Sedentary at Work?
bowties_r_cool
Posts: 66 Member
Hello All,
After seeing a thread posted about whether or not another member should categorize herself as sedentary I started thinking.
We have a small office, but we do occupy three floors. Every time I need to get up and use the restroom, talk to someone, fill up my water bottle, or get a snack I have to go up and down a single flight of stairs. Sometimes up and down two flights of stairs. I usually don't count, but yesterday I did. I found I went up and down that single flight of stairs 30 times yesterday. I want to say, on average, I go up and down those stairs 20 times a day. (I have a small water bottle and a small bladder. Probably TMI, sorry)
Should I be including that expenditure in my exercise or bump up my profile settings to 'light activity'?
What are your thoughts?
Thanks
Bowties_r_cool
After seeing a thread posted about whether or not another member should categorize herself as sedentary I started thinking.
We have a small office, but we do occupy three floors. Every time I need to get up and use the restroom, talk to someone, fill up my water bottle, or get a snack I have to go up and down a single flight of stairs. Sometimes up and down two flights of stairs. I usually don't count, but yesterday I did. I found I went up and down that single flight of stairs 30 times yesterday. I want to say, on average, I go up and down those stairs 20 times a day. (I have a small water bottle and a small bladder. Probably TMI, sorry)
Should I be including that expenditure in my exercise or bump up my profile settings to 'light activity'?
What are your thoughts?
Thanks
Bowties_r_cool
0
Replies
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20 flights of stairs sure doesn't sound sedentary to me!
If I were you, I'd list lightly active...0 -
Is weight dropping off you so fast you feel it's an issue? Are you unreasonably fatigued, lethargic, etc from undereating? If not then I'd just chalk it up to being a very little bit active during the day. I'd assume that an activity level of sedentary doesn't literally mean planting your butt on a chair for 8 hrs and never moving, it means that you aren't a construction worker or someone who does heavy lifting all day.0
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Get a pedometer and see how many steps you do in an average day - up or on the flat doesn't matter because gravity is helping you on the down journey. If you do less than about 6000 a day and don't go to the gym/ play sports or other activities on top you are classed as sedentary. Little bursts of activity like walking up a couple of flights of stairs will improve health outcomes and burn a few calories but it won't make you measurably fitter.0
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I walk around a lot at work as well, use stairs, pace around on the phone, etc., and I still mark myself as "sedentary".
Frankly my heart rate isn't hitting 140+ BPM for any extended period of time doing any of those things, so I'm not "active".
Then on days where I exercise, I simply eat back those calories.0 -
I use a Fitbit - I do 20 or so flights of stairs a day and walk under 5000 steps and class as Sedentary. I still get about 90-100 cals earned back every day, but that's not quite enough to bump me up from Sedentary to Lightly Active by any calculator I've ever seen. Besides, if I've had a lazy day where I haven't made an effort to use the stairs, this way I can see I haven't earned it and shouldn't be eating that chocolate or whatever! It's a wonderful motivator to get off my butt at least every couple of hours and walk around the office!0
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Great topic, I had the same questions. Thanks for posting!0
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(As written in my blog.) Unless you're a slug, you're probably not sedentary. If you do household chores, cleaning, cooking, yard work, taking care of kids or pets, you're most likely "lightly active" at minimum. It only gives you about 130 calories more as lightly active than sedentary... if you were to log all those incidentals as exercise, you'd probably get more calories but it would probably end up being too much, so just make it easier on yourself and go for lightly active. If you don't do any housework or anything, you're a lucky *kitten* and I hate you.
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I am similar to you and I consider myself as lightly active. I would only list sedentary if I stayed at home all day and laid on the couch watching t.v. only getting up to wear a path to the bathroom and the kitchen.0
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I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, and when I come home I sit at the computer for hours.
i also exercise like a beast 4-6x a week.
If I set myself up the MFP way, with a base calorie level + eating back exercise callories, I have to set it to "Very Active". Go figure.
So... it depends. You'll need to do some trial and error and eventually you'll get your numbers dialed in.
