What do you count as exercise vs. daily activities?

dawnludlum

I wouldn't count housework as exercise. Usually exercise is something either cardio or strength training. Cardio exercise brings your heart rate up to 60-80% of your maximum heart rate, which is 220-your age. So, for example if you are 30 years old, your maximum heart rate is 190. Your target heart rate during "exercise" is 60-80% of 190 or between 114bpm - 152bpm. Keep it up for 20-60 minutes and that is exercise. A nice brisk walk would probably keep you at the lower range and heavy cardio, like jumping rope, running or kickboxing would get you to the upper range. Hope this helps.

moushtie

I count the stuff most people do, gym and exercise I wouldn't normally do. I include mowing the lawn in this, as it wears me out, and my arms are aching for a couple of days afterwards.. I'd call that a workout, no? I also include the kind of cleaning that I have to do in shifts, because I get worn out or in pain.

Then again, I'm probably heavier than a lot of the people that have posted, so this stuff gets my heart rate up and warms me up nicely!

My1985Freckles

I believe exercise si only soemthing that you generally DO NOT do on an average day and raises your heart rate at least 20 beats per hour abvoe you restign rate for an extended priod of time (at least 10 minutes)

Agreed! For me lugging the laundry baskets up and down all the stairs and outside to hang and back in and up and down the stairs totally gets my HR up by more that 20 bpm. It totally counts. AND I wear my HRM when I do it.

amfmmama

My rule is two-fold. I ask myself:

1) Do I do this activity regularly, is it a normal part of my lifestyle, y or n?

If yes, then its normal activity. For example, mowing the lawn - I did it before and after I joined MFP and worked toward a healthier lifestyle, so no it doesn't count as exercise. Same with cleaning.

However, something like chopping/splitting firewood I would log. Because its only done a couple weekends a year and its a killer workout - not normal activity.

2) Do I break a sweat or get my heart rate elevated for a measurable period of time, y or n?

A doctor once said this to me almost word for word. I agree!

amfmmama

Well, since I only clean twice a year... I log it.


LOVE THIS!

Pocket_Pixi

It depends. If I am do a major clean where I am scrubbing on my hands and knees or something I might count it as exercise but majority of the time I only count things where my heart rate is up.

Swimming, the gym, work out DVDs etc.

armymil

It seems the majority of people don't record it. Sedentary means you burn about less than 590 calories a day. So that would include, standing, walking, picking up items, sitting all day, etc. (Sitting burns calories) So, I don't include the normal daily things. I will include dog walks, a walk meant for exercise, or actual exercise. If I go walking in a mall type setting or something, I won't include it because you are stopping frequently unless you are mall power walking I suppose.

lindzmt22

Haha, wonder where you got this post inspiration from.... :-/

(I just posted cleaning as exercise earlier cuz I was workin hard and sweatin my face off, but yeah...)

LorinaLynn

I don't log things I do regularly.

I only do yardwork every two or three weeks, so I log that. Ditto for shoveling snow in the winter, although sometimes that's a lot more often than every two to three weeks. It's a corner lot, so there's a lot of sidewalk.

I don't log normal housework, but when I'm doing a massive clean, like before the in-laws visit from out of state, I'll log some of that.

swimmermama

Like everyone else has said, it depends on what your activity level is. Mine is set at active, so I only count "real" exercise. I try to take my family on a leisurely walk every evening, for example, and I don't count that.

I am not kidding when I say that I sometimes think I should count grocery shopping. Carrying my daughter to the car, pushing her in the cart or carrying her through the store, carrying her AND bags of grocery back into the house, and chasing after her while trying to put the groceries away is NOT easy. I'm usually tired and starving afterwards.

shannon_stallone

I count my walking at work as calories..I'm a server and I'm speed walking at least three hours a shift...it earns me a glass of wine each night

iAMaPhoenix

Just me...and it is because I am not a big calorie eater backer. I don't take my daughter for walks everyday, and if I do, I don't log it because I am just going for a leisurely stroll and my HR usually won't go into the Fat Burning Zone. There are times I go lift weights and won't log calories burned because it is not consistent enough for me. mostly log Cardio that I am doing for an extended period of time and I get a good burn. But once again, this is what I do and really don't care if someone logs the calories burned when they are straining to take a poop.

pa_jorg

I don't count housework. That was something that needed to be done anyway and I did it when I wasn't active, so it doesn't help me. However, for someone who might be morbidly obese, if that is all they can manage, then I say log away to keep motivation up!

dkb228

If I sweat, I log it. Lol.

But seriously, choosing your daily activity (sedentary, lightly active, etc.) is supposed to cover your normal daily routine. So if you regularly clean the house, garden, walk to work, etc., and have therefore set your activity level at a higher level, then don't count it because if is already assumed in your allotted calories. If it is something above and beyond what you normally do every day (and therefore not taken it into account in your activity and calorie allowance), then log it.

I'm a stay at home mom and a full time student (I'm on campus all day, two days a week). I would consider my lifestyle sedentary as I spend most of my day sitting. I also make my cleaning and other household chores into exercise (I purposely work faster, harder to get my heart rate up while I clean). For me, if it feels like I've been exercising after my chores are done, I log it. If not, I don't.

merryfaith

I have counted walking at work on some days--typically I work in the copy center and a LOT of our orders and customers need to use our computer so I sit down quite a bit. and I'm in a small part of the store for most of my shift, so when I do move around the machines, it's really not much walking. every once in a while I get scheduled on the sales floor, where I walk the entire length of the store many times to show customers where things are and I stand up all of that time, too. since it's kinda rare for me, I log it. but I only count it as maybe 10-20 minutes of slow walking, even though my shift will be 5-6 hours. if that makes sense, since I'm stopping and going a lot.

edit: I'm also set at sedentary, cause most of the time I'm sitting down for school, driving, homework, etc.

kjannan

I don't log it, even when I spend half an hour solid vacuuming at work. I see it as an added extra that's quietly helping me lose a bit more weight

pinky04p

I only log it if I get down on my hands and knees and scrub the floor for a long time. That will definitely get your heart rate up! Other housecleaning I don't log.

purseus

for me everyday is a workout especially at work where I'm pushing carts and assisting the cashiers running back items that need to go back or getting an item a member missed.

scooterboy2003

I count exercise calories as anything that is out of the ordinary day to day activity

Pangea250

I only count things that are outside of my normal, everyday activities. Heavy cleaning (the kind I might only do 4 or 5 times a year) gets counted. I've seen people count folding clothes as exercise. Yeah, no, not for me.