What do you or don't you count as exercise?

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  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    ...I have bought a beurer heart monitor to help me understand how many calories i burn in a day...I have been wearing it over the weekend and burned 3500 cal on saturday lounging around and walking to the shops. Took it to Uni today and thought i would be burning less sitting in classes. Worn it from 9 am to 9 pm and ticked in over 3800 cal...

    3800 calories in 12 hours of just sitting around! Is your monitor working correctly? That sounds like A LOT of calories for basically being sedentary all day.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    If it's not included in the original calculation for energy requirements, it needs to be added.

    It's really that simple.
  • FitinHonau
    FitinHonau Posts: 63 Member
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    I count only the cleaning I do once a week as I do it vigorously. I have a 3 storey house and I have 2 small kids who leave there messes around! I need two to three hours to tidy up and clean only the floor, without counting the 3 WC/bathrooms, and the windows!!!
    I don't count the number of time I go up and down the stairs, and the time I run with my kids, walk with them to KG or playgroup (as they do not walk fast), the time I go shopping, I go to town... I purposely park the car far and walk... I hardly take a lift....

    Because I am moving all the time, I didn't select sedentary life in the settings but lightly active. If I sit long infront of the computer and put in only the small activities I have done, then I am afraid to be more sendentary than active!
  • Bellefay
    Bellefay Posts: 13 Member
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    It sounds a lot my friend whom i bought the reader for iscvteacher. She called me to say she also clocked up 3500 before bed. She did go to the gym though. Do you think it could be that we now have more muscle than before?
  • FeebRyan
    FeebRyan Posts: 738 Member
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    I dont count my endless trips up n down the stairs
    my walk down a massive hill (or back up it) with a double buggy
    my rolling around playing with my toddler
    my carrying my 3 month old everywhere
    sex
    cooking (which can take hours)
    scrubbing the floors
    hoovering

    etc
    etc

    but i DO count ALL my exercise, so if i have a half hour video i do, i count it as half an hour, despite the fact usually 10 mins of that is warm up and cool down.

    So thats the way i do it really :)
  • osualex
    osualex Posts: 409 Member
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    I have the sports bra rule - if I need a sports bra, it's exercise. If you're normally active during the day, just change your profile to lightly or moderately active, and then count extra exercise on top of that.
  • traceygl1967
    traceygl1967 Posts: 72 Member
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    I personally ony include what i would do beyond the normal everyday stuff I dont count chores ect but if i had a dog I would walk briskly with it and count :)
  • HotMummyMission
    HotMummyMission Posts: 1,723 Member
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    If I break a sweat then I count it. If I don't...then I don't count it.
    this
  • traceygl1967
    traceygl1967 Posts: 72 Member
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    I have the sports bra rule - if I need a sports bra, it's exercise.
    Love this lol
  • JosephVitte
    JosephVitte Posts: 2,039
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    When I'm eating Doritos, I don't log that as exercise, I feel sorta guilty about it.
  • mogletdeluxe
    mogletdeluxe Posts: 623 Member
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    Anything I change my clothes and lace up my trainers for!
  • Tara1B
    Tara1B Posts: 78
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    Anything I change my clothes and lace up my trainers for!

    Definitely this. Maybe if I decide to go out for a brisk walk with the purpose of burning a few extra cals I will log that, but generally I don't log wakling or anything that fits into my daily life.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    ---
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    Cleaning.. its not exercise
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Sex, cleaning, walking, general life stuff.
  • bsharrah
    bsharrah Posts: 129 Member
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    Your nutritionist is spot on. Don't log everyday functions, but don't read into that statement. Log those activities you do for the sole purpose of getting a workout, and DON'T eat back calories if you are trying to lose (absolutely the worst advice I see thrown around on this site). I suggest creating a workout routine and log only that so the line between what is and what isn't is not as blurred. The problem is people don't make the time to exercise so they want to throw that label onto daily activity, or even weekly activity, to make them feel better. Yeah you broke a sweat - so what? If you are not doing it routinely, and for an extended period of time, it isn't doing anything for you, long term, than creating more excuses for yourself which prevent you from getting into a real exercise routine. Remember fitness is about long term success and getting into routines that become habit.

    In the end, just listen to your nutritionist and you will do fine. Avoid listening to much of the advice given here (even mine if it conflicts with your nutritionist). There are some very knowledgeable people on this site but from what I have seen they make up less than 10% of the posts, and their advice is typically ignored. Bad advice repeated by 90% of the members here, is still bad advice.

    Keep in mind there is a reason she is a nutritionist, and there is a reason members here are using MFP. IMO, the person to listen to is obvious.
  • FeebRyan
    FeebRyan Posts: 738 Member
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    Your nutritionist is spot on. Don't log everyday functions, but don't read into that statement. Log those activities you do for the sole purpose of getting a workout, and DON'T eat back calories if you are trying to lose (absolutely the worst advice I see thrown around on this site). I suggest creating a workout routine and log only that so the line between what is and what isn't is not as blurred. The problem is people don't make the time to exercise so they want to throw that label onto daily activity, or even weekly activity, to make them feel better. Yeah you broke a sweat - so what? If you are not doing it routinely, and for an extended period of time, it isn't doing anything for you, long term, than creating more excuses for yourself which prevent you from getting into a real exercise routine. Remember fitness is about long term success and getting into routines that become habit.

    In the end, just listen to your nutritionist and you will do fine. Avoid listening to much of the advice given here (even mine if it conflicts with your nutritionist). There are some very knowledgeable people on this site but from what I have seen they make up less than 10% of the posts, and their advice is typically ignored. Bad advice repeated by 90% of the members here, is still bad advice.

    Keep in mind there is a reason she is a nutritionist, and there is a reason members here are using MFP. IMO, the person to listen to is obvious.

    This sounds very sensible to me!

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