Normal daily activity?

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monicabellini
monicabellini Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a pedometer which helps me become more active through the day at work. I have burned off 400 calories according to my pedometer today. Is this exercise to be counted as extra in the way I'd enter a designated workout- or is it considered part of everyday existance?? Does the calorie amount set exclude activities other than breathing/being conscious? HELP!

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  • paintitblack
    paintitblack Posts: 60
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    It's everyday stuff. You can change your level of activity from 'sedentary' to 'lightly active' to 'moderately active' etc in the settings section and MFP will adjust your calorie intake accordingly!
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
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    I would say if that is the normal amount you walk around i wouldn't count it.. I never understood the people who count cleaning and cooking... Seriously!! isn't that something you do on a daily basis... Unless you are scrubbing carpets, washing walls down or churning butter i don't want to see it as exercise... (i'm done... sorry...lol) Now if you decide to take the steps instead of the elevator or walk to lunch i wouldn't count them :) Hope this helps.. Sorry for the complaining...lol
  • akgrl1020
    akgrl1020 Posts: 179
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    You selected an Activity Level, when you were setting your goals, and it automatically figured in everyday activity. If you are going above what you would consider as typical, you can log it as exercise. Good luck!
  • epj78
    epj78 Posts: 643 Member
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    No this is not exercise to be counted!! It is just normal living calories. Sedentary is for an office job - I'd probably consider sedentary anything less then 5,000 steps a day through daily activity. Sedentary lifestyle that MFP assumes is doing normal stuff during the day - basic cleaning, walking from the car to work, going to the bathroom, going to get the mail, etc. Steps may even be higher for sedentary - I'm just using personal experience.
  • CountryDevil
    CountryDevil Posts: 819 Member
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    What do you mean by becoming more active. If you mean that you are walking one flight stairs instead of taking the elevator then not really.

    If you want to make a difference in increased activities, then I suggest that you take a walk or pick up running or biking, weights or something above your normal day to day routine.
  • Jstraw24
    Jstraw24 Posts: 2
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    It depends on how you set your daily activity level when you first sigend up. I sit at a desk, so mine is sedentary. That setting helps to set your calorie intake based on how much moving you do on a daily basis. So at the higher levels such as lightly active, active and very active, your calorie intake would be higher because you burn more throughout your day.
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
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    I would keep using your pedo just to know how well you are doing. But I would not add it to your exercise unless it is a planned walk outside your normal day.

    I am on 1200 cals a day + exercise. I was set at sedentary and then I changed to lightly active as my work life is now more hectic....but my calories are still set at the same.
  • bpdai
    bpdai Posts: 46 Member
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    I considery my normal daily activity as "sedentary" and have my settings reflect that. I do carry a pedometer and use it to gauge how much extra activity I can generate on a given day. You can set your own base line, and then count the steps above that. My initial exercise goal is to increase the amount I walk each day. Sometimes it is an all-at-once deliberate walk for exercise, and sometime it is taking the longer route, parking farther away, etc. that I use to generate a little extra calorie burn. If you monitor your daily activity for a while you can then determine how much to log as exercise, and how much is just your normal daily activity.
  • monicabellini
    monicabellini Posts: 8
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    What do you mean by becoming more active. If you mean that you are walking one flight stairs instead of taking the elevator then not really.

    If you want to make a difference in increased activities, then I suggest that you take a walk or pick up running or biking, weights or something above your normal day to day routine.

    Thanks :smile:
    I do run, circuit training and weights and for a once sedentary person I'm cooking on gas! I meant that since I have been using a pedometer (part of a work related finess challenge to see how active you can become) I have been running up several flights of stairs, buzzing around. People have kindly suggested that I can change my base level of activity on MFP and that makes sense now!
    Having a pedometer is certainly interesting to see how much you do (or do not) move for much of the day. It's a good motivator!
  • celticcat63
    celticcat63 Posts: 8 Member
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    I agree, It is good to set your baseline on MFP and then guage your baseline on your pedometer. This will help you judge what extra is. This is a good way to increase above your everyday activity. I only log things that are above my normal. Working extra in the garden, heavy duty or extra house cleaning etc.

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