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How far do you walk in a typical day?

(72 Posts)
Oriel Thu 24-Aug-17 16:56:42

I know that it's recommended to do 10,000 steps a day, approx 5 miles. Does anyone manage to do that much?

I walk my dog every day on downland, so up and down hills, and on average do around 2 miles daily (measured on my phone). I'm not sure how many other steps I do as I don't carry my phone on me all the time but in total I guess I do around 2.5-3.5 miles a day... way short of the recommended.

Does anyone manage to do the 5 miles a day?

M0nica Thu 24-Aug-17 17:12:12

I have never bothered to count them, but we have quite a big house and I am always walking around that, then there is going up and down the garden, doing gardening, which accounts for part of daily exercise of itself, ditto my pilates class. Plus the daily walk (without a dog), 2 - 3 miles

Last year DD and I went up to London from her house. We walked to and from the station, 2 miles in total, got a train, then a tube, walked to a museum, went to the exhibition we wanted to see, we did not go round the whole museum, back to the tube, to another exhibition, round Hayes Wharf, supper and back home by tube and train. We were amazed to discover that the app on DD's phone showed we had walked over 11 miles that day.

I think many of us in our daily pottering around take many more steps than we realise so probably do do our 10,000 steps a day.

tanith Thu 24-Aug-17 17:12:24

I don't how far but I walk 25 mins to the gym and back again, cycle 6kms while there, do this 2/3 times a week . Usually manage 20 min walk sometime the other days.

Eglantine19 Thu 24-Aug-17 17:13:26

Yup, easy peasy as a rule. But a lot easier now I live in a small town where I walk to everything than when I lived in the country and had to get in the car to go anywhere. Only time I don't walk 10000+ is when I have a long journey that takes all day.

grannysue05 Thu 24-Aug-17 17:18:37

I never sit down during the day so I would like to think that I fufill the 10,000 steps target.
However, I seem to stand in one place a lot eg. washing up at the sink, cleaning (you really don't take many steps when doing a room).
So all in all I think I may be sadly lacking.

Willow500 Thu 24-Aug-17 17:25:31

I'd love to walk 10k steps but sometimes don't even manage 1k I reckon. I walk from my desk to the kitchen and back again grin It does worry me that I can't seem to get out of the house due to work commitments - even if I could walk to the post office it would be better than nothing!

Auntieflo Thu 24-Aug-17 17:26:10

Not enough shock

TriciaF Thu 24-Aug-17 17:43:00

A very good question.I know it relates to general physical fitness in old age.
As well as walking to do usual household chores (husband does the vacuuming) I try to go for a walk in the evening with our dog.
But I have to admit the walk is getting shorter. When it's cool I can walk further. We live in SW France and it's too hot at the mo'.
No idea how many steps though.

Tizliz Thu 24-Aug-17 17:55:54

Thought they had changed their minds and now a 10 minute power walk is the correct thing ?

SueDonim Thu 24-Aug-17 18:19:51

Not far enough! blush

As mentioned by Eglantine, we are rural and have to get in the car to go anywhere. We don't even have any buses so can't catch a bus and get off at an earlier stop.

I've had all my grandchildren here at various times over the summer and I now know why I used to be so thin - I'd forgotten have much time you spend chasing after small children, from morning to night! grin

tanith Thu 24-Aug-17 18:23:52

'SueDonim' can you not simply go outside and walk if you are rural?

SueDonim Thu 24-Aug-17 18:35:11

We have no pavements and insane drivers, Tanith! It's a death trap on our local roads. A friend's Labrador dog was killed by a driver passing too close to her - they didn't stop, either. angry

Iam64 Thu 24-Aug-17 18:40:04

Good point suedonim - our toddlers have been here all day. We haven't sat still (well, I am doing now thankfully)
My phone counts my steps. I didn't ask it to, it started doing it and now I try to keep the phone in my pocket/jeans in fear of losing a couple of hundred if I run upstairs and leave it on the kitchen table.
Several years ago I managed 10,000 easily each day. Recently it's usually between 8 - 10,00. I walk the dogs twice a day and I'm usually busy in the house or garden but various health things mean I don't walk as far or as fast as I did a couple of years ago.
I still believe walking is the best thing we can do for health because it's part of every day life and we can keep it up almost to the point we're off our legs.

Wheniwasyourage Thu 24-Aug-17 18:41:50

SueDonim, you got in before me! I was going to say that country roads are very often not fun to walk along, and not everyone in the country has access to wide open moors or hills without fields of cows. It's a lot easier for those of us who live in towns to go out for a walk.

Since I got my step-counter I have tried to do 10,000 steps every day, with mixed success. Usually I get there or over it, but any time I'm anywhere in a car it's surprising how few steps I do. Although it's become clear that 10,000 steps is an amount which bears no relation to anybody except (if I remember rightly) young Japanese men, it is something to aim for, and I do think I'm fitter since starting to aim for it!

Lillie Thu 24-Aug-17 18:49:54

When we moved to a rural location I thought I would get really fit walking in the countryside, but I found myself always in the car - even to buy a pint of milk. Now back in London I walk to the tube, walk up escalators, walk round the shops or exhibitions and as M0nica mentioned the number of steps in surprising. I walk the dog in the evening too round the streets whereas in the country I used to leave him to roam the big garden. On the other hand I guess those of us in the city are breathing in far more exhaust fumes on our walks. Can't win!

TriciaF Thu 24-Aug-17 19:15:29

I have no excuse - no traffic problem here.
Going out NOW.

Primrose65 Thu 24-Aug-17 19:18:55

I aim for 10k but hit about 8k on average. Step counters are fab but I always think it undercounts my steps - feels like I walk a marathon some days to hit my goal grin

M0nica Thu 24-Aug-17 19:24:21

I live in a village and I am surrounded by a network of footpaths. Surely most villages are. I can walk for miles, never doing anything more than crossing the occasional road. I live in busy built-up South Oxfordshire, nowhere remote.

We have a village shop, it is a big village, but usually just shop once a week in the local town, fitting in as many other jobs as possible in the same trip.

GrandmaMoira Thu 24-Aug-17 19:32:17

I have a pedometer which I bought when I was trying to lose weight and I went for an evening walk every day to get my count up to 10,000. An average day spent indoors is around 3000 steps. An average day going somewhere local e.g. walk to High Street, around shops and bus back is around 6000/7000 steps.

SueDonim Thu 24-Aug-17 19:39:51

There aren't any footpaths where I am in Scotland. I'm always envious when I visit my son down south as there are loads of lovely paths all round his area.

Oriel Thu 24-Aug-17 19:41:11

I think I'll put my phone in my back pocket and see how many steps I do when including shopping and housework etc. I felt like I was seriously under achieving but reading your replies i think I may be under-estimating the amount of steps I do... here's hoping!

Jalima1108 Thu 24-Aug-17 19:53:48

Not enough to earn those cinema tickets. Although I could have done today.

However, I was interested to hear DIL say that she did thousands more steps on the days she did housework, walked to school and back etc than on the day she made a conscious effort to go walking.

Jalima1108 Thu 24-Aug-17 19:55:15

I don't remember my mother, father or MIL ever 'walking' but they all lived until well in their eighties.

Jalima1108 Thu 24-Aug-17 19:56:46

But none of them had a car!!

Menopaws Thu 24-Aug-17 19:59:37

Usually over 10000 as two dog walks and walk a lot at work