When does exercise become normal activity?

honeysprinkles

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airlily

You keep increasing your exercise exponentially until you DIE! Mwahahahaha!!! >:D

Pebble321

Hey: First, need to clarify something..THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT ME, PERSONALLY.
I know why I am fat.
Calories IN, DID NOT EQUAL calories BURNED.
But, Like all people on here, there is a story behind that.

I think that a few of you are MISUNDERSTANDING either the QUESTION or the MOTIVE for the QUESTION.

YES, I agree it is a question similar to the "does cleaning house count f you do it every day."
OR
People log sex as exercise-why? They do it everyday? (Well, some people do) :indifferent:

What I am asking is: If you are ALREADY in the HEALTHY range according to your BMI, or WHATEVER device, scale you use, and your physical activity, outside of work DOES NOT CHANGE, is it still considered exercise if you do it EVERYDAY?

Yes, I think almost everyone is here because calories in did not equal calories burned, one way or another. Just as the example you gave of people with a physically demanding job can still be overweight, its all about the numbers being out of balance.

In my opinion, exercise is exercise when you call it that, we're talking semantics here.
Walking for 1 hour a day might be exercise for one person but it might be regular daily activity for another, if that is how they do the shopping or get to work. It doesn't change the amount of calories burned because you call it by a different name.

To be specific, I think that if you are a healthy weight and you run (or lift or whatever) every day, yes that is exercise.
It's not going to stop being exercise just because you do it regularly. But, what will change is the amount of calories you burn if you run for the same distance at the same speed every day. As we get fitter our bodies work more efficiently and we will burn less calories doing the same activity/exercise.
But, that doesn't mean it isn't exercise!

ahealthy4u

Most call me an over achiever when it comes to working out. I work out 7 days a week and some of my classes are changed out every two weeks or every class time. If I don’t work out I feel guilty about it then I don’t feel good. I also revamp my work out schedule every so many weeks or months and throw other weight training in as well.
Monday classes are
Jazzercise
Aqua Aerobics with weights in the water
Tuesday Classes are
Jazzercise
Hydro Tone with weights in the water
Wednesday classes
Jazzercise (sometimes)
Aqua Aerobics with weights in the water
Thursday classes
Jazzercise
H.E.A.T./Body Attack
H.E.A.T. Wave (done in the water with weights)
Friday Classes
Turbo Kick
Nautical Noodles (water class)
Saturday Classes
Train for C5K
Jazzercise (sometimes)
Aqua Aerobics (with weights)
Yoga
Sunday Classes
I either go to the gym or train for C5k or I take Jazzercise classes, yoga or I work out at home.

sharpeoplepc

Exercise doesn't get easier, you just have to push yourself harder. For example, when you start running you may run a 12 minute mile but over time you get faster and suddenly you can run a 7 minute mile. If you are still running the same distance then it becomes easier but if you push yourself and run farther then it isn't easier. When you started out you ran 2 miles in 24 minutes, now you can run over 3 miles in 24 minutes.......get it? I have been a 6 day a week exerciser for 8 years. When I started out, I was walking 5 miles a day pushing a child in a stroller and getting a great workout. Today, I wouldn't consider that exercise (for me). I have since finished a half marathon (13.1 miles) in 1 hour and 48 minutes.

Exercise only becomes normal if you don't constantly "up your game"!

Snitch1

Exercise doesn't get easier, you just have to push yourself harder. For example, when you start running you may run a 12 minute mile but over time you get faster and suddenly you can run a 7 minute mile. If you are still running the same distance then it becomes easier but if you push yourself and run farther then it isn't easier. When you started out you ran 2 miles in 24 minutes, now you can run over 3 miles in 24 minutes.......get it? I have been a 6 day a week exerciser for 8 years. When I started out, I was walking 5 miles a day pushing a child in a stroller and getting a great workout. Today, I wouldn't consider that exercise (for me). I have since finished a half marathon (13.1 miles) in 1 hour and 48 minutes.

Exercise only becomes normal if you don't constantly "up your game"!

^^^I think this is the answer I feel best answers my question. Thank you^^^^^

Snitch1

To all the gracious, kind, knowledgeable MFP who took the time to help me work this out, I appreciate it.

Also @Nataliaho, So Sorry for the CAP's..Not mean't to be yelling..I know not socially acceptable..Once I get typing (And I look at my finger's the whole time), sometimes I forget,Sometimes too excited..I interrupt people speaking..how gracious..huh?sometimes, just honestly too lazy to go back and edit. Apologize for appearing to shout you out!
Pls Forgive?

madamepsychosis

What I am asking is: If you are ALREADY in the HEALTHY range according to your BMI, or WHATEVER device, scale you use, and your physical activity, outside of work DOES NOT CHANGE, is it still considered exercise if you do it EVERYDAY?

I honestly can't see a situation where that would actually happen though. Say you have a runner, at goal weight, eating maintainence. In order to meet your definition, they would need to run exactly the same distance at exactly the same speed they ever did. I just don't think that's logical or likely. They would increase distance or speed or intensity, just as a matter of course, thus making it 'exercise' in your eyes. But even by some strange occurance that diod happen, why wouldn't it be exercise? They are still going to be raising their heartrate and burning some calories. It might not be as much as when they started, but it would still be some.

So my personal answer is YES, if a person goes for a run, lifts some weights, plays a game of sport etc they are exercising, regardless of their current weight, level of fitness or the regularity of said activity. I don't see how any other answer is logical.

Exactly. I love to run and I'm in the healthy weight range for my height. I don't run at exactly the same pace, for exactly the same distance every single time I go for a run. I'm constantly trying to push myself. If things feel like they're getting easy for me, I add another mile onto my next run, or I might try working in a few sprint intervals. I believe this is true for most people who incorporate regular exercise into their lifestyle. I don't know many healthy people who are into exercise who do the same exact thing every time. They're constantly switching up their routine or altering it. It stops it getting stagnant and boring for one thing.

That said, if I did do the same routine everyday, it would STILL be exercise. Everything that requires physical effort is exercise in my opinion. Granted, if you pair it with a terrible diet, you're not going to reap the benefits, but doing something everyday doesn't mean it isn't exercise. By that logic, professional athletes aren't doing exercise.

mfpcopine

I can't say I've ever gotten to the point where exercise is second nature. I work out fairly regularly for a period and then there's a lull, because of my schedule, lack of access to a gym, an injury and so forth. Because I'm an irregular exerciser, I've always made sure to watch my weight once I got past the point where I could eat anything I wanted.

I believe that dedicated exercisers continue to challenge themselves. There's always a way to make an exercise harder. You change the duration, the intensity, or the technique.

I agree with your definition of exercise. Many people log activities that don't count. There's no way that they are burning sufficient calories to create a significant calorie deficit. But they're only fooling themselves, just like the folks who credit the unbelievable calorie burn estimates of some their devices.