Cooking is exercise??

Aymzc
Aymzc Posts: 159 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've just looked through the exercise database and seen that it has cooking/food prep listed. Would anyone actually ever count this as 'exercise?? I wouldn't as to me its just a general part of the day and would never enter my head to log it as burning a few calories.
Just seemed a bit daft to me.

Replies

  • never124get
    never124get Posts: 163
    Maybe if you worked for chef Gordon Ramsey, or have your activity level set to sedentary...otherwise I wouldn't log it lol :smile:
  • Allie_71
    Allie_71 Posts: 1,063 Member
    I guess it depends on the context of the activity too. Having worked in the industry, getting called in for a catering job and hauling around big bag of potatoes and onions, lifting huge pots, and running around a big hot kitchen, that may burn a few calories :)
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I don't log it as exercise, but cooking does bring about significant non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

    I wear a BodyMedia FIT, and I always see significant spikes in my calorie burn/activity level when I'm spending time in the kitchen. On weekends, I often do marathon cooking sessions - all my food prep for the upcoming week. An all-morning cooking session might result in an additional 400 calories burned over the course of my day. I think that's significant.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    Yes, when my actitvity level is set to sedentary and it takes a significant amount of time. I sometimes do catering for parties and trust me it's hard work!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    a lot of people set the activity level to sedentary, and like to add in all their daily activities. i think driving is in there, as is yardwork, laundry, cleaning, etc etc.

    meh, to each their own. their "calorie burn" doesn't effect me.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    Some people also log ironing and housework as calorie burns.

    Makes you wonder how on earth there are ever any fat people about at all really with all the calories burned doing housework.........
  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
    one of my mfp friends has started making her own bread, by hand. I think that earns her the right to log some calories. For me I am set as active, so it's all part of a mums day :smile:
  • Liftnlove
    Liftnlove Posts: 235
    a lot of people set the activity level to sedentary, and like to add in all their daily activities. i think driving is in there, as is yardwork, laundry, cleaning, etc etc.

    meh, to each their own. their "calorie burn" doesn't effect me.

    +1...I don't do it, but this site is highly personalized. People log all kinds of things. It doesn't affect my weight loss, so I don't worry about it ;)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    I don't log it as exercise, but cooking does bring about significant non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

    I wear a BodyMedia FIT, and I always see significant spikes in my calorie burn/activity level when I'm spending time in the kitchen. On weekends, I often do marathon cooking sessions - all my food prep for the upcoming week. An all-morning cooking session might result in an additional 400 calories burned over the course of my day. I think that's significant.

    Only if you would have spent the entire day sitting on the couch. If the time spent cooking prevented you from working out or doing other activities, then the net result might be FEWER calories burned for the day, not more. That's the inherent problem with trying to log "activity calories". There is no way to determine what you would have done otherwise. And people who do it usually only remember the days/times they were active, without factoring in the days/times they spent sitting around.
  • lindseymruth
    lindseymruth Posts: 28 Member
    I used to when I had my activity level set lower as my job is a cook in a kitchen that prepares food for around 800 people every day. There is a lot of heavy lifting and it is generally a 90-100 degree environment so I do burn quite a few calories! I have sinced just upped my activity level and stopped entering any form of exercise I do period. Everyone needs to find what works for them! :)
  • HollyHobbitToes
    HollyHobbitToes Posts: 131 Member
    When I make bread I count it, but only a small portion...kneading bread is hard work and if I'm making 3 or 4 batches of bread, I log 20-30 minutes...by the end of it, my arms are killing me and I've broken a sweat lol
  • HollyHobbitToes
    HollyHobbitToes Posts: 131 Member
    one of my mfp friends has started making her own bread, by hand. I think that earns her the right to log some calories. For me I am set as active, so it's all part of a mums day :smile:

    LMAO, yup! I just replied saying that ha ha...it's the only time I log cooking :)
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I don't log it as exercise, but cooking does bring about significant non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

    I wear a BodyMedia FIT, and I always see significant spikes in my calorie burn/activity level when I'm spending time in the kitchen. On weekends, I often do marathon cooking sessions - all my food prep for the upcoming week. An all-morning cooking session might result in an additional 400 calories burned over the course of my day. I think that's significant.

