what qualifies as "exercise"?

elyelyse

SPECIFICALLY: What duration and level of exertion qualifies as "exercise"?
I'm not asking this in the context of "how little can I get away with?" lol, but in the context of considering what my "level of activity" is.
When calculating TDEE there is the question of how often one exercises and I am curious if a 35 minute brisk walk (that's my short nearby walking trail) qualifies, or if I "need" to add on to that for it to be considered exercise for that day.

Please consider the context of my question, and don't tell me to just exercise more than 35 minutes at a time; I do, regularly. This question isn't about how much I should exercise, it's about how much activity is considered exercise when calculating TDEE.

Thanks!

SouthernSkylark

Exercise is specifically a *planned* activity above normal day to day activities ( regardless of duration/exertion), so if you did a 35 minute walk as part of your normal routine it wouldn't be classed as exercise if you get what I mean.

helyg

I would disagree. If you are calculating your TDEE then you are looking at how many calories you need per day. If you are walking briskly for 35 mins a day you will need slightly more calories per day than someone who doesn't. It doesn't matter that you are doing it every day as part of your routine, what matters is that you are using more calories than you would sitting on your bum.

If you were on your feet all day in your job you would count that despite doing it as part of your normal routine, wouldn't you?

35 mins walking a day won't necessarily get you fit or thin, but it does burn more calories than doing nothing. And you have already said that you do more exercise than this regularly, which will address that issue.

JillyCornwall

Exercise is specifically a *planned* activity above normal day to day activities ( regardless of duration/exertion), so if you did a 35 minute walk as part of your normal routine it wouldn't be classed as exercise if you get what I mean.

Great answer BUT in the context of setting your MFP settings if your walk is a daily or regular thing it would make you lightly active as opposed to sedentary!

elyelyse

Exercise is specifically a *planned* activity above normal day to day activities ( regardless of duration/exertion), so if you did a 35 minute walk as part of your normal routine it wouldn't be classed as exercise if you get what I mean.

Well, if I am not mistaken, TDEE takes into consideration your "normal weekly activity, including exercise regimen" . Every TDEE calculator asks how may days a week we exercise. So, if the activity is part of my normal routine, it would be included in that calculation. If it was NOT part of my normal routine, I would just log it as exercise in addition to my normal activity, regardless if it were 20 minutes or 2 hours. This is what I am trying to figure out. Does that 35 minute walk that I take a few times a week count when a TDEE calculator asks how often I exercise.

I currently have myself set to sedentary, and log all activity; I base my caloric intake based on that. I am curious, however, what the threshold is for determining if one is sedentary, lightly active, moderately active, etc. and to determine that, I need to know what qualifies as actual exercise.

elyelyse

Exercise is specifically a *planned* activity above normal day to day activities ( regardless of duration/exertion), so if you did a 35 minute walk as part of your normal routine it wouldn't be classed as exercise if you get what I mean.

Great answer BUT in the context of setting your MFP settings if your walk is a daily or regular thing it would make you lightly active as opposed to sedentary!

right this is exactly the context of my question. trying to figure out if a 35 minute walk even counts for an "exercise" day. I am totally aware that I won't walk myself to thin in 35 minutes, even every day, just curious if that's enough to take one from sedentary to lightly active. (even thought to be honest, I will probably keep myself at sedentary, and log all specific activity, in order to keep a more accurate account of calories in vs calories out.)

helyg

I have my activity level set to lightly active as I teach a nursery class and so am pretty active in work. I walk to work and back most days (3 miles) and log that as exercise rather than setting my level to moderately active as it gives me the incentive to do the walking every day - I might cheat otherwise! These figures seem to be working for me.

meerkat70

This might help

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

elyelyse

I have my activity level set to lightly active as I teach a nursery class and so am pretty active in work. I walk to work and back most days (3 miles) and log that as exercise rather than setting my level to moderately active as it gives me the incentive to do the walking every day - I might cheat otherwise! These figures seem to be working for me.

OK yup, that makes sense, if I had an active job (Ive worked day care, so I know how active that can be!) I wouldn't log that as exercise, but I would consider that activity when calculating my TDEE.

_SABOTEUR_

Most TDEE's rate sedentary as you lie in bed all day or drive to work get the lift and sit down all day. Anything more than brushing your teeth would count as exercise. Most people are at least lightly active even if they walk (slowly) a couple of times a week or take a flights of stairs a day as far as TDEE is concerned.

DavPul

OP, do it whichever way you want, just don't double count. If you're putting your walking into your TDEE (whatever that is-seriously, you guys over complicate this by a factor of 10), then don't log your walks. If you're going to log your walks, then don't put them into your TDEE.

Mads1997

When I started I kept my setting at sedentary then logged all my 30 min walks (fast paced on incline on treadmill) as exercise however if I just walked around the shops I never logged it. I didn't want to over calulate the calories so I found that the easiest way for me with the help of my HRM.

elyelyse

OP, do it whichever way you want, just don't double count. If you're putting your walking into your TDEE (whatever that is-seriously, you guys over complicate this by a factor of 10), then don't log your walks. If you're going to log your walks, then don't put them into your TDEE.

