1k-2k steps a day, Would I be sedentary?

Susiepoop345
Susiepoop345 Posts: 43 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, so I'm a stay at home mom and get under 2,000 steps a day but I work out for 40 mins a day doing HIIT and cardio . Would I be considered sedentary or lightly active? Thanks!
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Replies

  • Susiepoop345
    Susiepoop345 Posts: 43 Member
    I work out 6 days a week
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Sedentary then add your purposeful exercise separately
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Sedentary then add your purposeful exercise separately

    This.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    sounds like sedentary to me. I got 4k steps today, I basically did nothing other than 20 mins on a treadmill and consider myself sedentary.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited February 2016
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    Hey guys, so I'm a stay at home mom and get under 2,000 steps a day but I work out for 40 mins a day doing HIIT and cardio . Would I be considered sedentary or lightly active? Thanks!

    1-2k steps would not even hit the sedentary multiplier for me ...how are measuring those it seems low for a SAHM unless you are couch surfing most of the day

    Sedentary is your BMR X 1.2, for me it takes around 3000 - 4000 steps to hit that level

    40 mins HIIT / cardio would give you, dependent on your stats, around 300 cal burn maximum so don't overestimate when you add it to your exercise diary
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    "under 2,000 steps " - very sedentary.

    "I work out 6 days a week" - irrelevant for your activity setting.
  • Susiepoop345
    Susiepoop345 Posts: 43 Member
    Well I'm gauging this by my phone which apparently has a tracker. Although I don't carry it around the house so I'm sure it isn't very accurate.
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    Definitely sedentary. I still count myself as sedentary although I've been getting 10k steps a day, because half of those are intentional exercise.
  • ziggy2006
    ziggy2006 Posts: 255 Member
    I'm guessing your phone isn't very accurate. I got 1K steps yesterday. I am sick with a sinus infection and having issues with my breathing. I slept most of the day. My steps were necessities only (bathroom, medicine, letting dogs out, washing out nebulizer tubing, water). I was actively trying not to move more than absolutely necessary.

    Unless you are planted on the couch or in bed all day, I am guessing you get way more than 1-2K steps!
  • Susiepoop345
    Susiepoop345 Posts: 43 Member
    I'm definitely not a couch potato but I have 6 month old that nurses so every time he wants to feed I'm sitting. When I'm cleaning and cooking I don't carry my phone. So the steps might be irrelevant but I'm definitely sendentary. Just curious if the working out would bump me up but guess not.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    I'm definitely not a couch potato but I have 6 month old that nurses so every time he wants to feed I'm sitting. When I'm cleaning and cooking I don't carry my phone. So the steps might be irrelevant but I'm definitely sendentary. Just curious if the working out would bump me up but guess not.

    On MFP, as others have already mentioned, you add your intentional exercise separately, then eat those calories. Many people start off eating just a portion, since burns can be overestimated for many. However, the estimates are spot on for others and those people can eat 100% of their exercise calories. You'll need to try it out and see how accurate they are for you, giving at least 4 weeks to be certain, then tweaking from there.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    This is the chart used to determine your non-exercise activity level.
    • Sedentary (Inactive) Pedometer steps = less than 5,000 steps a day
    • Low Active Pedometer steps = 5,000 – 7,499 steps a day
    • Somewhat Active Pedometer steps = 7,500 – 9,999 steps a day
    • Active Pedometer steps = 10,000 steps or more a day
    • Highly Active Pedometer steps = 12,500 steps or more a day.


    So, yes. you definitely fall into the sedentary section. It's good that you are exercising and everything, but on the days you aren't you may need to eat less calories to lose weight. The general assumption by my fitness pal is that you are burning 20% on top of your Resting Metabolic Rate in your non-exercise activities as a sedentary person. It's likely you aren't.

    hope this helps!
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    I think I read somewhere that unless you're getting 7,000+ steps a day, you're considered sedentary. I average about 4500 on days where I do not walk on my treadmill or go for any walks, and I use the sedentary setting.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Sedentary then add your purposeful exercise separately

    This.

    I don'r start earning back step exercise calories until I am at about 4200 steps.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    I'm definitely not a couch potato but I have 6 month old that nurses so every time he wants to feed I'm sitting. When I'm cleaning and cooking I don't carry my phone. So the steps might be irrelevant but I'm definitely sendentary. Just curious if the working out would bump me up but guess not.

    It will because you should eat back exercise cals
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    I'm definitely not a couch potato but I have 6 month old that nurses so every time he wants to feed I'm sitting. When I'm cleaning and cooking I don't carry my phone. So the steps might be irrelevant but I'm definitely sendentary. Just curious if the working out would bump me up but guess not.

    It will because you should eat back exercise cals

    I would be weary about giving this advice considering it may undo her daily calorie deficit. the liklihood she is burning a high number of calories in day-to-day activity is pretty low if she is only taking 1-2,000 steps per day.

    MFP's caculations (bmr x 1.2 - deficit) may be off in her case.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    I'm definitely not a couch potato but I have 6 month old that nurses so every time he wants to feed I'm sitting. When I'm cleaning and cooking I don't carry my phone. So the steps might be irrelevant but I'm definitely sendentary. Just curious if the working out would bump me up but guess not.

    It will because you should eat back exercise cals

    I would be weary about giving this advice considering it may undo her daily calorie deficit. the liklihood she is burning a high number of calories in day-to-day activity is pretty low if she is only taking 1-2,000 steps per day.

