Calories burned walking at work

JadeQuetzal

I've taken my pedometer to work a few times, and found I only burn between 50-100 calories walking at work (desk job)

I don't count it in the tracker, it's just a curiosity thing.

Anyone else?

Edit for clarity;
Anyone else take a pedometer to work to see how active/inactive your job really is?

TeaBea

No you wouldn't count those steps. Sedentary covers at least 3,000 steps a day in MFP.
http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/

JadeQuetzal

TeaBea wrote: »

No you wouldn't count those steps. Sedentary covers at least 3,000 steps a day in MFP.
http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/

I wasn't asking if I should. I said it was just a curiosity thing. I'm asking if anyone else has done the same.

OhMsDiva

I do not understand the question, but I have a Fitbit and it does count all my steps and days when I walk more throughout the day vs working out longer and being more sedentary I get more calories burned according to the fitbit. Not that it makes sense to me but that is what happens.

ritzvin

I did the math on mine so I can manually add it in when I do a lot of walking at street festivals that I'm cycling to and dancing at (Garmin will adjust to negate any accompanying cycling and dancing logged that day)..

It works out to approximately: Calorie Adj = 15 x (#steps/1000) - 43
Or (by miles): Calorie Adj = 37.6 x (#miles - 1.14)

The 0-Pt is 43 calories / 1.14 mi / 2800 steps
(@ 'sedentary' setting, MFP starts with an extra 43 calories versus Garmin "resting calories" for me)

NorthCascades

I wear a Garmin watch. I get about 1,000 steps by the time I get to work. Usually I have an unofficial walking meeting with a few of my colleagues where we take a break and talk about problems we're trying to solve.

Anyway, it doesn't just tell you in the moment, it records its measurements. You can go back and look for patterns later if you want to.

JadeQuetzal

ritzvin wrote: »

I did the math on mine so I can manually add it in when I do a lot of walking at street festivals that I'm cycling to and dancing at

That sounds like an active and very interesting job!

NorthCascades wrote: »

I wear a Garmin watch. I get about 1,000 steps by the time I get to work. Usually I have an unofficial walking meeting with a few of my colleagues where we take a break and talk about problems we're trying to solve.

I normally have my pedometer set to calories, but a google conversion puts me at about 1-2,000 steps the entire work day. I sometimes think I need a more active job, but I have chronic pain and so I go back and forth on that idea.

Eaglesfanintn

I wear a fitbit. I also have a desk job. I get up about 4 or 5 times a day and walk around the building. I figure it's some extra steps and it's not good to sit in a desk chair for a long period of time so walking around helps on both counts.

RainbowWander

Just got a fitness tracker, today is my 1st day wearing it and I'm already at 7500 steps half way into my shift. I don't count any exercise calories into MFP

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

I average 8000 steps a day at work.

Psychgrrl

I technically have a desk job, but am set to "Active" in MFP. I get at least 10,000 steps a day outside of purposeful exercise. I have to run from meeting to meeting and building to building on a college campus, usually carrying a laptop and various files and books. Just did a mile going to and from a training session. It's 11:04am and I have 7000 steps. I also park in a remote lot and walk in.

I wear a Garmin Vivoactive that tracks my steps and lots of other stuff and is synced to MFP.

Most folks over estimate their calories burned from "steps." I don't remember the source, and I'm on my phone, but for someone my size (5'3 and 115-120) a website talking about that said I would burn an additional 30-ish calories per 1000 steps. And for someone more than twice my size it was 50-60.

olive1968

It's 11 am and I have 870 steps. Does that answer your question? lol I knew my situation was bad, but this is crazy. Desk job, small office, and I'm the boss so everyone comes to me! I've been forcing myself to get up and move around more, visit my staff more, and have to purposely walk to get the steps in.

JenObRN

I wear my Apple Watch at work, and I am almost always surprised how few steps I walk in a 12-14 hr shift. Does it measure my arm swing more do you think? Does it measure because of increase in heart rate? I feel like it measures well when I'm on the treadmill but I definitely pump my arms with my steps.

animatorswearbras

I have a pedometer (and f/t desk job) and usually do 7000+ steps a day when at work although admittedly at least 4000 of those steps are walking the mile to and from work and the rest is walking to the kitchen for a cuppa or a cheeky ciggie downstairs. ;P It's frightening how sedentary my job could be if I didn't at least walk to work.... 0_o

Tacklewasher

I've gone home with under 2500 steps for the day lots of times. Some days (like today) it's a lot more but I sit on my butt all day at the office.

JadeQuetzal

JenObRN wrote: »

I wear my Apple Watch at work, and I am almost always surprised how few steps I walk in a 12-14 hr shift. Does it measure my arm swing more do you think? Does it measure because of increase in heart rate? I feel like it measures well when I'm on the treadmill but I definitely pump my arms with my steps.

I've been wondering that exact thing. My pedometer measures the bump of each step. I've had some that were very inaccurate (even the same company but perhaps with manufacturing flaws), but for the first couple of weeks I had this one I tested it against trails and roads that I know the exact length of (it has a distance setting) and then compared the calories setting to MFPs calculations for that distance in that time frame.

But I've been wondering how those wrist ones work. I can't really afford one right now, but it has piqued my interest.

JenObRN

JadeQuetzal wrote: »

JenObRN wrote: »

I wear my Apple Watch at work, and I am almost always surprised how few steps I walk in a 12-14 hr shift. Does it measure my arm swing more do you think? Does it measure because of increase in heart rate? I feel like it measures well when I'm on the treadmill but I definitely pump my arms with my steps.

I've been wondering that exact thing. My pedometer measures the bump of each step. I've had some that were very inaccurate (even the same company but perhaps with manufacturing flaws), but for the first couple of weeks I had this one I tested it against trails and roads that I know the exact length of (it has a distance setting) and then compared the calories setting to MFPs calculations for that distance in that time frame.

But I've been wondering how those wrist ones work. I can't really afford one right now, but it has piqued my interest.

Yeah, it makes me want to just get one that attaches to my pants.

NorthCascades

I try to get up when I can. Park in the far corner of the lot, talk to people at their desk instead of emailing them, etc. There's a Starbucks about half a mile from here, it's accepted by management that people will walk there together to discuss work issues. Not everybody does that, but I do. If my lunch doesn't need to be refrigerated, I leave it in my car so I'll have to walk out to get it. When time and weather allow, I walk for my lunch hour and then eat at my desk.

I also try to run errands at lunch so I won't have to deal with them in the evening. I pace when I fill my gas tank, for about 400 steps. Groceries are lots of steps!

DX2JX2

Unless I have a meeting across the building (not very often), I will generally struggle to break 3,000 steps over the course of a day in the office. And that's with a lunch break where I walk to/from the car.

Luckily, my morning weekday runs will usually give me 7,000 to 8,000 so it's not too hard to get to 10,000 per day. And my Saturday long run means that I usually get 20,000 to give me a little cushion on my average.

SuzySunshine99

It depends how busy I am at work. If I'm very busy and stuck at my computer all day, then about 4,000 steps max. If I have a little extra time, I will make an effort to get up and walk more and can usually get to 10,000. I work in a large building, so I can take the short route to the bathroom (200 steps round-trip), or the long route to the bathroom (1,500 steps round trip). Even without extra effort, it's 2,000 steps to my office mailbox round trip and about 800 steps from my office to my car.

bribucks

On an average day at work (desk job, staring at the computer the whole time) I only get maybe 2,000 steps But I also do a lot of event planning as a part of my job, so on those days I get a LOT more steps. I also try to take walks around the neighborhood after work, weather permitting, so I feel like I'm not just sitting on my butt all day!