I know it's one or the other, and you may think I'm over-complicating things, but when I don't know jack about a subject, I ask questions.

DavPul

OP, do it whichever way you want, just don't double count. If you're putting your walking into your TDEE (whatever that is-seriously, you guys over complicate this by a factor of 10), then don't log your walks. If you're going to log your walks, then don't put them into your TDEE.

I know it's one or the other, and you may think I'm over-complicating things, but when I don't know jack about a subject, I ask questions.

i'm confused. you know this already or you don't know jack?

sorry for trying to help you by answering your original question. carry on.

pkw58

I think for some of us who don't like the gym are are just beginning to make exercise a daily routine, we set our activity to sedentary ( I have a desk job,so my lifestyle is by most experts classified as sedentary) and I have to get more activity into my life.

So for those of us who are sedentary, or just have lifestyles that make it next to impossible to get in those bigger chunks of time daily for exercise, we wear fitbits or pedometers or Nike Fuel bands to monitor our activty and count that as exercise.

it inspires many of us to get up walk or stand every hour or take walk breaks during our lunch hours or take the stairs or stand if we ride the train or bus to work.

I now incorporate more yoga or barre 3 every morning in my life and am kicking off my C25k program. I will just continue to wear my Nike Fuel Band and include that activity as my exercise for the whole day. I am setting other goals like running a 10 minute mile and being able to last through an hour of an adult ballet class. So it's not so bad to count anything and everything as exercise. Just sayin'

dhakiyya

my advice, given how much individuals can vary, and bearing in mind that calculators are based on average people, is just pick a TDEE number that is right for you, taking everything into account as best you can, try eating 20% less than that for two weeks. If you overestimated your TDEE, you won't lose any weight. If that happens, well you know your maintenance level so subtract 20% from that and eat that the next week and see if that results in weight loss. If you calculated it about right, you should see a 1-2lb weight loss, and if you do, then just keep on eating those calories until you've lost enough weight that you'd need to recalculate your TDEE, or you change how much activity you do in a typical week. No matter how carefully you plan using calculators etc it can be a bit hit and miss, so you should pay attention to your real world results. Also be on the look out for signs of under eating (excessive hunger, obsessing about food, feeling tired and grumpy) in case you underestimated your TDEE. If that happens, try eating 100-200 calories more than your original calculation and see if that fixes it. At the right number of calories you should see slow and steady fat loss, and not be troubled by the things I listed as signs of too few calories.

Also, if you just include all your daily/weekly activity in your TDEE calculation, then don't log any exercise, it makes life a lot simpler. That's what I find anyway. Of course there are other ways to calculate it and people have had great success using other methods of calculating like logging workouts and eating back exercise calories, etc. I'm just suggesting my way of calculating in case it works better for you.

judechalmers

Sorry ,but new here - Whats TDEE stand for , i am sure it will be obvious as soon as someone tells me

Jen800

"TDEE" means "total daily energy expenditure" AKA how much energy (calories) you burn total in one day including all moving around, regular bodily functions, etc.

And I would say (In my opinion) exercise is anything that gets your heart rate beating faster than it would if you were just going about regular activity in your day. So if you spend 2 hours lifting heavy objects up and down stairs, it's obviously exercise. To me "work out" means a planned series of or one certain activity that I do for an extended period of time.

Hope this helped!

elyelyse

OP, do it whichever way you want, just don't double count. If you're putting your walking into your TDEE (whatever that is-seriously, you guys over complicate this by a factor of 10), then don't log your walks. If you're going to log your walks, then don't put them into your TDEE.

I know it's one or the other, and you may think I'm over-complicating things, but when I don't know jack about a subject, I ask questions.

i'm confused. you know this already or you don't know jack?

sorry for trying to help you by answering your original question. carry on.

my question was specifically about time and exertion. not just "do i log my exercise or make it part of my TDEE?" I appreciate your help, however, it didn't actually address the question.

DavPul

my question was specifically about time and exertion. not just "do i log my exercise or make it part of my TDEE?" I appreciate your help, however, it didn't actually address the question.

aaaaaaaand that's my point. it doesn't matter. not one bit. pick an activity level. any one of them. track your food. record your weight once per week. after three weeks have passed, compare your current weight to your starting weight. have you gained weight, then adjust your activity level (or your calories-same difference) down. are you the same weight? then adjust down. are you losing weight, then bingo, keep on keeping on.

all one has to do to lose weight is record input, track changes, and make adjustments. which method you start with is up to you. just pick one, record, track, adjust. record, track, adjust. record, track, adjust.

elyelyse

all one has to do to lose weight is record input, track changes, and make adjustments. which method you start with is up to you. just pick one, record, track, adjust. record, track, adjust. record, track, adjust.

I'm down over 70 pounds so far, and am way more active that I have been in a long time, so I know I'm going in the right direction. Maybe I don't need to know any more than "record, track, adjust." to be successful but... I'm the curious type.