Question about adding exercise for work

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candyliquor
candyliquor Posts: 27
edited October 2014 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all! I will be starting a new job soon (finally!) at a grocery store where I will be standing/walking a lot (depending on whether I happen to work cashier that day or bagging/carry out) and I was wondering what you would recommend I use to input my 'exercise' that day? I don't think I can create my own for the sole purpose of it being work related since I won't know exactly how many calories I will be burning day to day, especially given the length of my shift could vary, so should I just use something generic like 'walking' so I at least have a rough estimate? Or is there something else in the database that would work better? Thank you! :)

Replies

  • michaelachallis
    michaelachallis Posts: 137 Member
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    Don't add exercise just change your level of activity during the day in settings and it will up your cals accordingly.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Adjust your activity level accordingly. There's no way you're going to get anything remotely accurate trying to log it as exercise.
  • candyliquor
    candyliquor Posts: 27
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    Oh, wonderful! Thank you so much! I will do so midway through my first week once I know how many days I will be working per week (I'm only part time atm, so that could change).

    Also, would it still be beneficial to try to keep track of my exercise during the week so I know how many calories I am burning per day, or will changing my activity level give me that as well?

    Thank you!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    michaelachallis wrote: »
    Don't add exercise just change your level of activity during the day in settings and it will up your cals accordingly.

    This.

    Work is not exercise... exercise is exercise.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    candyliquor wrote: »
    Oh, wonderful! Thank you so much! I will do so midway through my first week once I know how many days I will be working per week (I'm only part time atm, so that could change).

    Also, would it still be beneficial to try to keep track of my exercise during the week so I know how many calories I am burning per day, or will changing my activity level give me that as well?

    Thank you!

    Activity level is more about lifestyle - are you a busy parent chasing after kids all day? Are you a data entry person sitting at a keyboard for 10 hours a day? Are you a grocery bagger?

    Exercise is workouts - it's things you do specifically to workout, to get faster or stronger or whatever.

    They are different. One is accounted for in the activity setting, the other should be tracked/logged separately.

    At least that's the way MFP is designed to be used.

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    michaelachallis wrote: »
    Don't add exercise just change your level of activity during the day in settings and it will up your cals accordingly.

    This^

    Adding standing as exercise will give you way too many calories. MFP calorie guesstimates are pretty generous.

    Activity level change will definitely add some calories.
  • candyliquor
    candyliquor Posts: 27
    edited October 2014
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    Thank you both so much! I never know with logging exercise what 'counts' as exercise and what not. I will change that once I start work.

    On that note, I went to look at the selections and I'm not sure which one to check. I will be working at a grocery store doing front end work, meaning I will either be at the register or bagging groceries. Working on the register fits 'lightly active' since I will be on my feet, but 'active' fits bagging since I will be physically active bagging and carrying stuff out to cars. But since I could be bagging one week and working the register the next, I'm not sure which I should check for a more accurate feed.

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