But i do think that the Sedentary setting should only be used by people in a coma or on bedrest.0 -
I'm much the same. My office is on 3 floors, and my desk is on the top floor. I frequently need to get up to talk to someone else on a different floor, and my pedometer claims I burn at least an extra 500 calories a day with that, and then I have 2 small children at home, so my evenings are far from quiet.
I listed myself as Lightly Active, and log my concentrated exercise (walking, sports, etc) separately. So far the weight seems to be dropping off me (nearly 1kg/week on average) since starting here, so I can't be too far off.0 -
FireFox is very strict. I would say get a pedometer and if you do less than 3000 steps a day and don't go to the gym you are sedentary.
I have a fitbit and since getting I increased my steps from 5000 a day to 15000 by taking the stairs more - walking more. It just makes you more aware of how active you are during the day.0 -
Well, the further you stray from "sedentary" the more diligent and accurate you have to be in logging exercise calories if you want to lose weight without severely undereating.
I think people become very defensive at the idea of listing themselves as "sedentary", as though it's a blow to their self-esteem. "Sedentary" doesn't mean you're a fat slug who sits around all day eating donuts and has to be forklifted home.
Stop getting so emotional about things that don't matter. Just do what it takes.0 -
I am similar to you and I consider myself as lightly active. I would only list sedentary if I stayed at home all day and laid on the couch watching t.v. only getting up to wear a path to the bathroom and the kitchen.
I would say that is beyond sedentary...that would be your BMR. Pretty much every TDEE calculator I've ever seen lists sedentary as "desk job...minimal movement, etc." Light activity being walking around a lot, most I've seen say about 1/2 the day moving around in some capacity. I'd say if you have a desk job but you're still up and moving quite a bit then you could go Light activity...or, if you have a desk job and you go for a 30 minute walk every day and get your heart rate up, you could probably go light activity and just not log your walks and not eat back those calories. I could definitely see how one could have a desk job but do hardworkouts several times a week could be "very active" even though they have a desk job.
For me, it has just worked better to take the most conservative approach...I'm an accountant and sit at a desk most of the day...I do get up to socialize with or tear into my employees, but I wouldn't exactly say that's being really active. I also get out of bed every morning and I have a 2.5 year old and a 4 month old that I chase around quite a bit...but I still don't classify that as moving around at least 1/2 the day. It's just much better for me personally to set up as sedentary and then log my actual exercise. This may change in the coming weeks when I start doing heavy lifting 3 days/week and cardio 5 days...I would say at that point, I'm no longer sedentary. If I set it higher, I just won't eat back my exercise calories.0 -
I am similar to you and I consider myself as lightly active. I would only list sedentary if I stayed at home all day and laid on the couch watching t.v. only getting up to wear a path to the bathroom and the kitchen.
I would say that is beyond sedentary...that would be your BMR. Pretty much every TDEE calculator I've ever seen lists sedentary as "desk job...minimal movement, etc." Light activity being walking around a lot, most I've seen say about 1/2 the day moving around in some capacity. I'd say if you have a desk job but you're still up and moving quite a bit then you could go Light activity...or, if you have a desk job and you go for a 30 minute walk every day and get your heart rate up, you could probably go light activity and just not log your walks and not eat back those calories. I could definitely see how one could have a desk job but do hardworkouts several times a week could be "very active" even though they have a desk job.
For me, it has just worked better to take the most conservative approach...I'm an accountant and sit at a desk most of the day...I do get up to socialize with or tear into my employees, but I wouldn't exactly say that's being really active. I also get out of bed every morning and I have a 2.5 year old and a 4 month old that I chase around quite a bit...but I still don't classify that as moving around at least 1/2 the day. It's just much better for me personally to set up as sedentary and then log my actual exercise. This may change in the coming weeks when I start doing heavy lifting 3 days/week and cardio 5 days...I would say at that point, I'm no longer sedentary. If I set it higher, I just won't eat back my exercise calories.
I am eating TDEE - 15% so I don't eat back calories.0 -
I would classify that as lightly active. But, I'm no expert.
