Question about logging exercise

tabbycatdeitrick

Question: If you take a long walk with the kids, you can either log the walk or the pushing of the stroller...But neither accounts for the other aspect of your walk...I walked for 3 hours today, pushing a stroller...If I just log the walk, it doesn't account for the weight I was pushing. Is it unreasonable to log both?

kimberlyAjohnson

Would you not have to already be walking to push a stroller? I would think MAYBE pushing the stroller accounts for both somehow? I honestly have no idea though...

tabbycatdeitrick

The way the calories burned looks, I think it is more of a leisurely thing though...I was walking a moderate/brisk pace, uphill much of the time & if I log JUST the walking part, it's more calories than pushing the 45lb stroller. I would think that pushing a stroller would HAVE to burn extra calories. Especially when pushing at a steep incline. I could be totally wrong, but that's my way of thinking about it...?

kentlass

i only ever log the walk, even though i am constantly pushing a double pram with 2 toddlers in(about 25-30lbs each child!)

i'd go for pushing a stroller as has been said, you'll already be walking if you're pushing the stroller

tabbycatdeitrick

I guess I just feel jipped out of burnt calories by doing one or the other. It just doesn't seem like logging one paints a very accurate picture of what I've done. I also of course, don't want to give myself more credit than I've earned though either. I found a site that lists walking & pushing a stroller together & says at my weight I've burned close to the # of calories MFP says I've burned if I were to log both walking mod pace AND pushing a stroller, both for 3 hours. I think I'm going to keep poking around & see if I can find some more answers or calculators to figure it out. I want to keep myself in line & account for what I do, but I want to be fair too...Not undercutting or overestimating what I do.

jwd28

I don't think the calories burned are ever exactly accurate. And I agree that it burns more to walk and push than to just walk. So, if walking gives you "credit" for more calories burned, I'd go with that, or you can log walking uphill and it'll count for more than just walking.

KidP

It costs a bit, but a heart rate monitor solves problems like this very well.