Can I wear my HRM to work?

Journey2newwomen
Journey2newwomen Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just out of curiosity, I am wondering how many calories i burn while at work. I am wanting to use the time I am at work for my daily exercise vs. me having to wake up earlier to do a workout in the am or after work. I work at a daycare 9-6, 5days a week. I have a polar brand watch n chest strap
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Replies

  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    No, a HRM is not designed to be used that way.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    Just adjust your activity level. I assume you currently have it on sedentary? Just bump it up to lightly active or active, depending on how much you move.
  • lina011
    lina011 Posts: 427 Member
    HRM are for exercising only. id get a fitbit i got one on the weekend and it tracks all the steps you take and then tells you your calories burn and it so small and you forget its even on
  • sarahkatara
    sarahkatara Posts: 826 Member
    Nope. It's made to measure your heart rate when it's elevated. I tried that once and all it did was beep at me all day. Completely useless and annoying as hell. You'd need something like a fitbit or body media fit for what you'd like to do.
  • kathym1122
    kathym1122 Posts: 14 Member
    I'm on my feet walking 12 hours 3 shifts a week. I'm an ER nurse rarely sit in a busy emergency depart. I wear a pedometer it counts my steps and calories burned. I average between 6-8 miles a day.
  • kathym1122
    kathym1122 Posts: 14 Member
    n.
  • Journey2newwomen
    Journey2newwomen Posts: 31 Member
    I'm on my feet walking 12 hours 3 shifts a week. I'm an ER nurse rarely sit in a busy emergency depart. I wear a pedometer it counts my steps and calories burned. I average between 6-8 miles a day.

    What kind did u have? I got one from Walmart before I got my polar. It was really crappy, I could jus shake and it would make steps and while working out it said I burned 8 calories when norm I would at least a hundred
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    Adjust your activity level your HRM is not for wearing at work to count it as exercise..get a pedometer if you want to know your steps but I don't suggest using it to count towards working out and exercise calories to eat back if that's the purpose
  • Chucksteakswife
    Chucksteakswife Posts: 52 Member
    It sounds like you have the polar ft4 which if thats the case, it will record your calories burned for the day. i use to work in daycare too and you are definitely on your feet and moving for most of the day!! If I were you, I would wear it to work one day. Then I would wear it another day when you aren't at work and compare all the numbers.

    However if you are trying to lose weight, low impact cardio (which is what you are doing at work) is not the most effective way to do it. Maybe you would want to throw in some strength training to help you burn more calories and boost your metabolism .
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    No, big NO. Going to work is not exercise, nor is it cardio.

    Set aside 20 minutes for a walk everyday. Wear your HRM when you walk and log that as your exercise.
  • Journey2newwomen
    Journey2newwomen Posts: 31 Member
    No, big NO. Going to work is not exercise, nor is it cardio.

    Set aside 20 minutes for a walk everyday. Wear your HRM when you walk and log that as your exercise.

    Have you ever worked at a daycare??? If not than you don't have the right to say, "going to work isn't exercise" I thought that to before I got the job. I always though daycare as easy and simple...WRONG!
  • aidensanma
    aidensanma Posts: 36 Member
    Fit bits the way to go to monitor your steps and activity
  • Journey2newwomen
    Journey2newwomen Posts: 31 Member
    It sounds like you have the polar ft4 which if thats the case, it will record your calories burned for the day. i use to work in daycare too and you are definitely on your feet and moving for most of the day!! If I were you, I would wear it to work one day. Then I would wear it another day when you aren't at work and compare all the numbers.

    However if you are trying to lose weight, low impact cardio (which is what you are doing at work) is not the most effective way to do it. Maybe you would want to throw in some strength training to help you burn more calories and boost your metabolism .
    Yes, that's what it is ft4
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    No, big NO. Going to work is not exercise, nor is it cardio.

    Set aside 20 minutes for a walk everyday. Wear your HRM when you walk and log that as your exercise.

    Have you ever worked at a daycare??? If not than you don't have the right to say, "going to work isn't exercise" I thought that to before I got the job. I always though daycare as easy and simple...WRONG!

    PS: I have the Polar FT4 HRM and no it's not meant to be worn all day. If the electrodes don't stay wet enough or lose contact the thing beeps at you and doesn't register anything.

    But work isn't exercise. If *simply* going to work was exercise there would be no fat people and no need for sites such as this. Everyone would wake up, go to work, be magically thin and healthy. Think about it ...

    To each their own. :smile:
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    No, big NO. Going to work is not exercise, nor is it cardio.

    Set aside 20 minutes for a walk everyday. Wear your HRM when you walk and log that as your exercise.

    Have you ever worked at a daycare??? If not than you don't have the right to say, "going to work isn't exercise" I thought that to before I got the job. I always though daycare as easy and simple...WRONG!
    Ive been both a Nanny and also worked in a facility as a Teacher its demanding but for the purpose of tracking and logging I believe what the poster meant was it wouldn't count as exercise here for the most part...but everyone has to do their own thing.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    No, big NO. Going to work is not exercise, nor is it cardio.

    Set aside 20 minutes for a walk everyday. Wear your HRM when you walk and log that as your exercise.

    Have you ever worked at a daycare??? If not than you don't have the right to say, "going to work isn't exercise" I thought that to before I got the job. I always though daycare as easy and simple...WRONG!

    Since it's a consistent activity, I think that changing the activity settings on MFP would make more sense than logging it as exercise.
  • Journey2newwomen
    Journey2newwomen Posts: 31 Member
    No, big NO. Going to work is not exercise, nor is it cardio.

    Set aside 20 minutes for a walk everyday. Wear your HRM when you walk and log that as your exercise.

