Sedentary or Light activity?

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k8blujay2
k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I tried asking this in Technical Help, but I thought I would try here too. I have a typical sit in a chair desk job, but I reconfigured my office so I am standing up the entire time (or more realistically 97%). So would that still be sedentary? Or light activity? I am just curious, cause I'm not walking around like a mailman or a nurse is, in the examples provided... but I am still standing a moving around more often.

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  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    How many times a week do you workout?
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    At the minimum 2 days a week for an hour.... Though I strive to work out at least 5 days a week for 30-60 minutes.
  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
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    Times she works out doesn't count into that since workouts are logged separately.

    Now do you just stand, or are you constantly moving around. If you're moving around most of the time, then light, and if not still sedentary since you're just standing, not moving.
  • jlburke2
    jlburke2 Posts: 28 Member
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    I am in a similar situation, desk job but I walk to labs and such. I chose sedentary because I figured it was more conservative. If I met the calorie goals of a sedentary person and I happen to be slightly > sedentary then I win because I will have a built in calorie defecit.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    Does dancing from one foot to another around my cubicle count? I do walk to co-workers offices/cubicles... But I'm not as still as I was in the chair.
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    I am in a similar situation, desk job but I walk to labs and such. I chose sedentary because I figured it was more conservative. If I met the calorie goals of a sedentary person and I happen to be slightly > sedentary then I win because I will have a built in calorie defecit.


    Just in case you don't know, MFP already gives you a calorie deficit, but that would indeed give you more of one. Just fyi :)
  • MissSpuggz
    MissSpuggz Posts: 155 Member
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    I'd say it's lightly active. Standing burns something like 50% more calories than sitting down. It's up to you though, you can try it as that for a week or so and see how you go.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    I'm really just asking so I know what to expect as far as how my body will react to it... I'm not going to change my activity level here... just yet anyway....


    But I will tell you it's kinda nice being able to do calf raises while working on projects... :happy:
  • cowgirlslikeus86
    cowgirlslikeus86 Posts: 597 Member
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    Sedentary. Standing hardly burnes anymore calories then sitting. Your heart rate barely changes between the two. If you want to claim lightly active, you should wear a pedometer so you can see just how far you are moving in a day. When I use to have an office job I wore one and increased my average daily steps from 1 half a mile to like 4 miles. Just knowing you have it on will make you move more.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    Ok. So I decided to search how many calories is burned standing versus sitting.... and from ehow.com it said 10-50 calories per hour, Livestrong said as many as 50 calories per hour. This study (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/01/24/sitting-vs-standing-study/) said 20-30 calories per hour.... so depending on your size, you apparently can lose an extra 80 - 400 calories (and I'm sure more in some instances) a day (assuming an 8 hour work day and you stand the whole 8 hours) just by standing instead of sitting at your computer desk.


    I am still going to leave my activity level at sedentary, because I am fine with where it is calorie wise... but now I'm curious as to how much faster I lose the weight I need.

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