Am I lightly active or sedentary??

shmem_96

I am a student so I do walk to classes but I do sit at my desk for a few hours each day. I do exercise everyday for atlas 30-40 min. Would you consider me lightly active or sedentary???

Gamliela

light active

rosebarnalice

I'd set my activity as "sedentary" and then log the walking as exercise on the days I did it.

shmem_96

^^ thank you both!!!

evildeadedd

Sedentary. Then log the walking and exorcise. MFP uses NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) to calculate your calories. So your exorcise isn't factored into that activity level.

shmem_96

thanks!

Asher_Ethan

How far away are your classes? When I was in college my classes were a mile away so I would have considered myself lightly active for that walk alone.

shmem_96

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

How far away are your classes? When I was in college my classes were a mile away so I would have considered myself lightly active for that walk alone.

they're very close together

CoffeeNCardio

This is what helped me. It's very detailed and takes out a lot of the subjectivity of guessing your level.

http://antranik.org/proper-activity-level-for-calorie-intake/

SWellz

I err on the side of calling it less active. For example, as a nurse, my job can be very labor-intensive. But, on days off, I'm a couch potato. So I figure I even out to lightly active.

itsbasschick

i, too, set mine for sedentary and then add my activities.

Lounmoun

I would say sedentary.

PAV8888

CoffeeNCardio wrote: »

This is what helped me. It's very detailed and takes out a lot of the subjectivity of guessing your level.

http://antranik.org/proper-activity-level-for-calorie-intake/

Sorry CoffeeNCardio: the list as stated is totally out of whack and considerably under-estimates activity levels.

1.25x BMR which is MFP sedentary includes up to 35 minutes of daily activity or approximately 3500 steps and nothing else. Most younger people are above it.

1.4x BMR which is MFP lightly active includes a bit over an hour of non sitting activity, or up to 7500 steps. Most students, mothers, office workers would fall within this range.

This does not mean that marking yourself as sedentary and logging walking and other activities is wrong. But your link WAY overstates the activities that are required for the various categories.

I realize we are talking n=1, what else is new; but, very active on MFP (BMR x 1.8) is easily achieved by me with approximately 2.5 - 3.5 hours of general activity INCLUDING a significant portion of that spent walking. It does NOT require 4.25 hours of walking on TOP of general activity as stated in your link.

As to the OP: as a student... lightly active for MFP if you don't log walks associated with school as exercise. Or sedentary and log your school related activity as exercise.

monicaw44

lightly active