7 ms·

I have trouble understanding how so many people limit themselves to 4k or 5k steps a day, as the article suggests. What do they do all day?

by sfblah 5y ago

yakshaving_jgt 5y ago
We write code, unfortunately.
faeyanpiraat 5y ago
WFH gives me the opportunity to be on a long streak of 100 steps a day.
d_silin 5y ago
Drive instead of walk.
saurik 5y ago
For the past year and a half I have mostly been staring at a computer and typing a lot. I went from a "road warrior" who used a tiny laptop to do all of my work to someone who sits in a chair all day and works exclusively on a desktop. I only need to walk from my bed to my desk, with most of my exercise coming from going downstairs (I live in an apartment where the bedrooms are over the living room and kitchen) to make food or pick up deliveries (which then involves climbing back up the stairs: the real challenge). I go outside to take out the trash (at night: the day is feeling stranger and stranger of a time to be outside). I have gained 80 pounds ("and counting"). I dunno: other than that I expect to die soon from this lifestyle :/, it isn't hard or particularly boring? ...and again: this is coming from someone who used to spend most of his time traveling to convergences giving talks in front of large audiences and swimming through crowds; there are truly an infinite number of things that one can do without ever having to even leave bed (and that's even if you ignore sleeping, which is like holding down the fast forward button on life ;P).
- tester34 5y ago
  >there are truly an infinite number of things that one can do without ever having to even leave bed I don't think I'd be able to count over 10
  - lexapro 5y ago
    Using a phone in bed already covers more than 10 things
wodenokoto 5y ago
I have to actively choose to go for a long walk in order to reach the 10k mark. Taking a bus, riding a bike, going into the subway. It doesn’t add up to a lot.
- tester34 5y ago
  Why care about steps when you're cycling? it's serious question
  - wodenokoto 5y ago
    It’s a good question and the poor answer is: Nothing is counting my cycling.
    - austinjp 5y ago
      Yeah it's a bit of a gap in the most popular wearables, I feel. Many can do it, but the pedometer function is typically automatic or "always on" while cycling tracking requires some fiddling. Some Garmin wearables (and others I'm sure) can do "smart" activity recognition, automatically determining if you're walking, cycling, lifting weights, etc. with variable accuracy.
    - tester34 5y ago
      Your clock does, kinda, ain't that enough?
  - austinjp 5y ago
    Bone and joint health. Legs have evolved for impact and weight-bearing, they need it to remain healthy. The optimum dose is unique to the individual. Too little is easier to achieve than too much, for most people. Keywords: osteopoenia, sarcopaenia, balance.
SimeVidas 5y ago
> What do they do all day? The only reason I leave the house is to buy groceries, basically.
8f2ab37a-ed6c 5y ago
Sit at a computer for work all day so that you can sit at a computer for fun all night.
swarnie_ 5y ago
My commute is 20ft, this increases by as much as 30% if i get out the other side of the bed. I get a 30 minute walk every day in lockdown but you can only trudge aimlessly around the same grey/brown industrial estate so many times before losing the will.
- Tagbert 5y ago
  I take trips to other neighborhoods for my walks at least once a week. It helps to shift things up. Also finding a largish park and walk around it.
IkmoIkmo 5y ago
> I have trouble understanding[...] What do they do all day? Sedentary activities? Look at your chair or couch or bed, and consider all the things you can do there. Ever had a lazy sunday? Got out of bed late, watched some tv on the couch, played some Xbox, ordered in pizza, made some phonecalls, browsed some on the internet, went to bed? Can easily be just 500 steps in the house on a day like that. Replace that with working from home and not doing anything after work but the above (netflix, xbox etc) and you get the same thing. To get to 4-5k steps you'd need to actively do something. Most people walk about 6k steps per hour, so to get to 4-5k you'd need about 40-50 minutes of walking. Say that day you visit a friend or do groceries and spend 15 minutes in the store but drive to/from the store and to your friend, you're not even hitting that 40-50 minutes of pure walking. It's easy to walk 40-50min on a day, it's also easy not to, depending on your lifestyle.

