Sedentary or Lightly Active?

CindyMarie_
CindyMarie_ Posts: 122 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a desk job - Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm. My commute to and from work is1hr 15min each way; I sometimes have to go standing on the train, I walk 15 mins in the mornings and 15 mins in the afternoons (I'm a New Yorker - we walk pretty fast) :). I work out 4-5 days a week and on really good weeks I work out 6 days... Sometimes cardio for 30min to an hour, sometimes circuit training for 30min to 45min. I hardly go to an actual gym, instead I do home workouts and DVD's (especially in the winter months). I mostly walk where I need to go, never drive. And finally, I think going to the bathroom 8 times a day because I drink THAT MUCH water should also be considered exercise. :laugh: Joking...

So am I sedentary or lightly active? I can never seem to figure this out. Some sites suggest I'm lightly active and others say I'm sedentary.

Thanks everyone!:flowerforyou:

Replies

  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    I would say lightly active, sedentary to me means only getting up to reach to remote lol
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    I don't know, it kind of wore me out just reading it. LOL
    I wouldn't class it as lightly active. Active yes, lightly, not so much. :glasses:
  • dawlschic007
    dawlschic007 Posts: 636 Member
    I would say you're probably closer to moderately active since you work out 4 to 5 days a week at least, not including all the walking you do.
  • Carolyn_79
    Carolyn_79 Posts: 935 Member
    I have trouble with this one as well. I have a desk job, walk about 30-60 minutes a day, and exercise for 60 minutes 5-6 days a week. I started out as sedentary and then switched to lightly active because I felt hungry on sedentary.
  • siehatsdrauf
    siehatsdrauf Posts: 320 Member
    I'd say lightly active as well ;)
  • 00sarah
    00sarah Posts: 621 Member
    Moderately active :)
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
    If you consistently do what you say you do I would lean towards moderately active also. But depending of what you are trying to calculate, lightly active is safer.
  • CindyMarie_
    CindyMarie_ Posts: 122 Member
    I don't know, it kind of wore me out just reading it. LOL


    :laugh: :laugh:
  • aadutton
    aadutton Posts: 87
    just remember, if you classify your overall activity level based in part on how much you are exercising, you shouldn't also be logging that exercise. my understanding is that "activity level" does not include exercise, if you plan to log exercise.
  • LittleBallofFurr
    LittleBallofFurr Posts: 242 Member
    Lightly for sure...you are def not sitting around lol
  • dahkneeka
    dahkneeka Posts: 163 Member
    I put sedentary and log all exercise, that way I don't eat excess (hypothetically... Christmas was a bad example!)
    If you put light, you wont count the cals burnt doing all your activity, or.. you would only log above your usual walking/exercise.
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
    With a desk job, your baseline on MFP is probably sedentary. You can then add in your daily exercise, including any walking that you do, to come up with a more accurate profile. However, setting your baseline to lighlty to moderately active with your workout schedule will get you close as well. You can always tinker with the settings after a month or so if your body isn't reacting the way you expect it to. Good luck.
  • CindyMarie_
    CindyMarie_ Posts: 122 Member
    just remember, if you classify your overall activity level based in part on how much you are exercising, you shouldn't also be logging that exercise. my understanding is that "activity level" does not include exercise, if you plan to log exercise.

    I actually make my calculations off MFP and then make custom settings for my nutrition on MFP to keep track.
  • lewcompton
    lewcompton Posts: 881 Member
    I'd put sedentary and then log lots of things and don't have to question if its part of the activity level or not... It works for me as a teacher...
  • cyberiarob
    cyberiarob Posts: 229 Member
    I put sedentary and log all exercise, that way I don't eat excess (hypothetically... Christmas was a bad example!)
    If you put light, you wont count the cals burnt doing all your activity, or.. you would only log above your usual walking/exercise.

    ^ This.

    Remember - that setting is for you normal lifestyle, basically anything that you don't manually log. I would say put sedentary then just log your walks, cardio etc. That's pretty much what I do and it is very accurate for me.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    I have a desk job - Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm. My commute to and from work is1hr 15min each way; I sometimes have to go standing on the train, I walk 15 mins in the mornings and 15 mins in the afternoons (I'm a New Yorker - we walk pretty fast) :). I work out 4-5 days a week and on really good weeks I work out 6 days... Sometimes cardio for 30min to an hour, sometimes circuit training for 30min to 45min. I hardly go to an actual gym, instead I do home workouts and DVD's (especially in the winter months). I mostly walk where I need to go, never drive. And finally, I think going to the bathroom 8 times a day because I drink THAT MUCH water should also be considered exercise. :laugh: Joking...

    So am I sedentary or lightly active? I can never seem to figure this out. Some sites suggest I'm lightly active and others say I'm sedentary.

    Thanks everyone!:flowerforyou:

    How many steps do you take in an average day? Sedentary is below about 6,000.
  • CindyMarie_
    CindyMarie_ Posts: 122 Member

    How many steps do you take in an average day? Sedentary is below about 6,000.

    Hmm...did not know that! I will use my pedometer to figure this out tomorrow. Thanks!

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