Active vs. Stationary Periods - what is a good ratio?

[JennyJenn]

We have the handy dandy "All Day Breakdown" that states our active period and stationary period for the day as well as our "Longest Stationary Period" that shows for the day and a 30-day average - but what is a good ratio?

For example, I was active for 6 hours and 5 minutes (45%) so far today and 7 hours and 24 minutes (55%) for the day. Is this good? Bad? Indifferent?

Same question for my longest stationary period (which was 59 minutes) today and 1 hr 1 minutes as my 30-day average.

What do we shoot for?

We do need to rest - especially in the evening when winding down for bed.

I'll look at this information before winding down for the evening but don't know what I'm looking at. I'd like to be able to review this at the end of the day and see if I need to improve or if I'm right on track.

I haven't found any article or explanation of what to do with these numbers. They seem to be super helpful - except I don't know what to shoot for!

We know to hit 10,000 steps a day.

We know to get up and move inside every hour, for at least 250 steps.

What's the goal for longest stationary period, both daily and the 30 day average?

What's the goal for active vs. stationary minutes and the percentage/ratio?

Thank you in advance!

[GershonSurge]

Those numbers seem good depending on your level of activity during the active minutes.

[JennyJenn]

Thank you for your answer, GershonSurge, but what are you basing that on? I'd love a detailed explanation, an article or something, so I can determine this myself and see what to shoot for and what a good range is and so on and so forth.

[DanielleinDC]

Given my circumstances right now--I'm in a situation where I can't just get up and walk whenever I want--I'm going for at least 25 percent active. I hope to get to a point where I'm at least 30 to 35 percent active.

[GershonSurge]

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@JennyJenn wrote:

Thank you for your answer, GershonSurge, but what are you basing that on? I'd love a detailed explanation, an article or something, so I can determine this myself and see what to shoot for and what a good range is and so on and so forth.

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I had typed a long answer, but Fitbit had an authentication failure and I lost the message. The short answer is you seem to get about what I get and I'm fairly active.

First, a little about me so you can judge my answer for your circumstances. I'm 63 years old, at the center weight on the weight charts, no physical problems, and I've been mostly active since birth.  I over research everything because it's fun for me, and usually, I prefer to quote experts in answers. If something is my opinion, I say so.

Let's break down the requirements:

1. 10,000 steps. This is based on a Japanese study which I think was done in 1960. It showed a significant decrease in mortality rate for those who achieved over 9,800 steps a day. I do not recall reading a reason for the decrease in mortality rate. Keep in mind, this was before the fitness boom that started in the late 60's and early 70's.

2. 250 steps per hour. I don't know the source of this requirement, but I assume Fitbit has a CDC source.

These two requirements address the problems of sedentary physiology. Don't confuse this with being sedentary. A person can have an active exercise program and still have problems because they don't move outside of exercising. You will find many sources if you Google sedentary physiology.

3. Sufficient cardio-vascular exercise. You didn't use these words, but we need an authoritative source that is easy to understand to tell us how much exercise is needed for cardiovascular health. In my opinion, "Aerobics Program for Total Well-Being" by Ken Cooper is the best source. The reason I say he is the best is he invented the word "Aerobics" and has been researching exercise since the 60's. He is now 84, working 60 hour weeks and running every day. I like learning from old people.

Another good source is "Live Young Forever" by Jack LaLanne. I used to watch him on television when I was young, and right from the start his goal was to live a long life. 

The exercise portion of Cooper's program is in these point charts. If a man earns 30 points a week or a woman earns 25 points a week, there is a significant reduction for mortality of all types. For women, it's about 85%. It's especially effective for all forms of cardiovascular disease. Keep in mind, this exercise is in addition to lifestyle steps. The original studies did not include diet as they were done before people started worrying about chlorestoral. In the book I mentioned, Dr. Cooper corrected this omission. He also mentions using MET's for calculating exercise needs. I find METs unnecessarily complicated compared to the point charts only because I'm used to the point charts. In the about 1983, I spearheaded making the Cooper Aerobics program mandatory at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, and commanders were required to give time to follow it by reducing duty hours.

4. Resistance training. Jack Lalanne only did about 15 minutes of cardio a day according to his book. He owned a gym and did a lot of weight lifting, body exercises, etc. Until recently, the cardio crowd and the weight lifting crowd almost didn't associate with each other. Now, both recognize the importance of both forms of exercise. According to Ken Cooper, the percentage of cardio we need is approximately 100 minus your age. In other words, as we get older, we run less and do resistance exercises more. 