    Have you ever worked at a daycare??? If not than you don't have the right to say, "going to work isn't exercise" I thought that to before I got the job. I always though daycare as easy and simple...WRONG!
    Ive been both a Nanny and also worked in a facility as a Teacher its demanding but for the purpose of tracking and logging I believe what the poster meant was it wouldn't count as exercise here for the most part...but everyone has to do their own thing.

    Let me clarify, I am planning on losing weight jus by tracking with my mfp. I won't be working out but just tracking my calories. Maybe I shouldn't have said counting as exercise. You guys are thinking that I am going to track my burned calories at work on mfp and eat those back, no.
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
    That is your activity level, not exercise!!
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    That is your activity level, not exercise!!

    Exactly.
  • TheEffort
    TheEffort Posts: 1,028 Member
    HRM are for exercising only. id get a fitbit i got one on the weekend and it tracks all the steps you take and then tells you your calories burn and it so small and you forget its even on

    This.

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  • Chucksteakswife
    Chucksteakswife Posts: 52 Member
    I have to disagree with those who say that this work isnt exercise. Daycare is not an office job nor is it a normal teaching job. You are active all day long - getting up, sitting down, squatting, dancing, running, walking, climbing. If you are a good daycare teacher, you are constantly following around and actively playing with a classroom full of as many as 16 kids all below the age of 5. I guarantee working in daycare for 8 hrs is better then a 20 minute walk. a landscaper or a construction worker doesn't get exercise while at work?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    no, you will get fired.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I wouldn't count it as exercise, but I think it would be interested to see how much you burn at work.
  • pobalita
    pobalita Posts: 741 Member
    If you want to track calories burned per day, activity level, and/or steps taken, Bodymedia is a great tool for this. I wear mine all day almost every day.
  • XTSH
    XTSH Posts: 129 Member
    I wore my new toy, FT7 to work just 2 days ago just to see how my heart rate fluctuate throughout the day. My bpm was around 60 – 75 sitting at the table (desk job) and occassionally 100 over while climbing stairs. Never reached 125 bpm.

    I was expected to see some ridiculously high calories burnt into the thousands ‘cos that was what some folks have actually recorded. Mine after 9 hours in office was just 800Kcal.

    I am aware this 800Kcal burnt is not mean to be counted as exercise calories. I still visited my gym later that day. The number just seems realistic, given my kind of work life.
  • Katkamm77
    Katkamm77 Posts: 108 Member
    I love when people ask a question and then argue with the people who respond.

    I would get a pedometer (Fitbit, Withings Pulse, etc.). It tells you how many steps you've taken, miles you've walked, calories you've burned, etc. The Withings Pulse will take your heart rate also (it must be out of it's clip).
  • bfanny
    bfanny Posts: 440 Member
    I'm a housekeeper and I would never count that as exercise, or else why did I gain weight on the first place? Our bodies "adapt" to our daily routine, so in my opinion what I do above and beyond is what really counts ;)
  • Supern0va81
    Supern0va81 Posts: 168 Member
    What's stopping you?

    If you just want to see what you would burn in a normal day then try it. What have you got to loose? :) Your HRM will likely ask you for your set up on first use and will use this as a baseline for future workouts. Follow the instructions. They are there for a reason - to help you get the best results from it.

    I wouldn't recommend using your HRM for every moment you are active though. I have the Polar FT7 and like others have suggested a HRM isn't designed to monitor you for normal activity levels - you should be able to gauge these using the MFP guidelines, or work out your BMR and TDEE, then set your goals accordingly. Initially I used mine to get used to working out my intensity levels for walking and during crossfit, but quickly found that it can be more help than hindrance so I use it once in a while to see how I am improving - and I'm still going on strong! It also helps you to set a baseline in your mind of what intensity you are working out at.

    Otherwise, a fitbit, pedometer or similar might be more helpful if you like to use technology to keep you on track.

    However, bear in mind that technology might not always be around to keep you on track so don't be entirely dependent on it to gauge your results. I have a desk job and get lost sometimes wondering how many cals I have burnt off on a family day out. It doesn't mean i can't manage my effort for the other 90% of the time though.

    Good luck :smile:
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    No, big NO. Going to work is not exercise, nor is it cardio.

    Set aside 20 minutes for a walk everyday. Wear your HRM when you walk and log that as your exercise.

    Have you ever worked at a daycare??? If not than you don't have the right to say, "going to work isn't exercise" I thought that to before I got the job. I always though daycare as easy and simple...WRONG!
    Ive been both a Nanny and also worked in a facility as a Teacher its demanding but for the purpose of tracking and logging I believe what the poster meant was it wouldn't count as exercise here for the most part...but everyone has to do their own thing.

    Let me clarify, I am planning on losing weight jus by tracking with my mfp. I won't be working out but just tracking my calories. Maybe I shouldn't have said counting as exercise. You guys are thinking that I am going to track my burned calories at work on mfp and eat those back, no.
    Well you did say you wanted to use work rather than get up to exercise, so that's what it sounded like. While day are is a physical job it's still your normal activity. I'm a nurse and very active at work but that's my normal activity. Exercise goes above that. And HR monitors don't work well for all day tracking but I suppose you could try.
  • kymarai
    kymarai Posts: 3,725 Member
    I wore my HRM at work with the chest strap many days. I only quit wearing it when it got so hot that I got a heat rash. I now have a fitbit. The numbers are very similar! I understand that some people feel exercise has to be specific and yes you should get the heart rate up every day, but I was so hungry even set on a higher activity level and found that I needed more calories. All you can do is give it a try. It helped me get off a 4 month plateau! Good luck!

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