Shopping as exercise???

13

Replies

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,487 Member
    gia07 wrote: »
    I just got back from a big day at the casino, does pushing the slot machine button count as exercise? Also if you won some money does counting it attribute to exercise?

    Sorry, it is only the older ones where you have to actually pull the arm that counts.
    Don't forget to switch arms or you will get bulky on just one side.
    Real coins , yes; light tokens, no. You have to lift heavy.

    Sorry, I just had to. B) h.
  • judyvalentine512
    judyvalentine512 Posts: 927 Member
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT...i take the stairs...i park as far away from my office building as possible...i walk around the office when i need to talk to people rather than shooting emails or paging them on the phone...i do more activities with my kids like going to the zoo, etc that require me to be on my feet and moving...i park further away from the grocery store rather than driving my car around for 10 minutes looking for that rock star parking...i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT, but I don't consider them to be "exercise"
    THIS.
    I kind of want to copy and paste this response every time there's a thread asking how to log calories from:
    • changing out the laundry
    • chewing on my nails
    • giving the dog a bath
    • drinking with a straw
    • watching my kid's soccer game
    • getting a pedicure
    • reaching up to the top shelf

    Do I detect a note of sarcasm? I have been looking at the materials I got from the Canadian Diabetes Association. They recommend 150 minutes of activity a week.
    I do park further away from stores, hospitals, and other places I have to go. I'm retired, and my kids are all grown up. I am aiming for 10,000 steps per walk. Increase by 500 steps per walk. I'm up to 6450. This is only my intentional walks, not daily totals.
    But thanks for your input.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    If you are trying to lose weight, do not log normal activities. Unless you do something completely out of the ordinary, like a spend 3 hours non-stop scrubbing the floors, do not log it. Every step counts and trying to increase daily activity level is a very good idea. But do not log it or at least do nto eat these calories back.
  • 13bbird13
    13bbird13 Posts: 425 Member
    Since it's outside of my usual activity, I'll also be taking a bit of an exercise credit on Saturday when I help proctor standardized testing at our school. I am on my feet literally from 7am to 1pm; there is about 5 minutes of sitting per hour allowed and the rest of it is walk-walk-walk, around and around and around the gym. If I'm going to be walking for six hours, I want some brownie points for it. I'll probably log it as 2.5 hours of "slow pace", since some of it is standing but not much. That way I'll feel like I got some good use out of the time. And this year I have a fresh battery for my pedometer so I'll know exactly how many steps I took!
  • judyvalentine512
    judyvalentine512 Posts: 927 Member
    Aggelikik, I don't log regular activities like housework and that kind of stuff. And, for those intentional walks, I don't eat back the calories. Mind you, that depends on how hungry I am. Being new to diabetes is part of my challenge.
  • Working2BLean
    Working2BLean Posts: 386 Member
    Black Friday, at Wal-Mart?

    Yes

    Otherwise no.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT...i take the stairs...i park as far away from my office building as possible...i walk around the office when i need to talk to people rather than shooting emails or paging them on the phone...i do more activities with my kids like going to the zoo, etc that require me to be on my feet and moving...i park further away from the grocery store rather than driving my car around for 10 minutes looking for that rock star parking...i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT, but I don't consider them to be "exercise"
    THIS.
    I kind of want to copy and paste this response every time there's a thread asking how to log calories from:
    • changing out the laundry
    • chewing on my nails
    • giving the dog a bath
    • drinking with a straw
    • watching my kid's soccer game
    • getting a pedicure
    • reaching up to the top shelf

    Do I detect a note of sarcasm? I have been looking at the materials I got from the Canadian Diabetes Association. They recommend 150 minutes of activity a week.
    I do park further away from stores, hospitals, and other places I have to go. I'm retired, and my kids are all grown up. I am aiming for 10,000 steps per walk. Increase by 500 steps per walk. I'm up to 6450. This is only my intentional walks, not daily totals.
    But thanks for your input.

    Your plan is good. He only means, don't log the burn just to eat those calories back (which I believe is what you said you don't do in subsequent posts).

