Can my job count as a workout??

matchbox_girl

Question! If I'm on my feet ten hours a day unloading and loading our van with equipment and checking in donors, would any of that count as exercise? (Kinda like a nurse's shift.) I never put anything down as physical activity because I don't know how much I burn, and we do have breaks, but I'm kind curious?? My feet are usually killing me at the end of the day! Ha

breeanreyes

I would up your activity level, especially if you work full time to Active/highly active and that should account for the calories you burn while you work without having to know exactly how much you burn every day. I have a physically demanding job as well, so I just upped my activity level and then I only log my extra "workouts"

Rogiefreida

I'm on my feet a lot at work too (I run an automotive repair shop), but I do it everyday so I don't consider it to be "exercise", but I only log exercise as me actually jogging/walking/weightlifting/zumba etc. Personally, I feel like logging my job duties as exercise is like logging cleaning (which is a topic I don't even want to get into since there are lots of peeps on this site who feel very, very strongly about this!); to me it's stuff I do regularly, so it's not something I'm doing that gives my health extra benefit, y'know? Even though I walk around all day long and lift tires and stuff, I don't consider it a "workout".

However, PP made a great point about having your calorie intake reflect your active job, so you don't end up putting yourself in starvation mode.

Hope that helps!

emnk5308

I don't usually.. I went over on my calories today but I'm not really worried about it because I worked a 7 hour shift on the freight team this morning. It depends on what your activity level is set at.

nehushtan

You would set your "goals" in MFP to "Lightly Active" or "Active". That will increase the NEAT value that MFP uses to compute your daily calorie needs. NEAT is defined here:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

You don't want NEAT counted as EAT, so don't add your daily "normal" activity as exercise.

IMYarnCraz33

No your job should not be counted as your workout
because you already do it daily.

LatinaGordita

I do not log anything that is or was part of my daily activity (work, cooking, cleaning, or carrying my baby to the car or high chair). I only log exercise that I have to change into my workout gear for.

I only log what I track with my HRM, for example, I track my walk during lunch time, or my burn during zumba class, or my burn while doing C25K.

Just my preference!

rockerbabyy

i dont log my work (graveyard shift at a gas station... 3 nights a week, 9 hours on my feet, no breaks, almost constant cleaning/lifting/etc)..
but i did up my activity level from lightly active to active to kinda make up for it

groovyfirechick

I work nights in a medical clinic on a construction site. Most of my shift is spent sitting at my desk doing paperwork and treating patients in the clinic. Once a night I have to go out and do a site tour and wear the 35 pound medic pack on my back when I do. I count that as exercise (lots and lots of walking). I figure out the calories by wearing my pedometer.

purpleipod

That's what changing your daily activity level is for. Not counting it as exercise.