Working with Firewood - Exercise and how do you measure?

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AmDurling
AmDurling Posts: 26
in Fitness and Exercise
Living in Canada, it is necessary to keep warm in the winter. Many choose to burn wood. There is a great deal of work to stay warm. Should I consider the work I do with the wood exercise or is it just one of those things you do, like walking around the house or cooking your dinner? If it would be exercise, how would it be measured? Right now I am working on getting it out my yard and put in the shed before it starts to snow. Thank you for your input and advice! :smile:

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  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    If it's going to be an every day activity, change your daily activity level to "strenuous". If it is NOT going to be an every day activity, I suggest getting a heart rate monitor, wearing it whenever you work with firewood, and then log the calories burned as such.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If you are moving the wood from place to place, rather than chopping it, I'd probably log it as Moving - carrying boxes. I would think the calorie burn would be similar.
  • angiewf
    angiewf Posts: 175 Member
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    The advice in the UK is 30 mins exercise (at least) per day, but it doesn't have to be 'formal' exercise. Something you don't do every day, like gardening or spring cleaning counts, so I would think your log carrying would also count.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    I log it as gardening or mowing grass. I live in northern ohio so I know what its like to do that kind of work. It is not everyday work and can be prety tough sometimes
  • AmDurling
    AmDurling Posts: 26
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    Thank you everyone. I will look at the options of logging it. I have a bit of a heart issue and my rate jumps up for no reason some times so wearing the monitor may not work as accurate as it should. It is not a daily activity yet but this winter it will be. I really do appreciate all the tips.
  • rbn_held
    rbn_held Posts: 682 Member
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    I would say the best way is to get a heart rate monitor. I grew up in Missouri and we had wood heat so we cut and chopped wood all year long. Depending on what you are doing makes a difference on how many calories you are burning. Or get a fit bit. I wear my fitbit everywhere I go and it is synced with myfitnesspal so it automatically keeps track of my calories burns. I don't have to log in activities anymore, just my meals.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Carrying and stacking as you're doing now, the burn should be similar to mowing/gardening as poedunk suggested. This is in comparison to what I was getting for burns per my HRM anyway. Just carrying it into the house from the yard burned less calories but not by a whole lot.

    I would think a heart rate monitor would still work for you...

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