with having a 2 year old. I go to the gym 3-5 days a week and do cardio almost daily and I find unless I am on the go and on my feet 3/4 of the day, I wont get my steps in. Yesterday I got over 14,000 bc I went to the gym, ran 5km, played outside in the yard with my daughter and then took her for a 3km walk before bath time. I was so tired after that! I dont understand how someone can get 20000 steps a day. I dont have time for that lol. I need to cook, clean, care for my child, do yard work, etc etc. Big high five to those that can:)

[Algenon]

I think it depends on the person because of metablism and such.  I have to average 15000 steps a day on top of the other goals to make any gains but some people can do just fine with 10000.  Do what works for you.

[Gershon]

If you asked how many steps should you take a day, I'd say start where you are at and work upward. But you asked how many steps a day it takes to improve your fitness.

The 10,000 step program is based on a Japanese study that showed an increase in  health from walking close to 10,000 steps a day. Therefore, the first answer is 10,000 steps a day.

Ken Cooper, the founder of the Aerobics program showed a person needs 20 minutes of exercise a day to improve cardiovascular health. However, this number is not constant for different types of exercise. For walking, it works out to about 4.5 miles a day IN ADDITION to normal steps a person takes outside of exercise.From what I've observed, many people take 2 to 3,000 steps a day unless they are focused on getting more steps. 

In my opinion, to improve health, a person should take 10,000 steps a day like the Japanese study found. To improve fitness, a person should take 10,000  steps a day either walking or running in addition to their normal steps while not exercising.

There is a simple way to check if fitness is improving. Check the resting pulse and see if it is declining. It may take a month or two for the decline to start occuring. 

In the end, each person needs to decide for themselves. A person not used to physical activity may be doing well to get a 1,000 steps a day. Others may set a goal of 20,000 steps or more. 

[TandemWalker]

You know @Leanmamma , given the level of activity you already do, I don't think you should not be too concerned with your step stats.

While walking, jogging and walk/jog intervals are indeed be very good ways to stay fit, there are lots of other activies one can do; and you're doing so! I used to walk 20,000 to 30,000 steps daily - not any more, I usually average well under 20,000 steps. If I do 20 miles on the bike, and do a rowing machine workout, and do resistance bands ... I don't do all of these on any given day, but I'll do at least one of them - and when I do, I sure don't have the energy to go for another 5-mile walk!

Don't get put off by step stats others are displaying. You're doing fine!

[Gershon]

TandemWalker,

Thanks for your post. I realize Leanmamma could have perceived my post as directed at her. It was directed at the original post. 

I read in an old book on health that normal housecleaning is one of the best forms of exercise. They were contrasting this with office workers, especially in jobs like bookkeeping, who sat most of the day. If you click on the + on the bottom Very Active Minutes Dial and then click on "all" on the right side, you can get an idea of the activity minutes of all types. Those with a premium subscription can download the Excel file and look at the number of sedentary minutes. There is a field called "sedentary physiology" that recommends limiting sedentary minutes even for a person who exercises regularly. I haven't found a recommended maximum number of sedentary minutes.

[TandemWalker]

Hi @Gershon - I wasn't trying to correct you in any way, just wanted to offer a word of encouragement to a young mother who is seemingly already doing a lot to stay fit. I find that people attach far too much importance to steps and its competitive aspect. It's important to realize that there is much one can do to stay fit and if one is already doing some or a lot of these other activities, they should not expect to beat the record on the step count as well. I do have days when all I do is walk/jog intervals and on those days, I might attempt to beat my own best record. But otherwise, I don't care too much about it; and I am not in competition with anyone except myself.

[josephz2va]

Varies on how your fitness is. My gym trainer has me doing 90 Very Active Minutes per day which accounts for up to 25,000 steps. But he keeps reminding me to follow my ActivTrax program which requests that I do 148-160 cardio BPM for 20 minutes. As my legs aren't strong enough to run 6.0 mph which would hit that range, the elliptical with strength difficulty works out as an alternative.

[Bluebrainsx]

Yes , I think the important thing is to have the right attitude about setting step goals. In other words be realistic----for me that means moving from 4000 steps a day to 6000 steps a day over a period of weeks.

[0752chris]

Some people think you should always be increasing your goal.  I really don't agree, in fact I seriously disagree.

I admire people who compete in the olympics and who run half-marathons but I don't personally want to be able to do it. I want to be fit enough to live a healthy life and then I think 10k steps per day is probably exceeding what is needed.

So if you are only doing 4k steps and your target is 6k then I can fully understand.  But if you are doing 20k steps and want to set a new goal for 30k then I think you have moved beyond the fitbit community and I wish you good luck with that gold medal.

Fitbit is about sustainable life-style change.  It is about the steps but also about a balanced diet and getting enough sleep, and enough fluids, and enough fibre, and not too much salt or sugar.....  When you get obsessive about continually increasing goals then I fear you have lost the plot - healthy living is more about balance.

[TandemWalker]

@0752chris- Well said! Thank you for your post!

[ac7ss]

I am very overweight. (33 BMI) before I decided to go for 10,000 I was at about 3,000 steps/day. (Long term average, I sit at a console all day for work.)
I upgraded to the Fitbit one from a Jawbone UP about a month ago. I like the Fitbit "Competition" with friends, One of them seems to be getting in the 100,000/week range. I don't expect to beat him, but there are a few of us that keep leapfrogging, those are the ones to pay attention to.
Regardless, I set my first goal at 7,000/day. It took about a week to get that. My goal is now 9,000/day but I always overshoot it with an average of 12,000/day.
I find the time relaxing on my walk days, and a challenge on my interval days. (I am trying to start running.)
Anything more than your baseline is good, Set an attainable goal and try to maintain that level consistantly before moving up.
Find a way to make it FUN! Good music, audio books, a friend, whatever it takes. (I know I get some strange looks bopping down the road mouthing the lyrics to a song, but I like it.)

[MCook]

The number of steps to strive for is tailored to each individual.  Back in Oprah's heyday, she advocated for 10K steps each day.  For the average individual, that takes about an hour.  If you saw the somewhat recent segment on 60 Minutes which showed the results of a study done on 90 year olds, their conclusion was that the optimal amount of exercise was 45 minutes each day.  It did not have to be done all at one time (could be broken up into segments), and didn't have to be very strenuous at all.  So - different strokes for different folks.