When does Exercise become an every day activity?

Im_NotPerfect
Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
We all exercise and log it as exercise and then either eat or not eat the extra calories. And from what I've read and gathered on here, Exercise is defined as anything done outside your normal, every day activity, correct? But what if exercising IS a normal, every day activity for you? What about the people who exercise EVERY day? When do you stop counting your exercise as Exercise?
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Replies

  • hauer01
    hauer01 Posts: 516 Member
    Good Question! I would be interested in hearing others responses. I walk my dogs everyday, two to three times a day. Since I do this EVERYDAY, I only log about 1/3 of the time that I spend doing it.

    But when I am doing Turbo Fire, or playing Volleyball, or working up a good sweat, then I log every bit of it!
  • MrsHyland
    MrsHyland Posts: 87 Member
    From what I have gathered, it depends on how you set your activity level. If your activity level is set to sedentary, then you should log your exercise. If you set it to active because you work out everyday, then I wouldn't log it because MFP already factors it in and gives you more calories.
  • FluffyDogsRule
    FluffyDogsRule Posts: 366 Member
    i think that if you do it regularly, you should have your activity level set higher...and then you don't log your exercise. that's what i do at least.

    i'm set to active and i only log my exercise if i do something extra that day...i don't log my normal workouts. or if i had my activity level set to sedentary i'd log all exercise, if that makes sense.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    if you are sweating, you are exercising, lol. If you're smiling and joking you're not.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Interesting and valid question.

    You stop logging exercise when you adjust your activity level to include it.

    If I used a TDEE based approach my maintenance would be somewhere around 2,700 cal daily, knock off 500 per day to lose 1lb week and I get pretty much the same result (on average) as using MFP (sedentary) estimate of 1,650 plus exercise calories.
  • punkinkat
    punkinkat Posts: 85 Member
    ITA with Mrs. Hyland; if you are typically an active person you should consider setting your activity level to "active," and then only log what you think goes above and beyond your typical daily exercise. I also tend to agree with hauer01; if you are able to get a good sweat going, I think you can safely log it as "exercise."

    Me, I'm kind of a lazy creature by nature, so I set my activity level to "sedentary" and then log just about everything I do as "exercise" -- a walk with the doggy, my fitness DVDs, and even house cleaning :)
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    I am active every day but workouts are dedicated times where I put on some gear, crank up some tunes and move with a plan. Make sense?

    Everyday activities like walking to work (a 3.8 mile walk), walking to and from the gym, the grocery store etc., walking my dog, cleaning my apartment, and so on and so forth serve to make me change my activity settings to "lightly active" from "sedentary".
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    We all exercise and log it as exercise and then either eat or not eat the extra calories. And from what I've read and gathered on here, Exercise is defined as anything done outside your normal, every day activity, correct? But what if exercising IS a normal, every day activity for you? What about the people who exercise EVERY day? When do you stop counting your exercise as Exercise?
    It's still exercise
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
    I work an office job so I have MFP set to sedintary. I work out hard 5 days a week, moderate one, and one rest. So yeah it's a daily thing now but I won't change MFP beacuse I *like* to log my exersise. Looking at the number this way helps me understand. Plus some days I work harder or burn more than others. It's easier for me like this.

    The daily stair walking or dog walking I don't log because I did that before. Otherwise, if my heart rate jumps up, I log it.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I have an office job so I set my activity level as sedentary and log all exercise. I also don't exercise every day though, more like 5-6 days a week. I don't eat exercise cals back, I just log the exercise to keep track of my workout minutes.
  • Mathguy1
    Mathguy1 Posts: 207 Member
    We all exercise and log it as exercise and then either eat or not eat the extra calories. And from what I've read and gathered on here, Exercise is defined as anything done outside your normal, every day activity, correct? But what if exercising IS a normal, every day activity for you? What about the people who exercise EVERY day? When do you stop counting your exercise as Exercise?

    Your original statement is flawed. Not everyone exercises (I'm guessing about 1/4 do not exercise). In regards to "Daily activity" I think "Workplace activity" would of been a better choice of words. MFP wants to know what your day to day work environment is like. Do you work behind a desk all day? That would be "Sedentary". Is your workplace activity very active/strenuous (Work in a warehouse with a lot of lifting? Walk a lot as a postal carrier, etc)? That way MFP will set your daily caloric needs higher as one clearly burns more calories at a more active job.

    Then, as one exercises (regardless of calling it a "routine"), you can log it in the exercise portion of the website. If one chooses, if you exercise daily, then set your daily activity to the most active and not log in (and eat back) your exercise calories.

    The important thing is to not double count your exercising. Either have it in the "Daily activity" section or logged separately in the "Exercise" section. As I do not exercise every day (and I take a week off once every 10 weeks), I would rather list my activity level as sedentary (as I work behind a desk) and log in my exercise during those days I exercise.