According to some of the answers, I think I need another classification below sedentary...maybe "dead" might be it...since apparently doing anything short of an hour of cardio a day seems to be considered as sedentary ?????
I went from sitting at my desk all day long and coming home and sitting at my desk at home all evening, to doing 150-300 jumping jacks/squats/wall pushups a day, plus 5-10 minutes on my Gazelle when I get home. I think if you're doing activity that you didn't previously do, your body is going to respond positively. I know mine is.
Not all of us can be gym rats! (Don't have the time/money/etc...) Taking the stairs 20x a day sounds fairly active to me! Keep it up, don't stress too much about what people think. Just do what You can do, and strive to do more as you can work up to it. Every journey begins with just one step...0 -
I would say lightly active; if you find your weightloss stalls with the extra 130 calories (or whatever it is), set it back to sedentary. It's all guesswork anyway!0
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I think to be safe if your not sure I would set it on sedentary just to make sure your actually creating a calorie deficit. Otherwise it might set you up for eating more than you should to be losing weight. If you are slightly active you will just lose weight faster at the sedentary setting.0
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I use a Fitbit - I do 20 or so flights of stairs a day and walk under 5000 steps and class as Sedentary. I still get about 90-100 cals earned back every day, but that's not quite enough to bump me up from Sedentary to Lightly Active by any calculator I've ever seen. Besides, if I've had a lazy day where I haven't made an effort to use the stairs, this way I can see I haven't earned it and shouldn't be eating that chocolate or whatever! It's a wonderful motivator to get off my butt at least every couple of hours and walk around the office!
Same here!0 -
People mix up BMR which is your calories in a coma and being sedentary which means not having job that requires a lot of physical exertion. I'm talking about the setting you choose on MFP, not some other calculator or the Roadmap thing. Sedentary just assumes you have an average office job where you spend a good part of your day at a desk. It also assumes you do things that most people do like shower, make food, light housework,
From another site, but the breakdown of the average office worker:
Sleeping - 8 hours
Personal care (dressing, showering) - 1 hour
Eating - 1 hour
Cooking - 1 hour
Sitting (office work, selling produce, tending shop) - 8 hours
Driving car to/from work - 1 hour
General household work - 1 hour
Light leisure activities (watching TV, chatting) - 3 hours0 -
I can tell you that based on my fitbit, working in an office environment registers as a definate sedentary setting. Maybe even less than sedentary some days. I work on the 3rd floor of the building, always use the steps, park about a half mile away, and walk to and from my car in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening. The building is huge, so meetings on the other side of the building are a pretty long walk. Getting up to go to the bathroom, breakroom, and printing room get me up and about, but I still register as sedentary. The only days I don't register as sedentary are days when I have to walk out to the field and see some of my projects.
That said, the best thing you can do is get a fitbit or similar product if you want to keep track of your general activity level. Otherwise, I would follow this procedure to get a better understanding of your activity factor: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator-calibration/0 -
I'm like Taso. I'm a stay at home web publisher/artist/housewife (which sounds better than "out of work") and I'm sitting a great deal of the day, but I'd need to be at the highest setting plus exercise calories to get enough to maintain my weight.
I exercise HARD (running and heavy lifting) but not that much. Usually no more than 3-4 hours a week.
Trial and error. I can't say it enough. You're not a generic person. Don't rely on generic settings.0 -
I can tell you that based on my fitbit, working in an office environment registers as a definate sedentary setting. Maybe even less than sedentary some days. I work on the 3rd floor of the building, always use the steps, park about a half mile away, and walk to and from my car in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening. The building is huge, so meetings on the other side of the building are a pretty long walk. Getting up to go to the bathroom, breakroom, and printing room get me up and about, but I still register as sedentary. The only days I don't register as sedentary are days when I have to walk out to the field and see some of my projects.
Yeah, same here, it was my fitbit that made me realize that in spite of working out every day, my lifestyle is "sedentary". It said I walked three and a half steps all day and I got a trophy for "ham troll"0 -
I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, and when I come home I sit at the computer for hours.
i also exercise like a beast 4-6x a week.
