Earlier, I found out that my basal metabolic rate (BMR) is 1,265 calories.  This is how many calories I burn for essential bodily functions, so even if I stayed in bed all day and did not move, I would still burn 1,265 calories.

Of course, I don’t lie in bed all day.  I get up, brush my teeth, shower, get dress, eat, blink, laugh, talk, walk, type, read, etc.  All these activities, no matter how minute, requires the use of calories.  So I wanted to know how many calories I actually burn in a normal day, before any extra exercise or activities out of my regular routine.

There are a several calculators online for this.  What they do is add your BMR + (calories burned by your Lifestyle).  The lifestyle choices are usually inactive/sednetary, lightly active, moderately active, active, and very active.  However, it varies from site to site as to what actually constitutes “active” or “moderately active” etc.  I wasn’t really sure what to choose.  I work in an office, which many sites said made your lifestyle “sedentary,” but I also walk a lot to and from the subway, around my office, and as a result of playing with my dogs.  So was this lightly active? Moderately active?

Then I came across a few sites that had less subjective definitions, along the lines of this:

(i). <5000 steps/day may be used as a ’sedentary lifestyle index’;
(ii). 5000-7499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/exercise and might be considered ‘low active’;
(iii). 7500-9999 likely includes some volitional activities (and/or elevated occupational activity demands) and might be considered ’somewhat active’; and
(iv). >or=10000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as ‘active’. Individuals who take >12500 steps/day are likely to be classified as ‘highly active’. (from this website)

Of course, I thought to myself “Well, I’m active!” but am I really?  Am I overestimating my activity level?

I decided there was only one way to find out: I bought a pedometer!  Now we’ll see how many steps I actually walk a day and maybe finally f igure out how many calories I really burn on a typical day.

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