    MFP's caculations (bmr x 1.2 - deficit) may be off in her case.

    She is only taking those steps according to her phone. If she isn't carrying her phone with her all the time then she is doing more.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    Well I'm gauging this by my phone which apparently has a tracker. Although I don't carry it around the house so I'm sure it isn't very accurate.

    Buy yourself an inexpensive pedometer (you can get one for around $10 at places like Walmart and Amazon) and wear it all day. That is really the only way you will get a reasonably accurate estimate of your daily steps if you cannot have your phone with you 24/7.

    For now, keep the sedentary setting, log your workouts, eat back 50-75% of the exercise calories from those workouts and see how much you lose. If you are losing faster than planned, eat back more exercise calories. If you are still losing faster, bump up your activity setting.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I'm pretty sure you are probably walking twice what you think you are

    And with a 6 month old surely you're putting your baby in a buggy and walking places, parks, shops, friends houses for coffee etc

    Get a basic pedometer, although I'd recommend a Fitbit zip or a one that you can clip to your waistband or bra and forget about and it will automatically adjust

    As a SAHM you could easily hit active ...just by living ...and that would give you more calories for cake with your coffee with friends
  • Lynnmi07
    Lynnmi07 Posts: 131 Member
    When I was home with my baby and I felt like I was very active because I was up and down a lot and always doing something I still only got 3-4000 steps a day unless I went to the gym. So my perspective even though being a SAHM is active it doesn't translate that way on a pedometer so I think that is why so many women gain weight when having kids because you feel like your active and should be burning calories but in reality that's not the case. So I would keep it at sedentary and add exercise for the day.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    Hey guys, so I'm a stay at home mom and get under 2,000 steps a day but I work out for 40 mins a day doing HIIT and cardio . Would I be considered sedentary or lightly active? Thanks!

    I would set your activity level at sedentary to start with. Log exercise and eat back a portion of the calories you earn from exercise.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    Lynnmi07 wrote: »
    When I was home with my baby and I felt like I was very active because I was up and down a lot and always doing something I still only got 3-4000 steps a day unless I went to the gym. So my perspective even though being a SAHM is active it doesn't translate that way on a pedometer so I think that is why so many women gain weight when having kids because you feel like your active and should be burning calories but in reality that's not the case. So I would keep it at sedentary and add exercise for the day.

    that.

    you may get more steps than that in, but doubful enough to put you into a lightly active category. for example friday, where i didnt go to the gym, didnt go anywhere and worked all day and cleaned up around the house, i only got in 4000 some odd steps.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    I'm definitely not a couch potato but I have 6 month old that nurses so every time he wants to feed I'm sitting. When I'm cleaning and cooking I don't carry my phone. So the steps might be irrelevant but I'm definitely sendentary. Just curious if the working out would bump me up but guess not.

    If you're breast feeding you shouldn't be limiting your cals to 1200 anyway
  • Susiepoop345
    Susiepoop345 Posts: 43 Member
    Ya I have me loosing 1lb a week at 1480 at sedentary. Which is still a little low for nursing but It hasn't affected my supply. quote="TavistockToad;35542933"]
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    I'm definitely not a couch potato but I have 6 month old that nurses so every time he wants to feed I'm sitting. When I'm cleaning and cooking I don't carry my phone. So the steps might be irrelevant but I'm definitely sendentary. Just curious if the working out would bump me up but guess not.

    If you're breast feeding you shouldn't be limiting your cals to 1200 anyway[/quote]

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    How do you know how many steps you're really taking if you don't carry your step tracker ... aka, phone ... for large chunks of your movement around the house?

    HIIT six days a week or interval training six days a week? There is a significant difference.
  • Susiepoop345
    Susiepoop345 Posts: 43 Member
    I use fitness blender Hiit workouts and do at least 40 mins
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    I'm no expert but if you're nursing I don't think you should be limiting your calories too much...
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Susiepoop345 wrote: »
    I use fitness blender Hiit workouts and do at least 40 mins

    So, interval training ... not true HIIT. True HIIT workouts don't last 40 minutes and are far too taxing on the central nervous system for six days a week. It's a shame that people took a specific term and generalized it as they tried publicizing their workouts.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    Lynnmi07 wrote: »
    When I was home with my baby and I felt like I was very active because I was up and down a lot and always doing something I still only got 3-4000 steps a day unless I went to the gym. So my perspective even though being a SAHM is active it doesn't translate that way on a pedometer so I think that is why so many women gain weight when having kids because you feel like your active and should be burning calories but in reality that's not the case. So I would keep it at sedentary and add exercise for the day.

    that.

    you may get more steps than that in, but doubful enough to put you into a lightly active category. for example friday, where i didnt go to the gym, didnt go anywhere and worked all day and cleaned up around the house, i only got in 4000 some odd steps.

    SAHM mom to 4 here (well i work 2-3days per month)... on my days at home I average 8-10k on days i do ZERO intentional exercise, per my fitbit. Adding in a run takes me to 14-18k.

    Some SAHM are indeed very active.
  • Susiepoop345
    Susiepoop345 Posts: 43 Member
    I guess the steps is irrelevant Unless I get an actual tracker. The question more was aimed if I am sendentary working out vigorously 6 times a week.
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    How do you know how many steps you're really taking if you don't carry your step tracker ... aka, phone ... for large chunks of your movement around the house?

    HIIT six days a week or interval training six days a week? There is a significant difference.

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