Where do you incorporate your steps in your daily exercise?

mjvalenti7

Hi all. I'm wondering if those of you who keep a steps goal (i.e., 10k/day) could tell me a little bit about what your exercise routines look like. Do you step less on days you work out (or on days you work out harder than usual)? Do you maintain a daily step goal no matter how much you exercise in a day? In other words, how do you factor your steps into your calorie deficit . . . ?

I'm fairly new to tracking (both food and exercise), but I've been trying to maintain a daily 10k steps goal as a baseline in addition at least 30 mins of exercise 4-5 days per week. I'm curious how others manage their exercise calories . . .

GottaBurnEmAll

I run every morning for at least 20 minutes (days where I feel really lousy) up to an hour. That's a lot of steps right there.

On days where I weight train, I do a brisk walking lap on the gym track between sets.

I also have a Fitbit with move reminders and get up and walk around every hour. Then there are Pokemon Go sessions with my son.

I usually end up with 20K steps.

As for factoring my steps into my eating? I eat back about half of what Fitbit gives me, but since I'm moving into maintenance I'm upping that amount incrementally.

kshama2001

I manage my exercise calories by eating them

lemurcat12

When I was logging exercise I put myself at lightly active to account for the fact that always get at least 10,000 steps per day. Then I'd log other exercise. If I ran of course I'd end up way over 10K and who knew if I got the 10K without the running (although I normally would unless I ran home instead of my normal commute, which involves a decent amount of walking), but that evened out. (If you have a Fitbit you can just have it adjust the calories, however, and just make sure times line up if you log exercise besides walking.)

Now I do TDEE method and take the fact I walk 10k+ steps on a sedentary day into account when thinking about my calorie goal (although it's mostly based on results anyway).

peleroja

I let Fitbit do all the math for me and import my data into MFP - I'm maintaining now but it's what I did when I lost, too - as far as how much to eat goes. It's been pretty accurate for me for over a year of maintaining so I trust it to make sure I'm eating enough/not too much at this point. I run 4-6 days a week so it does a great job of giving me reasonable estimates.

aliem

I try to maintain at least 10k steps even when working out. If I run after my workout, that usually does it. Usually I do some circuit training and walk after. If I double up, I do some for of cardio in the evenings. I try to consistently hit 15k steps with working out, but I definitely fall short of that often. If this means I need to go for an extra walk or two, I do it. For example, I took a quick 10 minute walk after lunch today. Also, I don't eat back my calories or if I do, it is very few. However, I am pretty short and not very heavy, so I have to eat a lot less to maintain a deficit.

SCoil123

I use my fitbit. It counts the steps no matter what Im doing, including work outs. I only log work outs on fitbit now too because I noticed the amount it calculates is much lower than what MFP was guessing and I believe the lower number to be more accurate. And my goal for steps is the same every day. Sometimes a chunk of my steps comes from when Im working out and sometimes it doesn't.

Since my accounts are synced I get one activity adjustment here from fitbit which Ive found to be pretty accurate.

Meganthedogmom

I've recently (about a month ago) started syncing my steps with MFP and eating back the exercise calories it gives me - BUT I start with 1200 calories.

I get my steps by running and walking. On "rest" days, I still try to get 10k from liesurely walks throughout the day. On running days I get my steps easily (ran 5 miles this morning, so I will probably get 20k steps today). I also walk in between sets on my weight-training days, helps get to my goal a little.

CoachJen71

I try to get 20K+ most days on my Fitbit from walking. Not just going out for walks or getting on the treadmill, but if I want to read the Internet I do it tablet in hand while pacing the hall. I also pace while on the phone.

fitoverfortymom

I walk the dog twice a day and walk for another mile at lunch at work.

ronjsteele1

I get 10-12,000 steps in a day. Part of that is from exercise. I don't count any steps just from day to day walking. I only use what is actual exercise in my plan.