new member...question about activity levels?

hey there, i'm new to the site, and i have a quick question about how the activity levels are set.  as a student, i walk about 1-2 miles a day carrying a backpack that weights anywhere from 5-15 lbs, in addition to the normal day to day things like walking around the house, taking a shower, cooking, etc.  otherwise, i do not regularly go the gym, play a sport, etc.  does this qualify me as a sedentary or light activity?  on one hand, i am not terribly active, on the other hand, i do walk. 

second question: if i set myself to sedentary, should i add the extra walking, or do is it included in the sedentary activity level?

thanks! i appreciate your help!

As I understand it, the "Sedentary" activity level includes only the "bare minimum" activity that the average person does in a day, like your examples of showering, cooking, etc.  Just the normal movements that most humans do to support their basic needs and nothing more.  Also note - the sedentary activity level is not your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate, which is the amount of calories you burn simply by existing and if you did nothing but sleep all day.  The sedentary numbers at C-C do include basic movement.  (There seems to be some confusion about this around the site, so I wanted to state that just in case.)

Therefore, since the majority of people do not walk a couple miles per day like you do, I would say that your walking would not be included in the sedentary number, so yes, if you want to keep your activity level set at Sedentary, you should log your walking separately.

As to whether or not you would qualify for light activity vs. sedentary, that's really up to you.  A lot of people keep their activity level at sedentary and then log all the extra activity, others like to set it for what they feel is best for them. 

Best of luck to you and welcome! :)

thanks!  that helps quite a bit actually.  i found a website called mapmyrun that gives pretty accurate information about distances, so i think i will keep it at sedentary, but i was confused as to whether i should add it or not.  I really appreciate the help, and the welcome!

I'm in the same sort of position as you, and I just call myself "lightly active" so I don't have to worry about adding the walking/standing.  That's another option.