    To answer your question listed in the subject line, I exercised 6 days a week right from the get go. It became a habit after 3-4 weeks.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    I have not exercised 3 days since January. I still have my activity level set to sedentary and log my exercise. My activity level could be set higher and I'd get a higher calorie budget but then if I want to take it easy I wouldn't be active that day and I'd be annoyed my numbers are off.

    Those 3 days... food poisioning, 5 alarm hangover, serious need for a rest day after back-to-back-to-back races.
  • nathan6878
    nathan6878 Posts: 115 Member
    Exercise for me has just become a daily thing, because if I don't get a decent workout in everyday it just feels like there is something missing!!! Yes I may workout a combo of two hours but it has become a two hour workout that I have really started to enjoy. It is even better when I am able to jump on that scale and either have stayed the same or lost some weight!!! I have made it down to my goal weight and I contribute that two getting some great workouts in, but also being fairly decent on what I do eat, but then enjoying myself during the weekend!! lol
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    I personally define exercising as Cardio (biking, running, boxing, etc.) or Weightlifting. Everything else is ADL (Activities of Daily Living) e.g. Cleaning, Shopping, etc. and I do not count these as exercise because they don't take a real physical effort for me to perform.

    Edit - Forgot to add I usually do what I define as "exericising" 5-6 days a week.
  • sin485
    sin485 Posts: 125 Member
    well when it asks you how active you are in your lifestyle you wouldnt put sedentary you would put the next one up? thats what id do
  • allthenamesaretaken1
    allthenamesaretaken1 Posts: 98
    I work out 6 days a week. I only count exercise as an activity that raises my heart rate above 140. Im a stay at home mom so most of my days consist of chasing a toddler and cleaning the house. I dont put those down as exercise. Some days I have to stack and haul wood, I dont count that as exercise.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    if you are sweating, you are exercising, lol. If you're smiling and joking you're not.

    What if you do both at the same time? I can work up a good sweat and smile while I do it :-)
  • Lex_Boogie
    Lex_Boogie Posts: 5
    I work out 6 days a week. I only count exercise as an activity that raises my heart rate above 140. Im a stay at home mom so most of my days consist of chasing a toddler and cleaning the house. I dont put those down as exercise. Some days I have to stack and haul wood, I dont count that as exercise.

    I think using your heart rate to gage whether an activity constitutes "exercising" is a great idea, but what about time when taking your heart rate isn't convinient or you do not have a heart rate monitor?

    For example, I'm new to MFP, but I counted my morning walk to the train as exercise, which was only 15 min long at an avg. speed of 3.2 mi/hr. My rationale for counting it is that 3.2 mi/hr is the same rate of my longer walks (1 to 2 hours) that I try to take once or twice a week. For me, I'm thinking why not count the morning walk as "exercise," because I am walking as fast as I do during longer walks, even though it's something I usually due Monday through Friday.

    Hopefully this makes sense. Thoughts??
  • Colleen118
    Colleen118 Posts: 491 Member
    you don't.... Or at least I won't because it isn't something I HAVE to do, it's something I CHOOSE to do and at any time, I could decide NOT to do it again...

    When you exercise it burns more than what is required for your body to survive. When choosing your activity level for your weight loss goal, be sure to consider it for what your lifestyle is BEFORE your routine of exercising... your routine can vary day to day, or at least it should....
  • Colleen118
    Colleen118 Posts: 491 Member
    I work out 6 days a week. I only count exercise as an activity that raises my heart rate above 140. Im a stay at home mom so most of my days consist of chasing a toddler and cleaning the house. I dont put those down as exercise. Some days I have to stack and haul wood, I dont count that as exercise.

    I think using your heart rate to gage whether an activity constitutes "exercising" is a great idea, but what about time when taking your heart rate isn't convinient or you do not have a heart rate monitor?

    For example, I'm new to MFP, but I counted my morning walk to the train as exercise, which was only 15 min long at an avg. speed of 3.2 mi/hr. My rationale for counting it is that 3.2 mi/hr is the same rate of my longer walks (1 to 2 hours) that I try to take once or twice a week. For me, I'm thinking why not count the morning walk as "exercise," because I am walking as fast as I do during longer walks, even though it's something I usually due Monday through Friday.

    Hopefully this makes sense. Thoughts??

    ^^ this! I have a person on my FL that counts her hikes to work, another who counts all the yard work and cleaning she does...
    For the house mom if you don't count it as exercise I hope that you at least considered it as part of you daily lifestyle in terms of not noting that you are sedentary at work... give yourself due credit and calories...
  • AmberJo1984
    AmberJo1984 Posts: 1,067 Member
    I try to make exercise a daily activity. I think the daily activity we shouldn't count, though, is more like climbing stiars and cleaning your house.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    We all exercise and log it as exercise and then either eat or not eat the extra calories. And from what I've read and gathered on here, Exercise is defined as anything done outside your normal, every day activity, correct? But what if exercising IS a normal, every day activity for you? What about the people who exercise EVERY day? When do you stop counting your exercise as Exercise?

