How to estimate calories/carbs burned

wesj43

I do some gardening every day. The "general" selection works fine for most stuff. However, 3 - 4 days a week, I shovel 3 to 4 contractor wheel barrows of dirt and rocks around. This involves a lot of digging, transporting, dumping and leveling.

I have been scratching my head trying to figure out some way to estimate the burn rate.

Does anyone have any ideas??

Wes

editorgrrl

Work (including house work, yard work and child care) is part of your activity level, and should not be logged as exercise.

Work = activity level. Workouts = exercise.

Increase your activity level, give it a few weeks, then reevaluate your progress.

cwolfman13

I include stuff like that in my activity level. Like I have a desk job, but I also have a 5 y.o. and a 3 y.o. and a good acre to tend to as well as a home...there's always something needing fixed or cleaned or cooked, etc...so while I have a desk job, I'm still "light active" without deliberate exercise.

you're never going to be able to accurately estimate calorie burns for that.

wesj43

Thanks for your reply.

I don't know about anyone else, but I consider shoveling rocks and dirt exercise. The same could be said for lifting cinder blocks, bricks and other masonry. Some of the rocks I move are over 100 pounds. I sometimes have to move 5 or 6 of them.

That involves a lot of muscle power and sweat. I would like to keep track of how many calories and carbs I am burning; even if this would only be considered "activity." It still has a burn rate and should be tracked.

Since I am 73, this is kind of important to me. Trying to stay around long enough to see my 8 month old grandson graduate college :-))