We need to be careful to temper expectations with our physical abilities. There is no "Get out of Jail Free" card for those who cannot do aerobic exercises. The body doesn't accept those sorts of excuses. However, there is another way to minimize the risk, and that is through diet. Based on the writings of Drs. McDougall, Ornish, Furhman, Esselstyne, Cambell and others, the risk of a fatal cardio-vascular event drops dramatically when a person changes their diet. The risk of virtually all other diseases also drops. I'd recommend watching these 12 videos by Dr. McDougall for information or you can read his book "The Starch Solution." I like Dr. McDougall as he clearly presents information from many research studies. He also gives sources, so you can verify what he says. This doesn't mean I dislike the others. I'm just not familiar with them.

5. Mental well-being. Both Dr. Ornish and Dr. Cooper place emphasis on these. I also do, but I keep my opinions on this subject to myself since it is so individual.

Based on your activity description, I could see you are doing more than a huge percentage of the population. It's probably enough for fitness purposes. The next steps, to quote Dr. Cooper, would be for reasons other than health.

Hope this is a better answer for you. Time to go chase some Pokemon!

[GershonSurge]

@JennyJenn

Yesterday, I discovered a new book to me that discusses the problems of sitting too long. It may have the answer you are looking for. It appears we need to move more than I thought. 

One study from Sydney looked at 22,497 Australian adults. People who sat 11 hours or more per day had a 40 percent greater risk of premature death than people who sat for four hours or less.

Levine, James A.. Get Up!: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About It (p. 70). St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.

[shipo]

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@GershonSurge wrote:

@JennyJenn

Yesterday, I discovered a new book to me that discusses the problems of sitting too long. It may have the answer you are looking for. It appears we need to move more than I thought. 

One study from Sydney looked at 22,497 Australian adults. People who sat 11 hours or more per day had a 40 percent greater risk of premature death than people who sat for four hours or less.

Levine, James A.. Get Up!: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About It (p. 70). St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.

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Hmmm, I have a desk job and can easily sit for 12 or more hours in a day; that said, I have long been under the impression I could "erase" the debilitating effects of so much sitting by running lots of miles when I wasn't sitting.  Either way, as long as I remain working, which I figure could be at least another fifteen years, I'm going to be doing lots of sitting.

[A_Lurker]

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@shipo wrote:

Hmmm, I have a desk job and can easily sit for 12 or more hours in a day; that said, I have long been under the impression I could "erase" the debilitating effects of so much sitting by running lots of miles when I wasn't sitting.  Either way, as long as I remain working, which I figure could be at least another fifteen years, I'm going to be doing lots of sitting.

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I'm thinking that may be part of the reason you're encouraged to do at least 250 steps an hour.  I also work at a desk, but most hours I can make a point to do 250.  I actually aim for 500, but my job is flexible enough that I can take a swing around the plant floor without people thinking I'm too weird.

I work with a couple of people that some days only get up at lunch and to go home.  Most of us move around a fair amount. 

[shipo]

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@A_Lurker wrote:

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@shipo wrote:

Hmmm, I have a desk job and can easily sit for 12 or more hours in a day; that said, I have long been under the impression I could "erase" the debilitating effects of so much sitting by running lots of miles when I wasn't sitting.  Either way, as long as I remain working, which I figure could be at least another fifteen years, I'm going to be doing lots of sitting.

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I'm thinking that may be part of the reason you're encouraged to do at least 250 steps an hour.  I also work at a desk, but most hours I can make a point to do 250.  I actually aim for 500, but my job is flexible enough that I can take a swing around the plant floor without people thinking I'm too weird.

I work with a couple of people that some days only get up at lunch and to go home.  Most of us move around a fair amount. 

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Speaking strictly for myself, I don't like the 250 steps per hour thing; not sure why, but it annoys me.  Personality defect I suppose.  🙂

[A_Lurker]

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@shipo wrote:

Speaking strictly for myself, I don't like the 250 steps per hour thing; not sure why, but it annoys me.  Personality defect I suppose.  🙂

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I set mine for 7am to 9pm,  but I don't truly care how many I have at the end of the day.  I do pay attention to the fact that it is almost 4pm, and should be somewhere around (over is better) 4500 steps.  I'm at 4841, but I did have to do a circuit around the plant earlier as I've been catching up at my desk a good part of the day.  Going onto the floor, although hot, is good because invariably someone asks me something and I often do more walking to answer them.

[shipo]

I suppose I set a timer of sorts; after working in Taiwan off and on during the early 2000s I picked up the habit of drinking copious quantities of Oolong tea.  At my desk I have a 2.2 liter water jug, a water filter, a water boiler, a steeping pot, and a serving pot, and of course a nice mug to drink it from.  Given I typically go through three jugs of water per day, my "timer" kicks off whenever the call of nature says to.  🙂

Even with the above, my non-workout steps from today (a non-horse duty day) is only about 4,300 steps so far, however, I managed to log 15,493 steps during today's lunchtime run.  🙂

[A_Lurker]

I just spent too much time at my desk and/or in meetings.  The meetings though were productive, but they keep me in one place for usually an hour, and today 90 + 60 mins.  Ah well, copying some files and then off I go.

