how to log walking?

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genkimomof2
genkimomof2 Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not going to get a HRM right now.

I want to log on MFP my walks but I have no idea how fast is 2.5, 3.5, 4 etc. How do you know you are going 2.5 or 3.5? What I consider "leisurely pace" is much faster than some of my friends who are annoyingly slow. What should I do?

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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I'm not going to get a HRM right now.

    I want to log on MFP my walks but I have no idea how fast is 2.5, 3.5, 4 etc. How do you know you are going 2.5 or 3.5? What I consider "leisurely pace" is much faster than some of my friends who are annoyingly slow. What should I do?

    go online and measure your walk (google pedometer for example), then you can figure out the speed by how long it took you. ie, if you walked a mile and it took you 20 minutes then your speed was 3mph.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    If you have a smart phone download runtastic it will give you all the stats you need.
  • m_a_b
    m_a_b Posts: 71 Member
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    If you have a smart phone download runtastic it will give you all the stats you need.
    Or Endomondo. I don't know about runtastic but Endomono syncs direct to myfitnesspal.
  • drefaw
    drefaw Posts: 739
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    ^ Both do, I have them both. They both work as well as the other also. I check them against each other frequently.
  • Antlady69
    Antlady69 Posts: 204 Member
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    I don't know anything about smart phone apps, like how accurate they are, but if you really want to log your calorie burn correctly, you will have to get an HRM. I too waited too long until I bought one, but I have not regretted it since.

    Every body is different, everyone burns calories differently. An HRM will measure your heart rate quite accurately, and calculate the calories burned based on the information you put in (height, weight etc.). This is the closest you will get to an accurate burn count as it gets.

    Why do you not want to get one? You don't have to get the most expensive on the market, a relatively simple one will do just fine. It's really worth the money!
  • maca416
    maca416 Posts: 142 Member
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    I always use Google Tracks when walking it logs distance & average moving speed which for me is 3.8 mph, this is classed as a brisk walk. Also I sometimes use a HRM for the calorie count but to be honest logging the walks into my diary here gives me a accurate cal burn when compared to the HRM so often I don't bothe using it.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
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    If you have a smartphone, there are several apps available. I use one called FREE Pedometer GPS+ with the in-app upgrade, that I use to log my walks and to upload to my Garmin Connect account.

    In terms of distance, as my walking speed varies, I have found that the iPhone gyroscope is the most accurate, followed by GPS, followed by Foot Pod (I tried calibrating my Foot Pod but if I walk slow it is out by 10% in one direction and if I walk fast it is out 10% in the other direction, so I've left it calibrated at 0% so it averages out). Accurate distance means more accurate speed readings, and if you just use distance and time you can calculate your average walking speed for a walk.

    If you are trying to get somewhere, I have found that (on iOS) Google Maps is more accurate for distance than iOS/Apple Maps. Google Maps assumes an "average" walking speed of 3 mph when calculating how long it will take to walk somewhere, so if you use the app/site for walking directions to somewhere nearby (and follow that route) if you take less/more time than Google suggested you could approximate your walking speed - e.g. Google says 15 minutes and you took 12, 15/12*3 = 3.75 mph.

    When I am planning a walk that uses a custom route, I use this website: http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-advanced-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm - to calculate distance and it is pretty accurate.

    If you have a pedometer, you could guestimate using the "average" of 10,000 steps being 5 miles.

    A HRM will give you more data and a better estimate of calorie burn, although knowing your resting heart rate, estimating your maximum heart rate (I use 220 minus age in years), and taking your pulse while out walking could also tell you what heart rate zone you're working in (or intensity).

    There are different ways of logging walking and different reasons for logging walking. If you just want an approximation of calorie burn, working out your average walking speed and using the MFP entry (which I believe takes weight into account) is one way of doing it, and you can adjust the calorie estimate if you find over time that it is over-/under-estimating your exercise calories.

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