Confession of a Failed Steps Addict

[Music Lover]

I do weights for muscle building and an exercise bike or the treadmill for cardio. I've worked out my entire life and am in pretty good shape and walking isn't enough to be counted as exercise.

However, if I do end walking a lot on any particular day I will back off or skip the treadmill, but that's because I have a bad meniscus and have to limit how many steps I take at any one time.

 

[athena53]

On another forum, I just saw an ad for Brooks running shoes. It says something like "turn your 9.99k steps into 10k." And then it shows a man running around his kitchen table !!!

When I had the FitBit I WAS compulsive about steps. I don't think I ever went under 10,000 even if I had to pace around the room at the end of the evening. It was weird how when I got the Apple watch I no longer cared because it set goals based on other metrics.

I'm still pretty obsessed, though. On my last trip to Europe I managed to hit all the goals even with the transatlantic flights. Plenty of walking in airports (some necessary, some voluntary) logged as Indoor Walking.

 

[braumeister]

When I travel I typically hit 10 miles/day.

Same here. I just expect that in most European cities.

 

[Alan]

This got me looking at my Apple fitness app summaries for the first time. In the last 12 months I have averaged 5.2 miles/day, 94 minutes exercise walking a day, and calories from moving has averaged 792/day. The app does not summarize steps/day and I really don’t know how many steps/day I do even though it does count steps but there is no target you can set.

 

[Lsbcal]

This got me looking at my Apple fitness app summaries for the first time. In the last 12 months I have averaged 5.2 miles/day, 94 minutes exercise walking a day, and calories from moving has averaged 792/day. The app does not summarize steps/day and I really don’t know how many steps/day I do even though it does count steps but there is no target you can set.

That is quite a good mileage number . My average this year is about 3.7 miles/day.

This year I have stopped running (at 75) and am now just doing walks. I think walking is great and one should not obsess about the distances covered nor the pace.

I do like to keep a log and it helps if there is a minor injury like a strained ligament which can occur due to overuse. We have a lot of hilly trails and in cold weather it's a good idea to get started slowly.

I repurposed my Saucony Triumph running shoes for walks. Lots of cushioning. I just bought some Saucony Excursion shoes for those rocks and gravel (downhill) surfaces.

 

[Trailwalker]

This got me looking at my Apple fitness app summaries for the first time. In the last 12 months I have averaged 5.2 miles/day, 94 minutes exercise walking a day, and calories from moving has averaged 792/day. The app does not summarize steps/day and I really don’t know how many steps/day I do even though it does count steps but there is no target you can set.

There's a pedometer app that goes with the apple phone. It keeps track of each day's steps, has monthly challenges, and lets you set a goal. I have mine set for 12k steps. I've got 36 million lifetime steps on mine since I added this free app. If I don't meet my goal, I don't worry about it much. But I do finish off a goal if I think about looking at it towards the end of a day. My DW calls it walking the hardwoods.

 

[pacergal]

Whatever happened to old people walking around malls? Did that die down?

We still do that in the winter if we don't feel like walking in the rain!

 

[Alan]

That is quite a good mileage number . My average this year is about 3.7 miles/day.

This year I have stopped running (at 75) and am now just doing walks. I think walking is great and one should not obsess about the distances covered nor the pace.

I do like to keep a log and it helps if there is a minor injury like a strained ligament which can occur due to overuse. We have a lot of hilly trails and in cold weather it's a good idea to get started slowly.

I repurposed my Saucony Triumph running shoes for walks. Lots of cushioning. I just bought some Saucony Excursion shoes for those rocks and gravel (downhill) surfaces.

I’m super impressed that you were still running at age 75, well done.

I think the nearest mall to me is 50 miles away so I just have to manage outside when the weather is bad. As they say over here, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.

 

[badatmath]

We still do that in the winter if we don't feel like walking in the rain!

We don't have a lot of indoor malls anymore, sadly.

 

[REWahoo]

I’m super impressed that you were still running at age 75, well done.

Agreed!

I'm just curious to know at that age, who would be chasing you? And why?

 

[Lsbcal]

Agreed!

I'm just curious to know at that age, who would be chasing you? And why?

Well it wasn't the ladies as they were always passing me up at that age.

 

[tmm99]

On another forum, I just saw an ad for Brooks running shoes. It says something like "turn your 9.99k steps into 10k." And then it shows a man running around his kitchen table !!!

A friend of mine lives in a 2-story house with a basement and she walks the flight of stairs when she needs another couple of hundred steps to get to 10K. I personally don't bother to reach any target numbers...

 

[Ronstar]

That is quite a good mileage number . My average this year is about 3.7 miles/day.

This year I have stopped running (at 75) and am now just doing walks. I think walking is great and one should not obsess about the distances covered nor the pace.

I do like to keep a log and it helps if there is a minor injury like a strained ligament which can occur due to overuse. We have a lot of hilly trails and in cold weather it's a good idea to get started slowly.

I repurposed my Saucony Triumph running shoes for walks. Lots of cushioning. I just bought some Saucony Excursion shoes for those rocks and gravel (downhill) surfaces.

