Should I log stimming as exercise?

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contingencyplan
contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I asked this question on my newsfeed a while back but got no answers, so I'm hoping a few of the more knowledgeable people here will be able to answer it for me.

About a week ago I got curious one night as to whether or not I worked up a calorie burn while stimming, so I strapped on my HRM to measure. Surprisingly I burned a little bit over 300 calories in 30 minutes of it. Considering I do it very often I'm not sure now how I'm supposed to log my activity level or whether or not I should log it as exercise. It has me a little bit confused as to just how many calories I should be eating in a day now.

Replies

  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    My curiosity is piqued - what is stimming?
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Repetitive movements such as rocking, arm-flapping, or jumping up and down performed consistently by people with neurological disorders that affect sensory perception. It is done to appeal to the sensory "needs" they have. In my case it's jumping up and down while flailing/flapping my arms for an extended period of time.
  • karawRN
    karawRN Posts: 311
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    repetitive body movements? i googled it. like with Autism?

    i wouldnt def wouldnt love that as exercise, or eat more or less cals because of this.... if its who you are and not purposeful exercise
  • bonnielovinglife
    bonnielovinglife Posts: 17
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    I think that if this might be easily resolved by considering how much activity it causes you and adjusting your profile activity level. Remember when you signed on and you chose how active your lifestyle is? My job requires a fair bit of walking and standing but I don't add that into my exercises I just took it into consideration when I set up my account. Perhaps that might be the way to go?
  • rlmiller73190
    rlmiller73190 Posts: 342 Member
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    I would say no, as it is something that is incorporated into your daily activities, so I'd consider it to be included in the type of lifestyle you've selected for MFP, unless of course, you've selected sedentary as your lifestyle! If you did, then I would absolutely categorize it as exercise. However, I don't think I would count it as your only exercise for that day. I think it's incredibly fascinating that you burn that many calories in a period of 30 minutes through stimming! I have seen a lot of stimming in my work with children with Autism, and I never thought of it as exercise! Thanks for the insight :)
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
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    I only log cardio exercise like the elliptical. I dont count cleaning or anything else.
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
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    I would either log or even better just up your activity level in your settings if it's something you do every day.
  • lbryony76
    lbryony76 Posts: 12 Member
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    I'm sure you could. It's well known that people who fidget tend to be slimmer. From the amount my son with ASD stims I'm sure that accounts for a lot of calorie burn. Whether you want to log it or simply want to see it as a calorie burn bonus is up to you though.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    hmmm...if you gained weight while stimming then I would be inclined to say no and change your activity level up one in the settings.

    If however you have a particularly bad day where you're not still at all then you probably could safely log some of it
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
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    I wouldn't log it just because I think it would be difficult to quantify it in terms of calories burned.
  • TDBrims
    TDBrims Posts: 138
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    Kinda sounds like star jumps which are definitely an exercise so I can see why it burns calories....as to whether to log them or or not or just to rate your normal day as active....think I'd go for saying you are pretty active daily rather than log it as exercise everytime but that's just me
  • graveflower316
    graveflower316 Posts: 169 Member
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    If it's something you have done for awhile no matter what weight you were at, I'd say it's already effecting your metabolism, so maybe you shouldn't log it. Though, if it's new and you do it consistently and you think it's helped you burn off more calories than you would have before -- then definitely log it.
  • Rhia55
    Rhia55 Posts: 247
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    I fidget like a long tailed cat near a rocking chair but it hasn't made me lose any weight.
  • MagicandCastles
    MagicandCastles Posts: 40
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    I wouldn't log it because it's not extra to what you would normally do, if you were doing it whist you were putting on weight then it obv. doesn't make a difference to your intake.
  • darisey
    darisey Posts: 228 Member
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    I was thinking about this as well. I don't record it, I only record out of the ordinary exercise. If it's a new stim or you are doing it excessively one day, or you only do it a few times per week then you could log it but otherwise I would just count it as part of "normal daily activity" and not extra.
  • skankamaggot
    skankamaggot Posts: 146 Member
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    No, I wouldn't log stimming - even though what you're doing may be burning a small amount of calories, they are calories your body is used to burning since it's something you do everyday.
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
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    I think this is part of who you are so therefore not extra exercise. Having said that i have 2 boys have with autism one of who has ADHD as well and the amount of activity they do in a day completely baffles me especially the one with autism and ADHD he runs around constantly flicking his fingers before his eyes. He is extremely skinny but eats like a horse. My older boy although he hand flapped and jumped around constantly as a younger child he was always overweight now he does this less as he is 16 and is skinny. Count it into your everyday activity levels as other have suggested.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I think it's a stretch to consider that purposeful exercise, but it certainly contributes to your NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis), otherwise known as activity level. I would figure it in to your base calories. You may consider using a calorie calculator that figures in a more specific time breakdown than the activity levels used by MFP though.

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