How active are you ? I feel so sedentary.

[SedentaryCecily]

According to the NhS guidelines I am a very active person, however, I feel so sedentary. My children are grown up now, so I have far too much time just sitting around as well as a desk job which are often quite long hours. I am 50 and this is how much I move on an average week:

Weekdays: total 40 mins walk to and from train stations and 1 hour in the gym cardio and weights or swimming.
Weekends: 1 hour gym and a couple of hours walk outside on Sundays usually.

I know written down this looks like I am a fairly active person, but I feel like I spend soooo many hours sitting down. Obviously I move around my house doing chores and go out socially, but I feel I spend so many hours sitting at my desk.

How much do you move in a day or week if you have a sedentary job?

I'm 51 and also have a sedentary job. I do far less than you - only dog walking and generally making an effort to get up and move around as often as I can/housework on days off.

Very aware that I need to do a lot more but knackered all the time as I work long hours. I don't think you're bad at all but tbf my exercise bar is extremely low!!

Have you considered a standing desk, or even a walking desk?

If you have a job that involves spending a lot of time in front of your computer then that's the obvious way to not be sitting while doing it.

I walk dogs for a living so I'm on my feet for about five hours - but that doesn't translate to being active. A lot of the dogs dawdle and I spend a lot of time standing around like a lemon while they sniff a blade of grass

Are you able to build breaks into your work so that you can move about a bit more? It makes a difference: I usually go out for a wander every couple of hours when I can. If I’m in the office and need something from a colleague I’ll deliberately go and see if they’re at their desk rather than just phone, and if I want a drink I’ll pick the kitchen point which involves walking up a couple of flights of stairs to one of our other floors, or leave the building for a coffee shop a couple of minutes walk away.

I have a sit/stand desk and alternate. You're right that sitting down for long periods of time isn't good for you. I've heard advice that you shouldn't spend longer than an hour at a time.

I have a sedentary job but not enough work so I end up going out for walks & cycle rides & stuff with the time I could have worked.

Standing a lot makes me achy now so I assume a standing desk would be horrible for me.

What matters is maybe OP just isn't happy with how sedentary they are & wants to do more. What others do doesn't matter.

Is the weekday the amount per day you move, i.e. 40 minutes to station, and one hour in gym on EVERY weekday, or is it the total per week?

If it's every day, that's not bad at all. If not, probably need to build in a walk at lunch break. No need to go all out physical, there's only so much you can do realistically. Start small and build up.

I just do a walk of about 40+ minutes every day. I'm ok with that. It's sometimes more, sometimes less. But I suppose it's about how you feel yourself. I'm mid 60s.

Much less than you. I’m a SAHM but my children are at school. Drive to school every day annoyingly as too far to walk. My house is kept clean and tidy so I don’t have loads to do. Unless I go on purposeful walks I do sweet FA.

The weekday is amount per day. I go to the gym in the morning before work and do an hour either in the gym or in the pool.
I have tried doing an hour on my way back from work too, but somehow that seemed a bit excessive and didn’t work either.

I don’t get on with standing desks and I am notoriously bad at getting up during working hours or even breaking for lunch. My job is quite full on.

A 40 minute walk and an hour in the gym/swimming a day 5 days a week is shit tons

Is it? That’s 22 hours of not moving a day. I think I am partly adjusting to the difference of always running around after children and being “busy”.

Bought an old treadmill on ebay, set up a standing desk over it and walk while attending webinars / reading reports etc. Have lost 10 pounds without trying.

Oh come on OP, those 22 hours comprise a good chunk of sleeping don't they! Along with mental activity at work. I get the feeling that you are overthinking things a little bit. In fact I think what you do every day is fine, and it's a heck of a lot more than many of your age are achieving. But again, it's about how YOU feel. That feeling is in your head, not your body I think. So go positive about what you DO do! Build it up a little, but I wouldn't say much more is necessary at all.

Counting activity in hours is counterproductive I think. Look on it as movement or the dreaded steps and cardio. You know, when your heart rate goes up on activity.

C'mon OP, that's a pretty active schedule. You do an hour of working out a day! I think you're probably really out of kilter with how inactive many people are.

I took you seriously before I realised you spend an hour in the gym 6/7 days a week! Now I think you’re just showing off.

I do a 45 minute brisk walk every day including hills. On my 2 office days I have another 20 minutes walk to and from the station. If I have chance I walk 20 minutes at lunch time on office days. That's it. I'm 55 and was actually quite pleased with myself till I read your post!

Yes it's loads.

I exercise every day for between 30 and 60 minutes, either on my treadmill or running or swimming plus a 30/45 minute dog walk.

I think that's alot of exercise for a 49 year old.

I don't then lie or sit down for the remainder of my waking day, although do then sit at a desk for some of it.

I think you need some perspective tbh, you do ALOT.

age 37. I do an hour of weights at gym twice a week and walk the mile there and mile back. Other than that I just walk the short distance to school and back. Parkruns when I can.

I hear you OP, I feel the same way despite being nominally quite active. I have a completely sedentary job - I can sit in front of a computer for hours without moving and then can't believe how stiff I am when I get up. I cycle 150km a week on average (6-7 hours) and do a couple of 25 minute weight/stretching/mobility workouts. I also play in a band (not seriously, just for fun) and find that playing live can be quite a good workout. But yeah, compared to friends and relations in active jobs I feel like a sack of spuds.

C'mon, on a website full of frazzled mums who barely get an hour to themselves a week to go to the gym you must realise that an hour a day plus a walking commute is more than most. I think you're being very disingenuous.

I’m similar as you, an hour of gym exercise and an hour of walking a day.
My job is fairly active too. I definitely wouldn’t describe myself as inactive!

This sums up life with a 3 year old too. I feel like I never stop and I'm always out and about, but actually I do a lot of standing about in the cold really 🤦🏼‍♀️

Have you always had a desk job? I ask because I have a very active job where I am on my feet for at least 5 hours a day and I think I would struggle to adjust. I'm sure what you are doing is fine,it just might take a bit of mental adjustment. I would feel the same.

But I was also once a frazzled mum constantly running around after or with children. Now I am not and I feel sedentary eventhough I exercise in short bursts. Maybe I should have posted in menopause forum as I am really not looking to rattle time poor mums at all as I was once one too.

Good point thanks. I have always had a desk job, but I think I used to move more around the office pre- covid. Now it’s all on zoom. I work in a global company so people are based all over the world.