Do you add your cool down?

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LetsDoThis103
LetsDoThis103 Posts: 85
in Fitness and Exercise
Do any of you add your cool-down time to your calories burned? Example: I cooled down on the stair climber for 5 minutes, do I count that?

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  • moran1917
    moran1917 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Yes I count my whole workout from warm-up to cool down. Even though I am cooling down my heart rate is still high and coming down so I am still burning. For example, I do a 5 minute warm-up before my run where I walk and increase the pace until I am running by minute 5...then I run for 60 mins....then I do a 5 minute cool down that is just the opposite of the warm up. I hit start on my heart rate monitor when I hit start on the treadmill, I hit stop when I hit stop on the treadmill.
  • reggie2run
    reggie2run Posts: 477 Member
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    I never count my warm up or cool down...just count the calories burned during the workout itself.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    I leave my HRM running while I cool down and include that in my exercise calories I don't include brief stretches after a workout in my exercise calories.
  • Mountainbiker2015
    Mountainbiker2015 Posts: 129 Member
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    Yes, I do add my cool down. I figure I am still working out, regardless of the pace and so that should count. :wink:
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
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    I include it.
  • letjog
    letjog Posts: 260 Member
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    what difference does it make? - calories burned is a complete guessing game as it is.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I don't. No good reason why...
  • TinaBean007
    TinaBean007 Posts: 273 Member
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    what difference does it make? - calories burned is a complete guessing game as it is.

    So true. With that said, if I have my HRM on, I count them... if I'm using a generic calculator then I don't count it. I think it's personal preference.
  • gazelleintraining
    gazelleintraining Posts: 107
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    While it's a rather unscientific approach, I don't usually include the cool down because I bounce back from moderate to intense cardio rather quickly (heart rate falls fast, close to resting state), and feel that I'm not burning that much more during that time. And if I'm wrong, it puts me a few calories ahead of the game toward my goal, I guess.
  • LetsDoThis103
    LetsDoThis103 Posts: 85
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    what difference does it make? - calories burned is a complete guessing game as it is.

    It matters because I try to have as accurate a guess as possible.
  • jealous_loser
    jealous_loser Posts: 395
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    I count my warm up and cool down. I don't really eat my calories back though, so it doesn't impact me at all. I think that's what is going to matter. Do you eat every last calorie back?
  • Alishamarie48879
    Alishamarie48879 Posts: 92 Member
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    I do...I have a HRM. You should, stretching/cooling down still burns calories.
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
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    When I do a 1/2 mi walking warm up and 1/2 mile cool down I enter that 1 mile of extra walking that sandwiches my runs. I do not count the 15 minutes of stretching before and after because I figure if I'm netting more than my bmr it's such a minimal amount it would take more work to enter than is worth it.
  • lozadee
    lozadee Posts: 89 Member
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    No only the work out - otherwise where would it stop - each time you walked to the toilet you could log it...but do you?

    For the small amount of warm up/cool down its nice to have a bit extra without it impacting on apetite ect on your weekly reading

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