Having a hard time believing that I am "active"

guacassassin

Hello, all!

I just started a desk job and I was concerned about getting enough activity in (I was moving around a lot at my prior job). I don't have time to go to the gym except during the weekends because I have a dog.

Since I was concerned I started using my moms old Fitbit. I am averaging about 16,000 steps a day. Now, from looking through the forums, I saw somebody post that this amount of steps would be considered an active lifestyle. I do take my dog on two walks a day, walk to and from the bus from my house/ to and from the bus to my office, and walk laps during lunch. But still, it's just walking....and I sit on my butt a lot.

Would I truly be considered active? I'm finding it hard to believe. I always considered myself sedentary.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

maurakkownacki wrote: »

Hello, all!

I just started a desk job and I was concerned about getting enough activity in (I was moving around a lot at my prior job). I don't have time to go to the gym except during the weekends because I have a dog.

Since I was concerned I started using my moms old Fitbit. I am averaging about 16,000 steps a day. Now, from looking through the forums, I saw somebody post that this amount of steps would be considered an active lifestyle. I do take my dog on two walks a day, walk to and from the bus from my house/ to and from the bus to my office, and walk laps during lunch. But still, it's just walking....and I sit on my butt a lot.

Would I truly be considered active? I'm finding it hard to believe. I always considered myself sedentary.

Yes, that's active. Stop worrying and keep walking the dog.

DomesticKat

The only way to know is to try it and make sure you're logging your food correctly. If you're using a food scale, choosing correct entries, etc. and you're still losing successfully with your account set to active, then you'll know. MFP rewards you in the form of more food if you're more active. Don't consider it a bad thing.

I started out with my account set to lightly active. I wasn't using a Fitbit at that point and I was definitely under-estimating my activity level which was influencing my rate of loss in a way I didn't want. I figured it out pretty quickly once I started using it and adjusted my account to active.

sijomial

"Just walking" (a lot) isn't sedentary.

Lounmoun

maurakkownacki wrote: »

Hello, all!

I just started a desk job and I was concerned about getting enough activity in (I was moving around a lot at my prior job). I don't have time to go to the gym except during the weekends because I have a dog.

Since I was concerned I started using my moms old Fitbit. I am averaging about 16,000 steps a day. Now, from looking through the forums, I saw somebody post that this amount of steps would be considered an active lifestyle. I do take my dog on two walks a day, walk to and from the bus from my house/ to and from the bus to my office, and walk laps during lunch. But still, it's just walking....and I sit on my butt a lot.

Would I truly be considered active? I'm finding it hard to believe. I always considered myself sedentary.

What did you consider to be active if you thought you were sedentary and did a lot of walking?

You are above average steps per day.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/which-countries-most-walking-least-walking/
I believe sedentary is generally 5,000 steps or less a day. Active is generally considered 10,000 steps or more from everything I have seen.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/
https://www.10000stepsaustralia.com/Walking-Articles/How-Active-Are-You

DX2JX2

You're definitely active - just make sure you don't double count the calories.

hesn92

If you sync your fitbit to your diary it should adjust your calorie goal based on your activity so it wouldn’t matter what activity level you pick. But yes that’s active. When I used a fitbit I was lucky to get 8k steps and it still gave me 2-300 extra calories up from sedentary.

guacassassin

Lounmoun wrote: »

What did you consider to be active if you thought you were sedentary and did a lot of walking?

I guess someone who had a profession as a laborer, someone who was a personal trainer, or someone who did some type of sport for a living would be what I considered active.

cwolfman13

maurakkownacki wrote: »

Lounmoun wrote: »

What did you consider to be active if you thought you were sedentary and did a lot of walking?

I guess someone who had a profession as a laborer, someone who was a personal trainer, or someone who did some type of sport for a living would be what I considered active.

Laborers and the like are extremely active...that doesn't mean you're not active. 16,000 steps is far from sedentary. Sedentary is literally sitting their all day...like I have days here and there where I get maybe 3,000 steps...that's sedentary.

16,000 steps is roughly 7.5-8 miles per day that you are moving your mass over.

LivingtheLeanDream

An average of 16k steps means you are active regardless of the desk job.

DragonHasTheSapphire

I run a 5k daily, except on resting days I do strength training and pilates w/ a light walk.

Don't know how many steps that is.