What Constitutes As Exercise?

jdhoward_101
jdhoward_101 Posts: 234 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So how long, or how vigorously, do you tend to be with an activity before you log it as exercise?

For example, you pop to the shop in the evening for some milk. It's cold out, so you walk at a moderate pace, and there and back takes you twenty minutes, 10 each way. Would you log that as exercise and log it, or would you say that was just a part of your general, everyday 'getting around' and not log it?

And what about things like 'cleaning', everyday activities...log those or not?

Thanks,
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Replies

  • ShaunMc1968
    ShaunMc1968 Posts: 204
    I walk my dogs in the morning for 25 minutes - I have tracked it with the Garmin GPS HRM and it burns 130 calories - I log that. It all counts!!
  • terrellc1
    terrellc1 Posts: 231 Member
    I personally do not count those types of activities as exercise...I consider them everyday living. Some people feel otherwise.
  • lyie
    lyie Posts: 6 Member
    I walk briskly 1h30 a day to go to and back from school. I do sport two hours a week at school. I clean my room one hour a week. I go shopping and walk all day long several times a month, but I don't log this. I log my runs, everytime I go at the gym, when I dance at home, but otherwise, no. I think it depends on the activity level you've put in your settings. I think if you're "sedentary" you may have to log a small walk, but if you're "lightly active" you shouldn't.
  • TeresaB1979
    TeresaB1979 Posts: 158 Member
    A twenty minute walk- yeah, that's exercise, it's not a lot of exercise but I'd still count it (anything under twenty minutes I wouldn't bother unless it was very intense)... But I am a bit skeptical when I see people logging cleaning the house. I mean unless you are living in a stately home and running around with the vacuum cleaner like a lunatic it hardly counts? I have a friend on here who said he saw someone logging 'preparing a meal' as exercise. Now that's just insane. :huh:
  • delonda1
    delonda1 Posts: 525 Member
    If it is something you do in your daily routine that you do not have to venture out to do but sort of a necessity like (getting to work or so) i dont log. unless you intentionally arent driving and walk to a place that you would normally not.

    just my opinion. like when ppl log "work" as an exercise unless you are a carpenter or someone who is in the manual labor field constantly moving..i get annoyed at it like you are begging for a reason to eat. haha thats just my rant
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
    I walk about 3 miles per day to/from my office and the train station. I do not log it as exercise because I use the "moderately active" definitions in my various nutrition/calorie calculations.
  • FaerieCae
    FaerieCae Posts: 437 Member
    Ive been wondering bout this!
    I clean two houses a week, one for two hours, one for three. I dont stop moving the whole time and by the end I'm hot and sweaty from trying to get as much as possible done. But I dont do it daily, so do I log it? I was and then I figured it wasnt really straining, but it is a mild cardio, my heart rate is definitely elevated, so im in two minds. Help? My activity is set at light because I generally spend all day on my feet running around after kids, cleaning my house and doing errands
  • WendySPWarren
    WendySPWarren Posts: 63 Member
    I tend to log everything besides:
    - cleaning
    - walking around Uni
    - walking up and down stairs at home.

    I would probably log a brisk 20 min walk if I where you.
  • RaquelCasul
    RaquelCasul Posts: 26
    FaerieCae, I personally would either count that as a lightly active life style, and not log it, or, depending on other activities, class your lifestyle as sedentary, and then log the cleaning as extra exercise.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    So how long, or how vigorously, do you tend to be with an activity before you log it as exercise?

    For example, you pop to the shop in the evening for some milk. It's cold out, so you walk at a moderate pace, and there and back takes you twenty minutes, 10 each way. Would you log that as exercise and log it, or would you say that was just a part of your general, everyday 'getting around' and not log it?

    And what about things like 'cleaning', everyday activities...log those or not?

    Thanks,

    My personal opinion is this: If it isn't something you would change into your workout clothes and put on your workout shoes for, don't log it as exercise. The reason why is because these other things are things that SHOULD be factored into your daily activity level, and getting into the habit of logging them as exercise will get you into the habit of eating more than you should if you eat back your exercise calories like you should be. And if you're not eating back your exercise calories, then why bother logging your workouts?
  • FaerieCae
    FaerieCae Posts: 437 Member
    Thank you! Thats what I thought too but I was a bit unsure
  • DaisyBee8805
    DaisyBee8805 Posts: 16
    It depends on what activity level you have set your profile to. If you're 'sedentary' then log them...decide yourself if your body worked significantly harder than it would have if you hadn't done whatever it was and log or not based on that.
  • Zoemarie89
    Zoemarie89 Posts: 59
    Perhaps it's the "wrong" thing to do, but I don't log it if it's any less than half an hour... However, I have gotten into the bad habit of not logging a small amount of cals instead. So for example, if I have one or two Wine Gum sweets (14 cals each), or 10g of half-fat butter on my toast (30cals) I won't log them if I've been doing something moderately active (such as hoovering, changing beds, etc.). Perhaps that's the wrong way to look at it, but it's just my habit! If I'm being my usual sedentary lifestyle (as a student I'm in front of the laptop a lot) then I DO log them. It's just about balance, really.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    If you get the Bodymeia Fit and wear that all day, and link it to MFP, you don't need to log anything
  • tpittsley77
    tpittsley77 Posts: 607 Member
    [/quote]
    Wine Gum sweets
    [/quote]

    Wine and gum in the same sentence? Where can I get this??

    BTW, I don't log daily activities. I figure I cleaned while I was on my way to getting fat, so that does not count. Oh and logging food prep just offends me, unless you are on an episode of Chopped.
  • bluefish49
    bluefish49 Posts: 102 Member
    I'm going to approach this issue similar to another issue where some people get irritated and it RUINS THEIR WORKOUT when the obseve other people (me included) hold the rails when I walk on the treadmill........

