Getting 10,000 Steps In - What Does This Mean?

Hello, I am currently wearing a pedometer for a challenge at work. I am so surprised that Im getting 10,000 steps a day because I am an office worker and sit at my desk for 7 hours pretty much! I do jog or walk for 10 min each once in am and once in pm AND on most days (say 3) I get another 20-25 min of walking in at lunch. Then home to make supper and clean up a bit. 3 days a week I will lift some weights in evening....1-2 times a week I will go sledding or skating with my 4-year-old.

AM I STILL CONSIDERED SEDENTARY? OR AM I LIGHTLY ACTIVE?
I always thought if you worked in an office (35 hours a week +) that you have a sedentary lifestyle.
Am I wrong?
Should I aim for more than 10,000 steps a day?

Replies

  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
    That seems more like Lightly Active? I'm gonna star this just to see what people say. I did nothing but go to work and go home yesterday, and logged approx. 6500 steps.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    Are you using a fitness tracker to monitor your steps or your phone?

    If it's a fitness tracker, sync it to MFP, enable negative adjustments, and then let the two tools determine your calories for the day. MFP will give you more calories as you get in more activity, and it doesn't matter what activity level you choose. Going to a higher activity level will mean a smaller adjustment overall.

    If you're using your phone, I would up your activity level. Last I checked, MFP's negative adjustments don't work correctly with a phone's pedometer, and you'll get extra calories right away if you're syncing your phone to MFP. Better to just up the activity level.

    Hope that helps.

    ~Lyssa

  • Leka1000
    Leka1000 Posts: 160 Member
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    Are you using a fitness tracker to monitor your steps or your phone?

    If it's a fitness tracker, sync it to MFP, enable negative adjustments, and then let the two tools determine your calories for the day. MFP will give you more calories as you get in more activity, and it doesn't matter what activity level you choose. Going to a higher activity level will mean a smaller adjustment overall.

    If you're using your phone, I would up your activity level. Last I checked, MFP's negative adjustments don't work correctly with a phone's pedometer, and you'll get extra calories right away if you're syncing your phone to MFP. Better to just up the activity level.

    Hope that helps.

    ~Lyssa

    It's just a simple, cheap step counter.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    Leka1000 wrote: »
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    Are you using a fitness tracker to monitor your steps or your phone?

    If it's a fitness tracker, sync it to MFP, enable negative adjustments, and then let the two tools determine your calories for the day. MFP will give you more calories as you get in more activity, and it doesn't matter what activity level you choose. Going to a higher activity level will mean a smaller adjustment overall.

    If you're using your phone, I would up your activity level. Last I checked, MFP's negative adjustments don't work correctly with a phone's pedometer, and you'll get extra calories right away if you're syncing your phone to MFP. Better to just up the activity level.

    Hope that helps.

    ~Lyssa

    It's just a simple, cheap step counter.

    Okay - so not a device that you can sync to MFP.

    I've seen the below posted for approximate numbers of steps per activity level. You could certainly try upping yours to lightly active and evaluating for a few weeks to see how it impacts your weightloss & energy levels. :)

    <5000 steps/day = sedentary
    5000-7499 steps/day = low active
    7500-9999 steps/day = somewhat active
    >or=10000 steps/day= active
    >12500 steps/day= highly active
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    ~Lyssa
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    Leka1000 wrote: »
    Hello, I am currently wearing a pedometer for a challenge at work. I am so surprised that Im getting 10,000 steps a day because I am an office worker and sit at my desk for 7 hours pretty much! I do jog or walk for 10 min each once in am and once in pm AND on most days (say 3) I get another 20-25 min of walking in at lunch. Then home to make supper and clean up a bit. 3 days a week I will lift some weights in evening....1-2 times a week I will go sledding or skating with my 4-year-old.

    AM I STILL CONSIDERED SEDENTARY? OR AM I LIGHTLY ACTIVE?
    I always thought if you worked in an office (35 hours a week +) that you have a sedentary lifestyle.
    Am I wrong?
    Should I aim for more than 10,000 steps a day?

    If thats all you did then yes you would be sedentary. But it sounds like you make an effort to get an hour of intentional excercise throughout the day so that would bump you up to a higher activity level
  • morganter
    morganter Posts: 4 Member
    I got a cheap pedometer and after reading these posts, I feel very depressed. I am an office worker and at my computer 8 to 9 hours a day. With this nasty wintry weather I find myself doing nothing but going home and sitting on the couch curled up with the pets. So most days I barely log 4500 steps. On days I get outside and play tennis I can log over 12,000 steps. I need something to motivate me to move more when I can't get outside to play tennis.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    MFP activity levels are not the as the levels you get for other calculators such as TDEE...

    IMHO, walking steps are not steady state cardio calorie burning. I never eat back step calories only steady state cardio with heart rate elevated. If I clean the house I will turn on the activity monitor, if I go for a walk or run, I turn on the activity monitor. If I just walk around the office, my house or walmart, I do not include these.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    morganter wrote: »
    I got a cheap pedometer and after reading these posts, I feel very depressed. I am an office worker and at my computer 8 to 9 hours a day. With this nasty wintry weather I find myself doing nothing but going home and sitting on the couch curled up with the pets. So most days I barely log 4500 steps. On days I get outside and play tennis I can log over 12,000 steps. I need something to motivate me to move more when I can't get outside to play tennis.

    I am totally the same!

    Do you have to be at your desk constantly, or could you get up every hour or so and move around? I take a couple minutes to do a lap around my building every hour so I can stretch my legs.

    If you can't do so, try to walk a bit over your lunch :)

    Also, look up Leslie Sansone and Jessica Smith on youtube. Leslie does walking videos that are mostly stepping in place, side to side and front to back. That would help you get some more activity in :)

    I have consistently eaten back all the calories my Fitbit gives me for all activity, including the casual walking I do. It's worked out fine for me.

    ~Lyssa
  • faidwen
    faidwen Posts: 131 Member
    edited January 2016
    macgurlnet wrote: »

    Okay - so not a device that you can sync to MFP.

    I've seen the below posted for approximate numbers of steps per activity level. You could certainly try upping yours to lightly active and evaluating for a few weeks to see how it impacts your weightloss & energy levels. :)

    <5000 steps/day = sedentary
    5000-7499 steps/day = low active
    7500-9999 steps/day = somewhat active
    >or=10000 steps/day= active
    >12500 steps/day= highly active
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    ~Lyssa

    Really??? Holy crap, I log more than 30,000 per day and I do NOT consider myself highly active.
  • Azercord
    Azercord Posts: 573 Member
    That and don't mix up lifestyle and job. While you are putting forth effort to have a more active lifestyle your job is still sedentary.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    faidwen wrote: »
    macgurlnet wrote: »

    Okay - so not a device that you can sync to MFP.

    I've seen the below posted for approximate numbers of steps per activity level. You could certainly try upping yours to lightly active and evaluating for a few weeks to see how it impacts your weightloss & energy levels. :)

    <5000 steps/day = sedentary
    5000-7499 steps/day = low active
    7500-9999 steps/day = somewhat active
    >or=10000 steps/day= active
    >12500 steps/day= highly active
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    ~Lyssa

    Really??? Holy crap, I log more than 30,000 per day and I do NOT consider myself highly active.

    What kind of job do you have? I'm curious since I really struggle to get in 10k steps without going out for a walk. Always fun to hear what other people are doing :)

    ~Lyssa
  • pie_eyes
    pie_eyes Posts: 12,964 Member
    I got my 6,000 steps yesterday. Yaaaaaaaay mee