    I exercise every day. I don't count exercise calories. I never did and I never will, especially when I needed to lose fat. The little bit of extra calorie deficit will not hurt you if you need to lose weight. Now that I'm under 12% body fat I simply eat a few extra calories if I feel I need it. I've listened to my bodies needs long enough to know when it's truly needed. You can always ask your doctor but I can say I did not lose lean body mass, I stayed very strong at the gym eating at a deficit and not counting exercise calories, and my DXA scan proved that I did not lose lean body mass.

    I spent way too many years running marathon after marathon, lifting weights, martial arts, biking, hiking, backpacking while continuing to gain weight to ever again think that calories don't matter even when you are eating healthy and not a binge eater.
  • sarahisme18
    sarahisme18 Posts: 574 Member
    Exercise shouldn't be seen as something you do above and beyond simply to burn max calories and lose max weight... at least in my opinion.

    I think exercise should be seen as something that is part of your routine, maybe daily, but certainly a few times a week. It should be seen as a way to increase strength, endurance, and maintain overall health.

    Here's the difference:

    If you look at it in the first way you run the risk of 1) becoming obsessive and seeing it as a way to punish yourself for eating poorly, and 2) a short-term routine to get you to your weight loss goal, and then you stop.

    If you look at it in the second way, you will, hopefully, see food as a way to fuel your activity and help you achieve your goals, whether it be fat loss or muscle gain or endurance gains, or whatever. You'll figure out how many calories and what type of calories you need to HELP your exercise and meet your goals.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I walk my dog every day 2.5-3.5 miles on some pretty tough terrain -- hilly and rocky -- and I always log that as exercise because I walk brisk, I'm breathing heavy and I break a sweat.

    I also log the other exercise I do: gym, exercise DVD's etc.
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
    I set my activity level for an average REST DAY. So that is generally sedentary. And anything above and beyond that I can log. As for the other 6 days a week, I exercise about 4 hours a day. And I log it as exercise. If I included it in my lifestyle activity level then I would go over by 3000-4000 calories everytime I took a rest day. Not happening! Plus, you have to remember that not all exercise is equal. Most of us vary our workouts so even on a day to day basis they can have very different burns. Tuesday I burned about 1000 more than on Monday. An hour of yoga and an hour of stair climber machine is an hour either way but yoga is about 75% less calories burned.
  • girlonabikedc
    girlonabikedc Posts: 111 Member
    I ride a bike everyday for work. Because its part of my daily life, I don't log it as "exercise". However, I run almost every day too. But I specifically set aside that time & activity for fitness (as opposed to a daily routine like walking, climbing stairs, or commuting to work, etc) so I log. I guess what I mean is that I log based on intention...

    I intend this activity for fitness = logged as exercise

    This activity is intended to accomplish something in my normal day-to-day life (walking to errands, riding to/from work, climbing stairs) = daily activity & not logged separately.
  • YaGigi
    YaGigi Posts: 817 Member
    I log only exercise. When I have actually change into gym clothes and break the sweat.

    I don't log walking my dogs, cleaning up my apartment, shopping or walking around. I did all that before bd still got fat. It's unfair to log it exercise now and eat back these calories.
  • anonymousKel
    anonymousKel Posts: 92 Member
    I use Sports Tracker to help get accurate cals plus when running I use Nike+.....set my activity level to sedentary (if you read the small print it tells you what cals you need if you just stayed in bed all day) so anything extra can be counted. On a rest day (fri) cos I work out every other day I tend to log a few brisk walks to the train station etc but dont usually bother if I've done boot camp or boxing. Eat back a small amount of cals over the 1200 limit except for weekend when I go up to the limit some days. Avgs out at above 1000-1200 a day when I have a good blow out.

    Hope this helps x
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    I think I'd prefer to leave my settings as sedentary mostly because even though I exercise almost every day I do have the occasional rest day and my calorie burn varies so much (pilates or lifting vs a 12km run). This way I can eat my min calories for working my desk job and adjust it according to my level of activity. I should note that I don't go on MFP's base calorie level for me (1200).
  • tracy10221
    tracy10221 Posts: 1 Member
    I have my settings set to Lightly Active because I am a SAHM with an almost 2 year old and a 4 month old. I am on my feet all day cleaning, playing & chasing kids, running errands, etc. What I do during the day is my activiness that I don't log exercise for I also workout about every single day, but my actual workouts vary each day. Today was just some light cardio, yesterday was spin class, the day before was a run and weight lifting. All of those things get added into my exercise diary. If you are exercising outside of normal activy (ie what you do every single day seperate from exercise) then you should log it. If you have your profile set to very active but you are just running errands, then you should change your account settings.

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