    It doesn't matter what other people do.

    Personally, I only log what I do at the gym, or the 5K events I participate in. Also, I do not eat back my exercise calories. So in essence, when I log my exercise, its only to brag to the few friends that I have that I got my butt to the gym that day.

    If someone else wants to log their housecleaning, or log 1700 calories burned by fishing (seen in another thread) and they eat back those calories, and lose/gain/maintain whatever their goal is - more power to them!
  • neverend
    neverend Posts: 15 Member
    I've put myself down as sedentary and then log everything, including 10 mins spent walking and the hour I spend walking around the grocery store (when we do a big shop for example).

    I could put myself as lightly active, but I've noticed that by doing this I'm actually walking a lot more than I used to and I'm developing better habits of integrating daily activity into my life. For example is about a 30-40 minute walk from town back to my house, if I didn't log this I might be more tempted to catch the bus, but this way I get more excercise and I save the bus fare.

    I also come at this from having done Your Money or Your Life, a voluntary simplicity programme where you log every penny spent. This helps to become more accountable for your spending. I see MFP the same way and try to log all food and all excercise because every little bit counts.
  • baileybiddles
    baileybiddles Posts: 457 Member
    So how long, or how vigorously, do you tend to be with an activity before you log it as exercise?

    For example, you pop to the shop in the evening for some milk. It's cold out, so you walk at a moderate pace, and there and back takes you twenty minutes, 10 each way. Would you log that as exercise and log it, or would you say that was just a part of your general, everyday 'getting around' and not log it?

    And what about things like 'cleaning', everyday activities...log those or not?

    Thanks,

    Are you burning calories?
    Log it!!!!!! It's totally exercise! I like to take a walk around my office building on my 15 minute breaks at work. It counts! Especially if you're walking at a moderate pace and not just lazing about. Count everything that's burning calories :)
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    I log cleaning, I clean like a mad woman & I get my heart pumping, I literally dance my way through it. I burn heaps in an hour doing that. So I log it. I do it daily. I also log any walking I do, I walk everywhere.... I don't drive, never have & I don't catch transport. I log it, even though I do it daily. For me to 'pop' out to the shop means a 5km round trip, so I log it. I do it daily. I also log walking to the gym.... it's 5km round trip as well cause it's next to the closest supermarket.


    Just because some people dont class it as exercise, does not mean that it's not.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I don't count anything like that. If you do, you're basically just taking that much more of a chance that you are going to sabotage yourself. Overestimating exercise and underestimating intake are the two biggest reasons that people who calorie count to lose fat have troubles. A little bit of extra activity during the day just gives you a wee cushion to protect against sabotaging yourself so easily.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    I don't count anything like that. If you do, you're basically just taking that much more of a chance that you are going to sabotage yourself. Overestimating exercise and underestimating intake are the two biggest reasons that people who calorie count to lose fat have troubles. A little bit of extra activity during the day just gives you a wee cushion to protect against sabotaging yourself so easily.

    Not quite right at all. I lost my weight quickly logging it, I am still losing it logging it. Not everyone is the same.
  • wnbrice
    wnbrice Posts: 244 Member
    I dont log it unless I put on my HRM
  • boboff
    boboff Posts: 129 Member
    I think this only really matters if you are then eating the calories back.

    If you are then to log cleaning would be daft, Gym & running yes.

    If you are not eating them back then log it graph it and get some motivation from it, if you want??

    It's your body after all.
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
    I log anything that doubles my heart rate. or takes me over 100bpm. but that's me, anyone who says don't log it unless you change into gym gear is an idiot.
    Log what you want, In the end if you log a single square of chocolate "27 calories" why not log a 10 minute walk to the shops at 3mph "42".
    What is the difference whether you ate it or you burnt it...
    if you have a problem with logging minor burns then don't, but don't try to "guilt out" people who want to log each victory.
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    I only count things that would make a difference if I stopped doing it. Household cleaning, cooking, walking around normally in the course of a day is just incidental activity. ACTUAL planned walks or gym activity, gets counted.
  • daddydog69
    daddydog69 Posts: 17 Member
    I log my gym stuff, and I walk at golf, so I log that....it helps me justify my course energy beers...
  • spongebobsquarepants12345
    spongebobsquarepants12345 Posts: 7
    If i sweat I log. If i don't sweat I don't log
  • theycallyoumister
    theycallyoumister Posts: 222 Member
    I feel that if it's part of my daily routine, which I already factored in to my settings, I don't count it. If I do something outside of that routine, for at least 30 minutes, then I log it. Agree that everyone is different and as long as things are working, don't worry! :smile:
  • tpittsley77
    tpittsley77 Posts: 607 Member
    I log anything that doubles my heart rate. or takes me over 100bpm. but that's me, anyone who says don't log it unless you change into gym gear is an idiot.
    Log what you want, In the end if you log a single square of chocolate "27 calories" why not log a 10 minute walk to the shops at 3mph "42".
    What is the difference whether you ate it or you burnt it...
    if you have a problem with logging minor burns then don't, but don't try to "guilt out" people who want to log each victory.

    Calling people idiots because they don't have the same opinion as you is pretty rude. I haven't seen anyone "guilting" anyone. OP asked a question. People are telling OP what they do. Doesn't justify being called idiots.
  • daddydog69
    daddydog69 Posts: 17 Member
    http://www.changingshape.com/calculators/calories-burned/

    This is a neat site that calculates non traditional activities....I use it along with My Pal......

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