Why I’m Ditching My FitBit
Over the past several years it’s been ingrained in us that we should aim to get 10,000 steps a day for general health. But is that true?
According to many recent articles and this episode of Maintenance Phase (my favorite “edutainment” podcast for wellness and weight loss myth-busting), that number was pulled out of thin air back in 1964 and has no actual basis in science.
“But isn’t getting more steps better?” Not necessarily.
For adults under 60, research shows that the sweet spot is around 6,000 - 8,000 with benefits plateauing around 7,500 steps per day.
Now if you love walking and you’re getting more than that because you want to, have at it! But if you are stressing yourself out just to reach the magical 10K mark, your time might be better spent doing something else.
While I still rely on my Fitbit for telling time and setting alarms, there are two main reasons why I’ve changed the digital face to hide the step counter:
Evidence shows that counting your steps can actually reduce your enjoyment of walking, thereby reducing frequency. This was certainly the case for me! I would pressure myself to get those last steps in before bedtime and felt like a failure when I didn’t. Leisurely strolls would become workouts that only had value so long as I got enough steps. It turned something I love into a chore.
Step trackers are not very accurate. The iPhone pedometer is estimated to undercount your steps by about 21% while devices such as the Fitbit count activities like typing as walking. And now that I’m learning guitar, my tracker thinks I am sprinting twice a day so it’s VERY out of touch with my actual steps.
To be clear, I am not recommending that everyone ditch their step tracker. Gamification can absolutely help some people get a healthier amount of physical activity…but if it stresses you out or takes the fun out of otherwise enjoyable activities, it may be time to give tracking a rest.
What’s been your experience around tracking steps or other physical activity? Do you find step tracking helpful or stressful? Hit reply and let me know.