    I love my fitbit, and it is amazing how my life has changed since getting one. I'm rather competitive, even just with myself, and I've made a ton of positive changes in my life now that I can "see the numbers".

    When I first got my fitbit, I struggled to get 3-5000 steps a day. I now park further away from the grocery store, I walk at lunch, and if the weather is nice, I'll walk to and from my car to work (I park about a mile away since parking prices here are outrageous). Yesterday, I had over 26,000 steps (that included my workout for the day).

    Definitely keep up the changes you are making; just don't eat back and log normal activities. MFP overestimates the burn, and you could end up sabotaging your own progress.
  • Larissa_NY
    Larissa_NY Posts: 495 Member
    Did you get fat doing it? Then you won't lose weight by deciding it's exercise now and giving yourself caloric brownie points for it.

    Activities of daily living aren't exercise. They're the mobile and healthy lifestyle that weight loss and exercise allow you to lead.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I count it if I spend all day walking around the mall...thats still walking isn't it? Why is that different then walking around my neighborhood? I also consider myself sedentary.

    Because at the mall you're probably meandering slowly looking at the displays etc etc whereas if you're walking around your neighbourhood I would assume it's at a reasonably brisk pace and pretty my much continuous.......apples and oranges.


  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT...i take the stairs...i park as far away from my office building as possible...i walk around the office when i need to talk to people rather than shooting emails or paging them on the phone...i do more activities with my kids like going to the zoo, etc that require me to be on my feet and moving...i park further away from the grocery store rather than driving my car around for 10 minutes looking for that rock star parking...i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT, but I don't consider them to be "exercise"
    THIS.
    I kind of want to copy and paste this response every time there's a thread asking how to log calories from:
    • changing out the laundry
    • chewing on my nails
    • giving the dog a bath
    • drinking with a straw
    • watching my kid's soccer game
    • getting a pedicure
    • reaching up to the top shelf

    Do I detect a note of sarcasm? I have been looking at the materials I got from the Canadian Diabetes Association. They recommend 150 minutes of activity a week.
    I do park further away from stores, hospitals, and other places I have to go. I'm retired, and my kids are all grown up. I am aiming for 10,000 steps per walk. Increase by 500 steps per walk. I'm up to 6450. This is only my intentional walks, not daily totals.
    But thanks for your input.
    Not aimed at you (or anyone) in particular, but if you lurk these forums enough you'll see quite a few threads about people asking how to log the tiniest activities. Clearly my list is exaggerated but not by as much as I'd wish it was.

  • ZeroDelta
    ZeroDelta Posts: 242 Member
    When I have a busy day, I can't get out for my walk outside. For instance, today I visited my Mom. She has Alzheimer's, so it's not much exercise involved. Afterward, I had to do groceries. I spent 45 minutes in the store. I absolutely LOVE grocery shopping, so I wander the aisles looking for new and different things.
    Anyway, in my exercise journal I marked 30 minutes at a slow pace.
    Does that seem reasonable?
    What are your thoughts?

    Wear a fitbit and set your activity level sedentary. Try to do 10k every day.
  • judyvalentine512
    judyvalentine512 Posts: 927 Member
    I did 10,057 steps on my walk in the forest. I was trying to work up to 10k a day by adding 500 steps a day. But I got a little turned around on the trail today and went over today's goal of 8000. 2 hours of walking on trails, dodging rocks, some inclines(nothing terrible). I logged 1 hour 45 minutes of walking because I stopped along the way to feed the wild birds. I'm feeling pretty good about myself tonight. Tomorrow is a day of mall walking with the grand kids. I'll get lots of steps, but don't think it'll be much of a calorie burn.
    I looked at fitbits. They're kind of pricey.
    Thanks again everyone for your input.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT...i take the stairs...i park as far away from my office building as possible...i walk around the office when i need to talk to people rather than shooting emails or paging them on the phone...i do more activities with my kids like going to the zoo, etc that require me to be on my feet and moving...i park further away from the grocery store rather than driving my car around for 10 minutes looking for that rock star parking...i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT, but I don't consider them to be "exercise"
    THIS.
    I kind of want to copy and paste this response every time there's a thread asking how to log calories from:
    • changing out the laundry
    • chewing on my nails
    • giving the dog a bath
    • drinking with a straw
    • watching my kid's soccer game
    • getting a pedicure
    • reaching up to the top shelf

