Is walking 4.5k daily 'moderately active'?

planetjen79

Thanks for reading. I posted last night, but I accidently wrote 4.5k a week, which isn't correct! Now the thread is dead as people did, very kindly answer but it hasn't been looked at since!

I regularly walk 4.5k 5 days a week. I feel like this is just part of my daily life, not exercise as I'm not losing weight! Just wondering though if that is lightly active, or more?

And, when I jog instead of walk, does it then count as cardio?

happilysingle69

If am correct that around 3 miles... a day that should be good amount of exercise but after so long your body adjusts to that amount of activity. So for someone who doesn't do that much activity like me that would work for weight lost purposes

planetjen79

That's what I think. When my daughter started school, I did lose about 10lbs from this, but have since gained it back, and my body has adjusted - BUMMER!
Just wondering when figuring out my daily caloric allowance to maintain, what I should check my activity level as, when I account for this walk as its obviously not helping me lose.

Oddkayla

As a guide the mythical 10 000 steps most adults need to move everyday to lose weight if it's balanced by good eating equals around 8km or so for me. I think you're going to have to increase your distance a bit but you can start with small incremental increases that would challenge you without overwhelming you

Dnarules

I was one who answered in the last thread. 4.5k is around 2.7 to 2.8 miles. You are kind of on the border between sedentary and lightly active, but I think lightly active is the way to start. Look at both and decide where you want to start. It truly is trial and error. Do it for a few weeks, and re-evaluate your progress. Or try to add in another thousand steps or more .

Napier_mum

I walk about 6km each morning and have myself down as lightly active (generally I have a two year old walking with me so it isn't like I am getting a sweat on!)

doctorwalrus

There's a straightforward way of logging this - mark yourself as sedentary and log each walk as exercise.

I'm in a similar situation - by logging the walking as exercise it encourages you to ramp it up - getting to averaging 8km per day, 7 days a week, I realised I just had more energy to burn off, so it was a great springboard to start running.

Joanne_Moniz

Thanks for reading. I posted last night, but I accidently wrote 4.5k a week, which isn't correct! Now the thread is dead as people did, very kindly answer but it hasn't been looked at since!

I regularly walk 4.5k 5 days a week. I feel like this is just part of my daily life, not exercise as I'm not losing weight! Just wondering though if that is lightly active, or more?

And, when I jog instead of walk, does it then count as cardio?

That would be considered "active" by Myfitnesspal standards....

Joanne_Moniz

Thanks for reading. I posted last night, but I accidently wrote 4.5k a week, which isn't correct! Now the thread is dead as people did, very kindly answer but it hasn't been looked at since!

I regularly walk 4.5k 5 days a week. I feel like this is just part of my daily life, not exercise as I'm not losing weight! Just wondering though if that is lightly active, or more?

And, when I jog instead of walk, does it then count as cardio?

This is a good example why you cannot go by your tdee if you are using myfitnesspal.

Your setting should be lightly active... that is how MFP figures out how many calories you will need for that amount of activity (lightly active) you then log your exercise (above and beyond the walking that you do on school runs; in other words, not including that ) When you log the exercise, you will be given more calories to consume.

Joanne Moniz
The Skinny on Obesity Group

doctorwalrus

Thanks for reading. I posted last night, but I accidently wrote 4.5k a week, which isn't correct! Now the thread is dead as people did, very kindly answer but it hasn't been looked at since!

I regularly walk 4.5k 5 days a week. I feel like this is just part of my daily life, not exercise as I'm not losing weight! Just wondering though if that is lightly active, or more?

And, when I jog instead of walk, does it then count as cardio?

That would be considered "active" by Myfitnesspal standards....

Sorry, but I don't agree, this is quite different from the waitress described - I know people who do that sort of work, and they easily would be burning off 1000+ calories a shift. A 4.5k walk isn't going to come near that

edit- replied before your followup post! I'd still suggest going with sedentary and logging the walks though, purely from a motivational angle.

planetjen79

thanks Joanne! That's exactly how I have it set up now, so I'll just leave. I don't log those 4.5k/day, even though I walk fast enough. Older kid on a scooter and pushing a big buggy