    Only if you would have spent the entire day sitting on the couch. If the time spent cooking prevented you from working out or doing other activities, then the net result might be FEWER calories burned for the day, not more. That's the inherent problem with trying to log "activity calories". There is no way to determine what you would have done otherwise. And people who do it usually only remember the days/times they were active, without factoring in the days/times they spent sitting around.

    <shrug> I'm just sharing my personal experience...

    I lost 65 pounds and have kept it off for over a year, so I'm pretty confident and comfortable with my methods and my TDEE data. I have over a year's worth of numbers from my BodyMedia, so I can compare one day to the next and the calories I would have burned doing one activity over another.

    And I think you missed the part where I said I don't log my activity (cooking... or any other) calories. I just let MFP sync with my BodyMedia and use that number as my TDEE, regardless of what I've done that day. I usually don't log my workouts either. Because, really... it doesn't matter what I do to burn my calories, as long as I burn them.
  • swat1948
    swat1948 Posts: 302 Member
    The only time I have ever logged cooking as an exercise has been when I was doing massive amounts of baking for Christmas, Housework also logged when I did a big job that was out of the ordinary...otherwise I do real exercise.
  • damiannikodem
    damiannikodem Posts: 77 Member
    Personally I only log intentional exercise (e.g. time in the gym or dojo), it helps with motivation to see a big fat zero in the exercise column.
  • JennNH12
    JennNH12 Posts: 56
    I have friend who logs all of her cooking time. She prepares three or four meals all at once and then portions it all out for the week. She will find herself logging it weekly because it may take 2 or 3 hours to get this all done. Plus she likes to pump the music and dance around while she cooks :) I do not log anything that does not make me sweat. Well, except for the lesser yoga workouts.
  • maegmez
    maegmez Posts: 341 Member
    Logging simple activities such as cooking is good for those that normally don't, or only cook ready meals. Actual cooking of healthy foods and seeing that you can log some calories can be a motivator for some.

    They are there for those that need them
  • HollyHobbitToes
    HollyHobbitToes Posts: 131 Member
    Yesterday I spent about 5 hours in the kitchen making bread and rolls by hand (plus cleanup) plus a huge roast beef supper...I logged an hour of that...I know I did more than normal because I was exausted by 7pm and couldn't go for my evening walk....it worked out to be 165 calories burned by MFP standards....pretty sure it was more than that by the way I was sweating...
  • ClementineGeorg
    ClementineGeorg Posts: 505 Member
    If you do tons of hand kneading one day (lots of bread or sponge cakes - hope I'm getting right with sponge cake, I translated it but in my country there are some cake doughts that require tons of hard kneading) you could count it as exercise. It's like arms day. :laugh:

    Or when you beat home made butter in those rustic beaters.
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  • HollyHobbitToes
    HollyHobbitToes Posts: 131 Member
    Plus when I hurt my back and couldn't do "normal" things....I logged anything extra because I changed my activity level down to sedentary or lightly active where I was mostly sitting and nursing a bad back...so I have cleaning and cooking logged because it was abnormal for me that week....
  • Aymzc
    Aymzc Posts: 159 Member
    I suppose for people that do it for a living or lots of cooking in bulk it would be different, I was just thinking for me when I'm jsut cooking a meal at night it wouldnt register to me to put it as exercise.
  • Leslietheriot
    Leslietheriot Posts: 303 Member
    I guess it depends on the context of the activity too. Having worked in the industry, getting called in for a catering job and hauling around big bag of potatoes and onions, lifting huge pots, and running around a big hot kitchen, that may burn a few calories :)
    ^This. I also work in food service and this is the first thing I thought. I wouldn't log casual cooking at home but I can tell you that I have worn my HRM for several shifts and I have burned anywhere from 400 calories to 4000 calories.

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