Activity level?

Amo_Angelus

I was wondering if I should change my activity level setting?

I'm a housewife, I stay at home everyday and clean and tidy and cook. So I spend most of my day on my feet, running up and down stairs. or walking to the shops or town as I refuse to catch a bus unless I have to. Town is a mile away and the local shops are three blocks away. I also have a patterdale terrier who I take for a three mile walk every morning and a mile in the evening, every day, without fail. I run up and down the stairs, often carrying heavy loads, my fiancé runs an IT company so I find myself lugging around heavy boxs that have been delivered to the house while he and his partner are setting up an office. Plus my dog has decided that the sweeping brush must be killed everytime it moves, so while I sweep everyday, instead of taking ten minutes, it takes about half an hour and includes more than one session of tug 'o' war.

I'm currently set at "Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. nurse, salesman)" I don't log any housework, or playing with the dog, or walking to and from shops. I do log walkies, but as a set 60 mins of 3.0 an hour and another 20 at the same pace as I timed it a few times and it always maintained those numbers, even though I run with Paws for some of the way, play a lot and invariably stop for a natter with one of our buddies.

I'm wondering if this is right, should I increase it and log only things like Zumba and strength training, things I do out of the ordinary, or should I leave it as is?

KatherineVictoria

I think it depends on how you feel! I am a waitress and a stagehand, so like you I am on my feet most of the day with an active job. However I found it's difficult to get out for a run everyday so I have my activity level set very low so I can use some of my job activity as a "workout". I still run a couple times a week, but with such a busy schedule it's hard to find the time! I also have a set number of minutes I will allow myself to log on days I don't get to workout as much.

So basically I think it depends on how you feel and what your time is like!

tiedye

I would set your activity level low. And only log dedicated exercise, like going to the gym or a class with intention, or something majorly out of the ordinary (climbing 20 flights of stairs because the elevators were out).

Amo_Angelus

Setting the activity level to low and only logging going to the gymn is retarded and takes into conideration NOTHING that I said.

I used to work as a waitress and let me tell you, I do a lot more work now than I ever did then. For a lot longer too. The question is, which is better, raising my activity and no longer logging walking the dog as it's something I do without fail every day or leave it as it is and continue logging.

And is it even set high enough as it if I keep logging my dog walking.

tiedye

Ouch you don't need to jump to "retarded"














By setting your activity level low, I meant lightly active (where you have it set now) not sedentary. I should have been more clear. I basically just meant that if you set it on the lower side you will potentially burn more calories and my opinion is that it's better to underestimate vs overestimate your daily burn. You could do either way you suggested and see how you feel, how your clothes fit, how your weight loss goes and go from there?

Maybe the best solution for you would be to wear a HRM constantly for a few of your normal days and see accurately how much you burn through a regular day? That might give you a better idea of how much you're burning in a total day and you can adjust the settings form there.