How do You Track Cals Burned When Playing with Your Kids..

Unless I know I'm getting some sort of workout (like going for a walk or something), I basically avoid it adding it. Extra calories burned

I personally don't add it in as exercise (I have 3 children under 7 years old). I did change my "activity" as lightly active though. A HRM would be good though if you do want to log it.

I don't count it. I consider that a normal part of my day.

I don't count it. I consider that a normal part of my day.

Agree 100%

I probably wouldn't track it (although I should say I don't have kids!). I'd just adjust my activity level, assuming you play with your kids every day! So if you're "sedentary" right now, I'd make yourself "lightly active."

That's what I did.

I don't. The first 5 years of his life I played with him and I gained nearly 40 pounds...that said, he and I play tennis and jog together sometimes, so I do log that!

Look under care of primates/wild or wild animal care in the exercise database.

I consider such things mere items that contribute to your general activity setting.

Don't track it.
You'll find people trying to track every single thing, and such wishful thinkers are usually those who over state calories burned and under report food intake, then complain when they make little progress.

It's the very tomfoolery typical of the professional dieter.

Agreed!

I consider such things mere items that contribute to your general activity setting.

Don't track it.
You'll find people trying to track every single thing, and such wishful thinkers are usually those who over state calories burned and under report food intake, then complain when they make little progress.

It's the very tomfoolery typical of the professional dieter.

That sounds exactly right!



I totally agree with this. I see it all the time, if I logged playing with kids, doing laundry, washing dishes then I would have calories galore.... I did those things while obese and it didn't help any then... why would it help now?

I don't have my own kids, but when I play with my friend's kids I log it, because its not a normal thing. Its usually once or a few times a month at most.

I just add an extra 100 calories per hour, which is pretty conservative i think

I dunno how you guys "play" with your kids, but when i do, im running over the jungle gym and crawling around on my hands and knees, and chasing my boys around, "helping" them climb up the slides, doing that for an hour or 2 definitely outta be worth something...the other day we danced around the living room for a half hour to some songs the kids love, I would log that, and I count the playing walking at 2 mile/hr even though most of the time I know i'm going faster then that. we don't go to the park everyday, so of course I'm going to log it...standing there putting dishes in a dish washer isnt much work, but working up a sweat chasing 2 little boys definitely is...

I know I'm one of the few parents that actually climbs up into the toys with their kids, so maybe the parents that just hang out talking to other parents, shouldn't log that...

I only track actual cardiac exercise……treadmill, bike, running, workout video etc. I am not one to track cleaning my house or shopping. To me those are normal daily living activities. To me playing with the kids is the same. The only extra thing I track is yard work or shoveling.

me too

Look under care of primates/wild or wild animal care in the exercise database.

:laugh: loved this!
I don't track it, same as i don't track household chores. it's a personal choice- if you track it to see the calories burned one thing if you track it so you can feel better eating a large dinner~~~I'd suggest not

Did you do that stuff BEFORE you started your weight loss journey? IMO, I was fat because I ate too much and didnt work out. I still had 2 kids then too.

Oh and I am not one of "those" parents that just hangs out. I play ball with my kids as I coach their soccer team. I dont count that though in my exercise. Being a parent isnt exercise.