If I set myself up the MFP way, with a base calorie level + eating back exercise callories, I have to set it to "Very Active". Go figure.
**You've got this bit wrong! Set it to sedentary and eat back your calories. Your activity sounds very similar to mine**
So... it depends. You'll need to do some trial and error and eventually you'll get your numbers dialed in.
**You've got this bit absolutely right, everyone's logging accuracy and activity varies so experiement a bit**
But i do think that the Sedentary setting should only be used by people in a coma or on bedrest.
**You've got this wrong as well I'm afraid, sedentary lifestyle means you are mostly sitting down, that's you, me and the OP**0 -
I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, and when I come home I sit at the computer for hours.
i also exercise like a beast 4-6x a week.
If I set myself up the MFP way, with a base calorie level + eating back exercise callories, I have to set it to "Very Active". Go figure.
**You've got this bit wrong! Set it to sedentary and eat back your calories. Your activity sounds very similar to mine**
No, I've got this all right. I've been doing this a long time. I am telling you what actual reality was: I had my activity set to Very Active AND I "ate back exercise calories" AND I lost weight. Now I just eat relative to my TDEE and don't bother itemizing exercise separately.
**You've got this bit absolutely right, everyone's logging accuracy and activity varies so experiement a bit**So... it depends. You'll need to do some trial and error and eventually you'll get your numbers dialed in.
Thanks. I'm glad i have your blessing on what's right and wrong.
**You've got this wrong as well I'm afraid, sedentary lifestyle means you are mostly sitting down, that's you, me and the OP**But i do think that the Sedentary setting should only be used by people in a coma or on bedrest.
Good luck with your journey :flowerforyou:0 -
(As written in my blog.) Unless you're a slug, you're probably not sedentary. If you do household chores, cleaning, cooking, yard work, taking care of kids or pets, you're most likely "lightly active" at minimum. It only gives you about 130 calories more as lightly active than sedentary... if you were to log all those incidentals as exercise, you'd probably get more calories but it would probably end up being too much, so just make it easier on yourself and go for lightly active. If you don't do any housework or anything, you're a lucky *kitten* and I hate you.
This. I would much rather have the extra few calories because I categorized myself as "lightly active" than whinge about whether or not I should log every little thing I do like cooking, gardening, laundry, cleaning, or walking to the store and back.
I only log exercise that is done on purpose. If my HRM wasn't involved, or I wasn't counting reps, I don't log it.0 -
Don't let the negative nellies get you down.. Any activity is better then less. It may not raise your heart rate, but it's better then sitting. I also walk down the hall to the other set of steps then walk back down the hall one floor down, when there is a bathroom right next to my office. It takes a minute or two, but all those extra trips at least adds to my activity. I don't track it, but it's definaly better then the 5 steps it takes me to get to the bathroom by my office. EVery little bit helps. The more you push your body to be active the more activity your body craves.
Keep it up and if you can do it while standing then do that too!0 -
yeah, I should clarify my previous statement. I am classified as sedentary BEFORE I intentionally exercise. If I don't go to the gym that day, then I am sedentary just based on my general activity at work. On days I go to the gym, I log that exercise. I segregate the two as general activity and intentional exercise to burn calories/build muscle.
If I were to average in my exercise calories so I don't log them, then the sedentary class would not be enough for me.0 -
Don't let the negative nellies get you down.. Any activity is better then less.
Yeah, I'm gonna set myself as "very active" because it looks better on paper and it makes me feel better about myself. I won't lose weight but hey I'm gonna feel great about that extra half a pizza I can eat0 -
Thanks everyone! It seems the majority is that I am still classified as sedentary. i am hopefully to get a body-media Fit link for Christmas and that should help with determining how active I truly am.
Thanks again!
**Edited for a typo**0 -
Don't let the negative nellies get you down.. Any activity is better then less.
Yeah, I'm gonna set myself as "very active" because it looks better on paper and it makes me feel better about myself. I won't lose weight but hey I'm gonna feel great about that extra half a pizza I can eat
What??? I sit all day at work.. Any movement is better then just sitting. Whether or not it raises your heart rate.. Why would you change it to very active??0
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