Adding everyday tasks to your exercise..

whit014

I guess it's just me, but I don't see the need in added every single thing you do during the day to your exercise diary. I see a lot of people adding "walking for 3 minutes", "grocery shopping for 30 minutes", or "putting clothes away for 11 minutes" to their daily log.. and I think it's really throwing them off as to why their not losing weight. I mean if I adding every single thing I did .. I know that my net calories would be incredibly low... and that would make me think it's okay to eat more calories during the day.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing to do, for example, yesterday I helped my friend move into a new apartment all day (carrying boxes up and down stairs) and I basically counted that as my exercise, but overall I never add in the small things. So my question is do most of you only add "actual" exercise such as running, biking, aerobics, lifting weights, etc. to your log, or do you add in all the minor things as well?

BrianSharpe

Not me, I consider that built into my activity level and only add actual workouts.I'd rather be conservative that delude myself into thinking i have more calories coming to me than I need and, secondly, I'm lazy- I couldn't imagine tracking a bunch of small stuff.

hoffo83

im with you. im on my feet all day in work and once did over 6 miles in the hospital (was wearing a pedometer). i only put down "actual exercise" as well. but then i guess it depends what you perceive to be "actual exercise"

theartichoke

I was advised by a really helpful lady on MFP when I first started. She said that if my body was used to doing it before I started ating right and exercising then don't count it. I only count cleaning if I do it while dancing and it elevates my heart rate or when I have to chase my dog (she's a Pointer and is obsessed with squirrels) instead of just strolling along watch her sniff everything.

zyxst

If I don't do it on a daily basis, I count it. Yes, I one of those people who count laundry, house cleaning and going upstairs as exercise because I don't do those things every day. I have my activity set to sedentary.

spectralmoon

Whatever I'm not doing for exercise, I don't log. My exceptions are walks that go on for more than 10 minutes, like mall crawling and such.

douglasmobbs

I am getting a sense of deja vu with this topic.

muwchck

I do add some of what would be daily activities to most people, but not on a daily basis at all. If I'm cleaning and really working up a sweat, I log it, but not all of it. If I'm making a trip to Walmart that I wouldn't usually make (and I hardly ever go there) I add part of if, especially if I've got the kids in the cart, because I get worn out wandering up and down the aisles in that place. I only add in my grocery trips if I went up and down every aisle, even though I mostly shop on the perimeter. I add in walking the dog, because I've started taking her up and down hills and running through the field to get some exercise in for myself and her. I'm not one of those moms who does laundry on a daily basis since I have to drag wet clothes to the laundry room and back since my dryer went out, so once a week I might count that, especially since my hubby usually does the toting of the laundry back and forth. I try not to count anything unless I work up a sweat doing it, because I figure if I worked up a sweat I was really doing good.

fififox

I have my activity level set to sedentary because I consider my work job to be pretty non-physical. I log housework if it involves what I consider to be real physical activity. My house is mostly one storey and sprawled out. When I get into major tidying mode it would be totally normal to see me rushing briskly from one end of it to the other, up and down stairs doing what I call 'repatriating' all the stuff the family leave around the place. This can be for a half hour - an hour, or more - non stop. To me it is exactly the same as going to the gym or doing a session on a treadmill. Besides that I hoover a huge house, mop vast tiled floors, literally can keep going for 2 hour stretches without a break. Funny, if I spent this time in the gym doing any form of exercise it would be considered 'respectable'? I work full-time and have two young children and live rurally - no time to go to the gym 'm afraid. This is my substitute. I noticed lately that the calories for housework and slow walk are the same on here....I considered logging it as walking because of the attitudes that pervade about the in-validity of it as exercise. But hey...I decided not to. I agree that logging 3 minutes of a regular activity might be a bit obsessive - but personally I respect how much effort can go into housework. I don't log a lot of what I do and generally cut the log time to half of what I do, but I consider that if there is real effort in any activity it should be acknowledged....even if you don't get into your gym gear to do it.

mrsmel55

If you wear a FitBit it automatically logs all the walking calories you burn. I just got it a couple days ago and it give me way more credit than I would give myself.

c8linmarie

If someone wants to log their burned calories doing "vacuuming, crawling around on all fours, gardening, power cleaning, or even having 'relations'," then more power to them, at least they got their heart rate going.

For me personally, if I didn't burn it off at the gym, I don't log it.

LovingLisa2012

do's
intentional workouts
major cleaning (were taking going through and cleaning a whole room, moving furn, "spring cleaning")
and walks ( tuesday i will be in the french quarter and plan to track my steps, as i will be walking for a few hours)
i should note, i normally am on my computer all day ( i have no life )

don'ts
normal house work
grocery shopping
walking to and from bathroom :laugh:
and once i start college, i wont count walking there (though i do plan on taking the stairs)
if i join there gym and go well thats diff that would then be an intentional work :happy:

jenbunboo

I don't usually log my daily activities, unless it is something exceptional, and then I don't give myself full credit. I worry more about my actual workouts. However, yesterday I spent 30 minutes walking around a little amish market, 40 minutes walking around a local garden place picking out new plants for the garden, took care of my neighbor's too many cats, and cleaned my kitchen, including scrubbing the stove and sink, cleaning the counters, and mopping the floor. I gave myself 5 minutes of cleaning, just because I don't want to abuse the system per se, but I wanted to be able to look back and know I'd been under on my calories, and 5 minutes was enough to take away the excess.

Cwilliams8676

I only log things that are out of my normal activities I log dog walks if longer than 15 min, exercise and swimming. I logged cleaning today but really shouldnt have I did 20 min of dog walk and 45 min of freestyle swimming laps