I have trouble understanding how so many people limit themselves to 4k or 5k steps a day, as the article suggests. What do they do all day?

by sfblah 5y ago

I have trouble understanding how so many people limit themselves to 4k or 5k steps a day, as the article suggests. What do they do all day?

yakshaving_jgt 5y ago

We write code, unfortunately.

faeyanpiraat 5y ago

WFH gives me the opportunity to be on a long streak of 100 steps a day.

d_silin 5y ago

Drive instead of walk.

saurik 5y ago

For the past year and a half I have mostly been staring at a computer and typing a lot. I went from a "road warrior" who used a tiny laptop to do all of my work to someone who sits in a chair all day and works exclusively on a desktop. I only need to walk from my bed to my desk, with most of my exercise coming from going downstairs (I live in an apartment where the bedrooms are over the living room and kitchen) to make food or pick up deliveries (which then involves climbing back up the stairs: the real challenge). I go outside to take out the trash (at night: the day is feeling stranger and stranger of a time to be outside). I have gained 80 pounds ("and counting"). I dunno: other than that I expect to die soon from this lifestyle :/, it isn't hard or particularly boring? ...and again: this is coming from someone who used to spend most of his time traveling to convergences giving talks in front of large audiences and swimming through crowds; there are truly an infinite number of things that one can do without ever having to even leave bed (and that's even if you ignore sleeping, which is like holding down the fast forward button on life ;P).

tester34 5y ago
>there are truly an infinite number of things that one can do without ever having to even leave bed I don't think I'd be able to count over 10
- lexapro 5y ago
  Using a phone in bed already covers more than 10 things

wodenokoto 5y ago

I have to actively choose to go for a long walk in order to reach the 10k mark. Taking a bus, riding a bike, going into the subway. It doesn’t add up to a lot.

tester34 5y ago
Why care about steps when you're cycling? it's serious question
- wodenokoto 5y ago
  It’s a good question and the poor answer is: Nothing is counting my cycling.
  - austinjp 5y ago
    Yeah it's a bit of a gap in the most popular wearables, I feel. Many can do it, but the pedometer function is typically automatic or "always on" while cycling tracking requires some fiddling. Some Garmin wearables (and others I'm sure) can do "smart" activity recognition, automatically determining if you're walking, cycling, lifting weights, etc. with variable accuracy.
  - tester34 5y ago
    Your clock does, kinda, ain't that enough?
- austinjp 5y ago
  Bone and joint health. Legs have evolved for impact and weight-bearing, they need it to remain healthy. The optimum dose is unique to the individual. Too little is easier to achieve than too much, for most people. Keywords: osteopoenia, sarcopaenia, balance.

SimeVidas 5y ago

> What do they do all day? The only reason I leave the house is to buy groceries, basically.

8f2ab37a-ed6c 5y ago

Sit at a computer for work all day so that you can sit at a computer for fun all night.

swarnie_ 5y ago

My commute is 20ft, this increases by as much as 30% if i get out the other side of the bed. I get a 30 minute walk every day in lockdown but you can only trudge aimlessly around the same grey/brown industrial estate so many times before losing the will.

Tagbert 5y ago
I take trips to other neighborhoods for my walks at least once a week. It helps to shift things up. Also finding a largish park and walk around it.

IkmoIkmo 5y ago

> I have trouble understanding[...] What do they do all day? Sedentary activities? Look at your chair or couch or bed, and consider all the things you can do there. Ever had a lazy sunday? Got out of bed late, watched some tv on the couch, played some Xbox, ordered in pizza, made some phonecalls, browsed some on the internet, went to bed? Can easily be just 500 steps in the house on a day like that. Replace that with working from home and not doing anything after work but the above (netflix, xbox etc) and you get the same thing. To get to 4-5k steps you'd need to actively do something. Most people walk about 6k steps per hour, so to get to 4-5k you'd need about 40-50 minutes of walking. Say that day you visit a friend or do groceries and spend 15 minutes in the store but drive to/from the store and to your friend, you're not even hitting that 40-50 minutes of pure walking. It's easy to walk 40-50min on a day, it's also easy not to, depending on your lifestyle.