[JennyJenn]

Wow, @GershonSurge, this is amazing info!

I know it's important to move around throughout the day, throughout the hour, but I still don't know what a good measure is. It'll take me some time to work through the things you suggested! I love it because it movtivates me. That's why I'm asking this question, to get a goal I can shoot for each day. Like 10,000 steps, it's so easy, I've got 10,000 or I don't. I'm exactly this far away or this much over. The same with stairs and miles and so on.

I guess I'll just keep moving every hour, exercising as much as time allows (at LEAST 30 minutes a day), and try for more than 50% Active.

Thank you!

[Prabina]

@JennyJenn wrote:

We have the handy dandy "All Day Breakdown" that states our active period and stationary period for the day as well as our "Longest Stationary Period" that shows for the day and a 30-day average - but what is a good ratio?

For example, I was active for 6 hours and 5 minutes (45%) so far today and 7 hours and 24 minutes (55%) for the day. Is this good? Bad? Indifferent?

Same question for my longest stationary period (which was 59 minutes) today and 1 hr 1 minutes as my 30-day average.

What do we shoot for?

We do need to rest - especially in the evening when winding down for bed.

I'll look at this information before winding down for the evening but don't know what I'm looking at. I'd like to be able to review this at the end of the day and see if I need to improve or if I'm right on track.

I haven't found any article or explanation of what to do with these numbers. They seem to be super helpful - except I don't know what to shoot for!

We know to hit 10,000 steps a day.

We know to get up and move inside every hour, for at least 250 steps.

What's the goal for longest stationary period, both daily and the 30 day average?

What's the goal for active vs. stationary minutes and the percentage/ratio?

Thank you in advance!

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It’s pretty easy for me to get stationary hours in since I’m a student. I sit on a table and do my homeworks and I study for a bit. That’s how I get the hours in.  So, for you, maybe read magazines and books or anything that interests you. Hopefully that’s raises up you stationary hours!

[Justin-Steppin]

Great info! Years later and people getting good use from your research.

I live in San Francisco and shoot for a minimum 20,000 or 10 miles a day. As a carpenter I get a lot of those steps at work and in the evening go out and walk around the city until I hit my goal. Sometimes, I’ll look just before I go to bed and see I’m at 10.5 miles, but only 18,500 steps. I get out of bed and walk around the block until I’m there.

I lived in Morro Bay for years and Jack Lalane was a local legend. You’d see him around all the time. Really nice guy, but he was also a legend for being a drinker too. Story told all over town was once he was cut off at “Happy Jacks” for having too much to drink. He walked out of the bar on his hands to prove he could have handled more. I think he was in his seventies when he did that.

Everyone in Morro Bay has a Jack story and every one of them is great story about a nice guy

[Cristina7]

I think the problem is not the overall period of time people are sitting, but the prolong chunks of time seated. Even standing up from your desk every hour to get water, or as little as just standing up from your chair does a great deal to the body!  

[Sami3ss]

I've been trying to work on this myself. I think most days I'm about 30% active and 70% inactive, unless I'm out and about on some sort of adventure. I try to move about hourly, but I can sit about for ages at night, when trying to relax. 

Trying to shift the active vs. Stationary balance slowly but surely. 😊

[helnschool]

I'm 69 and have been using my Fitbit Versa 2 since the pandemic stay home orders a year ago. I'm so happy with it. I love the reminders to walk at least 250 steps. I have never walked 10,000 steps in a day, although I once got close. I'm happy if I get 4500-5500 steps a day in winter and more in warmer weather. I live in an apartment and everything is just a dozen steps away, so it's hard to reach my goals. This is not a complaint, just reality. I wanted to get away from an upstairs bedroom and a basement laundry and my apartment has much better views. But, I'm able to walk a circuit from bedroom to hall to livingroom to kitchen, etc., so that's what I do. Each circuit is 33 steps. If I'm not listening to music, I find that if I set a timer for 2-3 minutes, then reset it when it rings, I can make myself walk the 250 steps over and over. I also walk with videos like the ones by Leslie Sansone.

[MysteryTW]

The 250 steps doesn’t take mental states into account. If you are in the middle of accomplishing something and experiencing flow, the last thing you want is an interruption. Many times people need to spend more than 50-55 mInutes concentrating on something. 

It also doesn’t take things like anxiety into account. I suffer from a lot of anxiety. I had to turn the reminders to move off because they just made me more anxious. 

My other thought on this is that sometimes the reminder is like someone else telling you what to do. Plenty of people don’t do well with someone (or something) telling them what to do. I would bet that most people feel this way at least occasionally. I think that’s pretty normal. 

[shipo]

@MysteryTW, I totally agree, when the whole "Reminder" thing was released a few years ago I couldn't figure out how to turn it off fast enough.  For some of us, it couldn't be more annoying; I would have much preferred an "Opt-In" approach versus the "Opt-Out" model Fitbit adopted.