How much exercise do you count?

MissVCI

How much exercise do you count as actual exercise. I try to input only my gym work outs, where I'm sweating bullets and really feeling the burn.
But I bike and/or walk daily as a means of transportation. I never count my walking and only put my bike riding in when i go close to going over on my calories.

And i've read some threads where people include cleaning the house and folding laundry.
So I was just wondering what some MFP count as exercise calories?

robot_potato

I count walking and biking if go specifically for exercise, not if it's part of my daily routine. I count jogging/running,strength training etc. I don't count cleaning or work( my job is pretty physical) as those are routine and not extra activities. I do count jumping rope with my daughter, I do it fairly often but I get a good workout from it.

KristinLeAnn252

I don't count the extra walking I do at work because I do it on a regular basis but if I were to go on a walk, or walk on the treadmill, that's extra and I'll count that. Otherwise, I count something as in "i'm going to go work out" regardless of what I do in that time.

realme56

I count only elliptical and real gym stuff. The FitBit adjusts for my general activity which is walking the dog, cleaning the house and such

Tiffa0909

I think it depends on what you put on your normal daily activity , if you put sedentary then it would count as work out. But if you put active or lightly active then it would be just part of your normal daily activity.

kriggs1976

I count two things:

When I walk my dog [because we go on long walks]
When I am at the gym

knl124

I only count gym workouts.

SteveHunt113

I think it depends on what you put on your normal daily activity , if you put sedentary then it would count as work out. But if you put active or lightly active then it would be just part of your normal daily activity.

^^^^ This!

NatashaK29

I agree with Mina.

k0nfyo0zed

i count gym visits and workout videos... i only count cleaning the house if i've got crazy upbeat music playing and i'm dancing around and getting my heart rate up in the process.

ensoleille

I count when I take my dog out for a walk or go swimming because I do that in a specific time period and for exercise.
I don't count any other walking I do in the day because I think it's just normal activity and not strenuous.

chedges9090

have to agree with Mina Don't count anything that you have always done daily... You count anything extra. Remember, the goal is to burn extra calories so that your weight goes down (or you maintain. .. not sure where you are.. ) ...

katkins3

I count the cardio, whether jazzercise or walking or elliptical, (stuff I wear my HRM for). I also count Tai Chi, but I only give myself 15 calories for it as a placeholder so i can track how often I practice.
I don't count weight training, walks at lunch, or swimming.
I don't count house cleaning or walking at work.

tinajoe628

Agreed. only count the activities that you do that are not part of your daily routine, and you do for calorie burn.

mSquared77

I count exercise as exercise!

MissVCI

thanks for all the input, i appreciate it.

saragato

I count any extensive, fairly high speed walking I do whether it's in a store, doing errands in general, or when I'm doing it solely for the workout. I also count the weights I do (in the strength category, so I guess technically on here they're not counting) and in-place jogging I do while watching TV. I don't have a gym membership (and can't have one due to a disorder) so I try to move as much as I can in as many ways I can for the sole purpose of exercise. I don't count cleaning, chores, or if I'm walking very slow around a store looking.

mom2mozart

I occassionally count housework, but only if I've done more than normal - like tackle a big job (re-arranging stuff) / spring cleaning type of housework, change seasons, or scrub my car - which is not in my normal realm of cleaning.

janeite1990

I think it depends on what you put on your normal daily activity , if you put sedentary then it would count as work out. But if you put active or lightly active then it would be just part of your normal daily activity.

^^^^ This!

^^^^^^
Yes, this.
If it was something you were doing before you started to make life changes, don't count it. You were doing it before and not getting the results you wanted. That means you've got to add more to it. If you count what you were already doing, you'll fool yourself into thinking you should be losing, when you body was already adjusted to that activity.

hesn92

I only count exercise when I work out and break a sweat.

lumina0o0

I think it depends on what you put on your normal daily activity , if you put sedentary then it would count as work out. But if you put active or lightly active then it would be just part of your normal daily activity.

this^^^ i Mainly only count my exercise dvds, walks where i'm walking for a work out, and when I go to a club and dance.

betholiver

I count only when I go to gym

Ianultrarunner

I only count Cardio and running outside using my Garmin HRM.
I was counting Weight Lifting but my Fitbit gives me enough adjustment I don't really worry too much about it since Strength Training is really a fuzzy area calorie burn wise.

lewandt

I count all my workouts and my walks. (i walk as fast as i can to get the best workout in and it is really hilly by me, and i go about 3 or more miles).

I don't count cleaning or anything else.

teagin2002

I do count my entire morning walks, I count 1/2 to 3/4 of my weight lifting because of the rests between sets and sometimes I get interrupted, also keep in mind the cals burned are only an estimate and I would rather under estimate than over.
As for cleaning and stuff unless I am moving heavy boxes I don't count it at all. I used to when I was much bigger and didn't have the energy for a regular workout, but now that I am in much better shape I just can't justify it even if it is extra and out of the ordinary.

sherrybaby81

I only count my gym workouts and bike riding. I think it is silly to count house cleaning and stuff. I don't feel much of a burn when I clean my house lol!

CallmeSbo

I count exercise as exercise. If i walk to the store, i dont count it. Its a walk to the store not exercise. If i wake up in the morning to take a walk, then i will count it.

spinqueen72

Exercise is exercise...whether it's daily routine or not! Your body naturally burns a certain number of calories, no matter what you're doing. If you are breaking a sweat, and exerting yourself, then it is considered exercise.
I personally calculate ALL my exercise....even housecleaning. I know that I am using MORE energy when I'm walking, cleaning, biking...even if it's something I do every day.

spinqueen72

I count the cardio, whether jazzercise or walking or elliptical, (stuff I wear my HRM for). I also count Tai Chi, but I only give myself 15 calories for it as a placeholder so i can track how often I practice.
I don't count weight training, walks at lunch, or swimming.
I don't count house cleaning or walking at work.

Why on earth wouldn't you count swimming? I know when I swim for an hour or more...I'm exhausted afterwards!! Swimming IS exercise. ....you SHOULD count it!!
Also.....your body actually burns calories more from weight training than cardio. You will keep burning calories 2-3 hours AFTER you are done with your workout. You only burn for an hour after cardio. So you SHOULD be counting weights.
Anything that you are putting more energy into to accomplish (weights/walks/swimming/etc) is considered exercise!

xraychick77

i dont count any...as its already accounted for when you choose your activity level in calculating your EER

xMsAlly

I count every time I do a workout DVD. Or when I walk for more than 20 minutes