    It happened!
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10290546/bathing-the-dogs
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT...i take the stairs...i park as far away from my office building as possible...i walk around the office when i need to talk to people rather than shooting emails or paging them on the phone...i do more activities with my kids like going to the zoo, etc that require me to be on my feet and moving...i park further away from the grocery store rather than driving my car around for 10 minutes looking for that rock star parking...i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT, but I don't consider them to be "exercise"
    THIS.
    I kind of want to copy and paste this response every time there's a thread asking how to log calories from:
    • changing out the laundry
    • chewing on my nails
    • giving the dog a bath
    • drinking with a straw
    • watching my kid's soccer game
    • getting a pedicure
    • reaching up to the top shelf

    It happened!
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10290546/bathing-the-dogs

    I'm sensing a career predicting the future for you...
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Perfectly reasonable as part of your effort to become physically active. It won't make you physically fit, however.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT...i take the stairs...i park as far away from my office building as possible...i walk around the office when i need to talk to people rather than shooting emails or paging them on the phone...i do more activities with my kids like going to the zoo, etc that require me to be on my feet and moving...i park further away from the grocery store rather than driving my car around for 10 minutes looking for that rock star parking...i do all kinds of things to improve my NEAT, but I don't consider them to be "exercise"
    THIS.
    I kind of want to copy and paste this response every time there's a thread asking how to log calories from:
    • changing out the laundry
    • chewing on my nails
    • giving the dog a bath
    • drinking with a straw
    • watching my kid's soccer game
    • getting a pedicure
    • reaching up to the top shelf

    It happened!
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10290546/bathing-the-dogs

    I'm sensing a career predicting the future for you...
    Well, not to brag but I am 105-55 picking NFL games this year :smirk:
  • paulandrachelk
    paulandrachelk Posts: 280 Member
    edited November 2015
    Tracked t-give grocery on ped. In hour did 1/5 mile. Bit hard to log that.
  • mlboyer100
    mlboyer100 Posts: 115 Member
    Personally, I don't count shopping unless it's Marathon, then it counts in my book! If I come home entirely Exhausted, I had to exert calories to maintain the burn! That's my Story and I'm Sticking to it... Don't care what others think!
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    When I have a busy day, I can't get out for my walk outside. For instance, today I visited my Mom. She has Alzheimer's, so it's not much exercise involved. Afterward, I had to do groceries. I spent 45 minutes in the store. I absolutely LOVE grocery shopping, so I wander the aisles looking for new and different things.
    Anyway, in my exercise journal I marked 30 minutes at a slow pace.
    Does that seem reasonable?
    What are your thoughts?

    Sure, if your activity level is set at Sedentary, I see nothing wrong with logging "Walking, 2.0 mph, slow pace."

    Sedentary includes everything up to 5,000 steps. Unless she was at Mall of America for the day....I don't think so.

    http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/

    This is what makes a FitBit or other tracker great. You set your activity level (enable negative adjustments) and sync the tracker to MFP. The FitBit and MFP will track actual differences (+ and -).

    I wish we had more clarity on what MFP is basing Sedentary on.

    I think @rabbitjb said her FitBit comes out of the negative at around 2,500 steps.

    Yes around 2500-3000 steps for me to hit MFP sedentary ...unless it's just meandering leisurely in which case it could be 4000.

    I

    You beat me to it. MFP sedentary says you can walk 2000-3000 steps and still be considered sedentary and to not add it as exercise.

    I'm set to, "Lightly active," and I never say my shopping is exercise because I feel it's a little, "buffer," for the days I'm not so, "lightly active."
  • FatMoojor
    FatMoojor Posts: 483 Member
    Instead of wondering if you should add all the variations on a slight stroll you may have during the day, why not just set MFP to "lightly active" only ever worry about logging actual exercise and go off the numbers it gives.

    Give yourself a month or so and see if you are still losing weight with it set like that. Save you the time of trying to work out and log a stroll to the shops.