8,000 steps a day sedentary or lightly/moderately active??

chloeealicee

Hey guys so I've never been able to put myself into box with these things. I used to just track myself as sedentary and then add my work outs on top but my new job is quite active (i'm a picker) and i can't drive so i walk everywhere.
I get between 8,000-13,000 steps most days and about 5,000 once a week on a lazy day (i also get extra steps from running 3 times a week but i log that separate still) Would this be lightly active?

do you find it more effective to log yourself as sedentary and add in all the extras? thank you in advanced:)

OllyJ_79

That's about 4-6 miles per day? There is a quick formula to work out walking Net calories based on distance, that is only calories burnt by the walking, not by just being alive as well.

If you are short, below 5'4
(0.42 x weight lb's) x distance miles

Taller people
(0.35 x weight lb's) x distance miles

Based on the calories you work out from that, you should be able to work out quite easily which would fit your profile best.

WalkingAlong

I'd probably call it lightly active. 5000 is pretty sedentary, though, so if you're doing MFP's plan you might want to put down sedentary and eat more days you walk more.

codycsweet

I would say lightly active if I get around 8k steps I don't have much of an adjustment from my Fitbit. That would be a running errands day without dedicated workouts.

FindingAmy77

if that is your total for the day its pretty close to sedentary maybe slightly active. since you are monitoring your total steps per day try upping that. the calories allowance is not that much difference for either one you choose. I get that amount just on my morning walks. I still say I am lightly active. I don't count the entire day. Maybe I will today. hmm

itsbasschick

originally i marked myself as sedentary, and even though i am now fairly active, i left sedentary as activity level and log my activities, eating back part of my exercise calories.

StaciMarie1974

I'd say 10k steps per day is lightly active, 13k-15k as the next step up. (Don't recall what MFP calls it.) Here is why:

I use a Fitbit & sync w/ MFP. I'm set to lightly active on MFP. Generally as long as I hit 10k per day I earn 'extra' calories meaning that Fitbit says I've burned more than MFP expected me to. Hitting 13k-15k per day, I tend to earn 250-300 extra calories beyond my base settings.

UsedToBeHusky

On my sedentary days (and occassionally I am a lazy bum), I'm lucky to get to 5,000 steps so I would say that 8,000 is at least lightly active.

lemurcat12

That seems to me to average out to lightly active over a week. MFP's sedentary is pretty sedentary.

lemurcat12

I use a Fitbit & sync w/ MFP. I'm set to lightly active on MFP. Generally as long as I hit 10k per day I earn 'extra' calories meaning that Fitbit says I've burned more than MFP expected me to. Hitting 13k-15k per day, I tend to earn 250-300 extra calories beyond my base settings.

Yes, same for me, and I've found the Fitbit pretty accurate as far as calorie needs.

michikade

For me, I'd say 8K steps is lightly active.

For my stride length, 8K steps is around 3.25 miles and if I'm being very lazy (day off, didn't leave the house) I'll only get around 2800 steps in (that's bed to couch with trips to the bathroom and the kitchen only, nothing else), and on a day when I've just gone to and from class I only get in around 5K steps so I call 8K lightly active (it's just over an extra mile from my regular pittering around).

chloeealicee

thank you guys!

nelja

OllyJ_79 wrote: »

That's about 4-6 miles per day? There is a quick formula to work out walking Net calories based on distance, that is only calories burnt by the walking, not by just being alive as well.

If you are short, below 5'4
(0.42 x weight lb's) x distance miles

Taller people
(0.35 x weight lb's) x distance miles

Based on the calories you work out from that, you should be able to work out quite easily which would fit your profile best.

Can I use the same formula but for metric?

PAV8888

MFP sedentary centers around 3.5K steps and tops out by 5K steps
MFP lightly active centers around 7 steps
MFP active centers around 10K steps
MFP very active centers around 13.5K steps
Obviously you wouldn't "double count" steps you are accounting for in a separate activity.