Impressive- still running at 75. Don’t think I’ll still be running at 75. Thinking about giving it up for good now at 68.

I’m starting to think that walking may be better than running for older people. Far less chances of injury while walking.

 

[Lsbcal]

Impressive- still running at 75. Don’t think I’ll still be running at 75. Thinking about giving it up for good now at 68.

I’m starting to think that walking may be better than running for older people. Far less chances of injury while walking.

My Doc seems to think walking is a pretty good substitute for running. The trails I ran on were pretty rocky and falls could easily occur which is why I had an Apple watch ... although the cell reception is lousy in our state park. Luckily never fell going downhill.

Anyway I knew walking was in my future.

 

[braumeister]

My Doc seems to think walking is a pretty good substitute for running.

Walking can be a wonderful exercise. DW was into it to the point that she walked a half-marathon race in all 50 states (plus DC) and was approaching 100 total when a health condition made her stop. She loved both the exercise and the camaraderie of all the other crazy people who do that.

 

[Ronstar]

^ Impressive! IMO, walking a half marathon is more grueling than running one. More steps, and a lot longer time on your feet.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

Basically a musing on how the simple act of walking has been turned into an achievement addiction thanks to rings/watches.

I'm so Old-School that I wear a ~$9 digital watch from Wal-Mart. It has no idea how many steps I walk. It has a stop-watch feature (which I never use) and an alarm which I do use to wake me up in the morning before my flip-clock starts buzzing.

 

[Gumby]

I'm so Old-School that I wear a ~$9 digital watch from Wal-Mart. It has no idea how many steps I walk. It has a stop-watch feature (which I never use) and an alarm which I do use to wake me up in the morning before my flip-clock starts buzzing.

This is my super high tech watch.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

This is my super high tech watch.

 

[meleana]

I always thought counting steps was ridiculous. I exercise an hour per day 4-5 days per week, includes walking. That’s all. I’m 67 years old and have a life going on and other things I like to do.

 

[TappyGee]

We don't have a lot of indoor malls anymore, sadly.

We have an indoor mall in the town I retired to. Whenever someone comments in a neighborhood group about the mall, stores coming or going etc., some people always have to chime in with their “indoor malls are relics”, etc. It annoys the heck out of me. At a minimum indoor malls are excellent climate controlled places for people with mobility challenges to get some exercise.
As far as step trackers I have worn Fitbits forever. I love the step counters so I know when I’m lazy or why my body is sore from long days walking.
I am very sad that Google has bought FitBit and trashed their formerly excellent software. I am also not comfortable with Google having all of my health metrics and location data so I am actively searching for a replacement.
And yes I have been seen walking up and down my driveway near midnight to get my last steps in…

 

[audreyh1]

We have an indoor mall in the town I retired to. Whenever someone comments in a neighborhood group about the mall, stores coming or going etc., some people always have to chime in with their “indoor malls are relics”, etc. It annoys the heck out of me. At a minimum indoor malls are excellent climate controlled places for people with mobility challenges to get some exercise.

That’s the annoying “been there, done that” crowd.

 

[lucky penny]

I always thought counting steps was ridiculous. I exercise an hour per day 4-5 days per week, includes walking. That’s all. I’m 67 years old and have a life going on and other things I like to do.

Different strokes for different folks.

Here's my low-tech Omron pedometer. Time to start moving!

 

[us271934]

After I had to put my dog down on September 11th, I have fallen off my walking goal of 10,000 steps per day. Today I get the new young guy (Terrier) and will get back on track soon.

After not walking much in the last two months, I can feel the difference in my stamina. I cut my small lawn yesterday and was pooped out afterwards. (What?)

Sorry to hear about your dog. It's never easy.

Walking my dogs is about the only way I end up walking for exercise. They have a well honed ability to convince me or the missus that I need to walk them. <insert video of 2 dogs standing by the harness & leash rack, barking continuously>
I have a hard time 'just' exercising and doing all my own yardwork (big yard) gives me the balance of muscles moving and also getting stuff done. On the occasion when I have a physical ailment (sore foot, pulled muscle, etc.) that lasts more than just a couple of days it doesn't take long to notice the decline in stamina.

 

[Koolau]

We have an indoor mall in the town I retired to. Whenever someone comments in a neighborhood group about the mall, stores coming or going etc., some people always have to chime in with their “indoor malls are relics”, etc. It annoys the heck out of me. At a minimum indoor malls are excellent climate controlled places for people with mobility challenges to get some exercise.
As far as step trackers I have worn Fitbits forever. I love the step counters so I know when I’m lazy or why my body is sore from long days walking.
I am very sad that Google has bought FitBit and trashed their formerly excellent software. I am also not comfortable with Google having all of my health metrics and location data so I am actively searching for a replacement.
And yes I have been seen walking up and down my driveway near midnight to get my last steps in…

Yeah, DW had heard about the benefits of wearing a FitBit so she bought one. When she realized that all her info would go on line, she returned it. No thanks!