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Walking steps and calories burned
I use the exercise tracker to post the total number of steps I take in a day (using a pedometer), but it only gives calories burned for the time I walk continuously after work. How do I get a total number of calories burned for all of the walking I do?
Thanks for the tips. I teach high school and am on my feat most of the day. I think I'll average my steps per day, while at school, and use that as a baseline. Anything beyond that will be considered as extra steps.
But most sites that want to estimate your baseline caloric expenditure will also ask what your activity level is--such as asking if you are a sedentary person, or on your feet most of the day, things like that.
And though a step IS a step, you will burn more calories with BRISK walking as opposed to slow, leisurely walking. Both are steps...but one burns more calories.
Same with 10,000 steps accrued in 2 hours, or over the course of 14 hours. Its not quite the same.
The goal of 10000 steps a day is a good, baseline goal. I get about 15,000 in every shift I work. I walk extra miles on top of that (although now that I've met my weight loss goals, its just for pleasure and to keep fit).
I used to input my job as a highly active one, when I was figuring out my baseline caloric expenditure.
I've been pretty successful doing it this way. I've met my goal and maintained it for nearly 2 years. Simply counting steps is a good, basic start...but has to be taken for what it is...a way to get people up and moving. It really can't be used to count calories, due to the limitations of time and pace.
And though a step IS a step, you will burn more calories with BRISK walking as opposed to slow, leisurely walking. Both are steps...but one burns more calories.
Same with 10,000 steps accrued in 2 hours, or over the course of 14 hours. Its not quite the same.
The goal of 10000 steps a day is a good, baseline goal. I get about 15,000 in every shift I work. I walk extra miles on top of that (although now that I've met my weight loss goals, its just for pleasure and to keep fit).
I used to input my job as a highly active one, when I was figuring out my baseline caloric expenditure.
I've been pretty successful doing it this way. I've met my goal and maintained it for nearly 2 years. Simply counting steps is a good, basic start...but has to be taken for what it is...a way to get people up and moving. It really can't be used to count calories, due to the limitations of time and pace.
COMMUNITY LEADER
The general rule is 10,000 steps/day and from what I've read that can be steps walked while cleaning house, gardening or taking a walk -- a step is a step.
I agree that some pedometers are so sensitive that they will register any movement -- I had one that registered steps every time I pressed the gas pedal on my work truck.. I drive up 150 mpd, so you can imagine what that looked like at the end of the day.
I don't mean to be argumentative, but I was taught that "baseline calorie expenditure" was what is needed to maintain bodily functions -- heart beat, metabolism, digestion, etc -- in other words, those involuntary bodily processes that are going to happen whether we move or not....... I'll have to look that up again.
when posting to my exercise tracker, I put the total number of steps, then give a time frame that I walked it --- 10,000 steps in 60 minutes or something like that.......it should show calories burned.........even though you walked sporadically throughout the day -- you most likely would be able to put in an "estimated" total amount of time - I agree that you will never get it totally accurate.........
I agree that some pedometers are so sensitive that they will register any movement -- I had one that registered steps every time I pressed the gas pedal on my work truck.. I drive up 150 mpd, so you can imagine what that looked like at the end of the day.
I don't mean to be argumentative, but I was taught that "baseline calorie expenditure" was what is needed to maintain bodily functions -- heart beat, metabolism, digestion, etc -- in other words, those involuntary bodily processes that are going to happen whether we move or not....... I'll have to look that up again.
when posting to my exercise tracker, I put the total number of steps, then give a time frame that I walked it --- 10,000 steps in 60 minutes or something like that.......it should show calories burned.........even though you walked sporadically throughout the day -- you most likely would be able to put in an "estimated" total amount of time - I agree that you will never get it totally accurate.........
Its difficult, because the tracker uses continuous walking time/distance. There are known values for how many calories are burned per minute, depending on how fast you walk the total distance.
A rough way is to say 10,000 steps approx equals 5 miles. You will burn approx 80-100 cals per 1 mile walked. A lot depends on your weight--a heavier person burns calories at a different rate than a thin person.
But 80-100 cals per 1 mile is general. you will never find exact figures.
Pedometers are so fickle that I don't trust them. They can register steps while you are sitting on the couch.
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The trouble also with using steps taken in a normal day, is that these are part of your normal baseline calorie expenditure. You can't really look at your total steps and say "Oh, I walked 5000 steps so I can have that big slice of cake after dinner".
Its a common pitfall.
(I always ate about about the same caloric level--1400 to 1500 cals a day, regardless if I walked 3 miles or 17 miles a day. On days I walked more, I might have larger portions of healthy foods, and an occasional treat.)
A rough way is to say 10,000 steps approx equals 5 miles. You will burn approx 80-100 cals per 1 mile walked. A lot depends on your weight--a heavier person burns calories at a different rate than a thin person.
But 80-100 cals per 1 mile is general. you will never find exact figures.
Pedometers are so fickle that I don't trust them. They can register steps while you are sitting on the couch.
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The trouble also with using steps taken in a normal day, is that these are part of your normal baseline calorie expenditure. You can't really look at your total steps and say "Oh, I walked 5000 steps so I can have that big slice of cake after dinner".
Its a common pitfall.
(I always ate about about the same caloric level--1400 to 1500 cals a day, regardless if I walked 3 miles or 17 miles a day. On days I walked more, I might have larger portions of healthy foods, and an occasional treat.)
It gives the calories burned on my pedometer, but calories don't post on the tracker, other than under continuous time. It won't post that information if listed as distance.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Are you separating the steps during the day from the steps you walk continuously? I haven't been wearing my pedometer (yes, I know I need to), but when I did, I just entered the total number of steps for the day and it gave me calories burned. I'll have to go look at it and see if there have been changes made to the tracker. Will get back to you as soon as I can.
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