Confession

Hatchling84
Hatchling84 Posts: 24 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I need to spill the beans and explain and then some advice or input would be greatly appreciated

I have not ran or worked out in 3 days and my feet are missing the asphalt and gym. However the cause of this is known and not necessarily due to negligence. I have recently started a second job that I would say is very intense. I am an unloader for my local Lowes store. I know it doesn't sound like much but some of the boxes are 100+ lbs and awkward to lift. Last night was a 1300 piece truck and lifting boxes, bringing boxes down, moving boxes and putting on pallets that took a lil over 4 hours. I have to keep myself hydrated as I sweat throughout the whole process and feel drained by the end of the night. I am sore and ache but its like I just worked out.

With all of that said, I'm going for a 5k run on my lunch today because I mentally need the run. I've always been told by my dr. that if I get paid for it, then its not a workout. Not so sure that applies here but what do you all think, and how in H*LL would I even quantify the calories burned??

Replies

  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    It's heavy duty manual labor. You're burning a lot more during your shift doing that than you would be sitting at a computer writing code or something.

    You could try wearing a HRM while working and comparing the calories it shows at the end of a shift to an estimate of the calories you would burn being sedentary for the same period. Here's how I would probably do it:

    1. I would find my little to no exercise TDEE. (Fitnessfrog.com is what I use, but there are TDEE calculators everywhere). I say little to no exercise because we want to know what your body is burning on a day with little activity. You do NOT want your BMR for this, because that's essentially a coma-level TDEE. We don't want to compare to a coma. We want to compare to a couch potato. The difference between the numbers will be more accurate for "how much extra" you are burning.

    2. Divide that number by 24, then multiply the result by the number of hours in your shift. This is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn in the same period doing desk work.

    3. Take the result from your HRM. Subtract the first number from it.

    4. That is how much extra you are burning. If you are trying to lose weight, you can either bank the deficit (yay you!) and if you're not, you should probably adjust your diet to support the new need for more energy.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Depending on how your MFP profile is set up, you could set your lifestyle to active (since it is) and not have to worry about logging/eating back your work calories.

    Enjoy your run today!
  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
    Have you thought about getting a BodyMedia device? I have one and I think it would do a pretty good job tracking activity like that. When I look at my dashboard, I can see the difference in my activity when I'm lifting weights. It may not be 100% accurate, but probably better than a HRM. The only drawback with this thing is that people are constantly asking me what it is. I wish it was a little less visible, especially now that it's summer!
  • Hatchling84
    Hatchling84 Posts: 24 Member
    Luckily enough I actually have my HRM with me today since I planned on a run today, so I will definitely try that today, I still don't understand step #3 exactly, what do you mean "Take the result from your HRM. Subtract the first number from it." are you talking calories burned while using HRM?
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    Yup. Subtract the number from step 2 from the number on your HRM at the end of the shift. That's the number of cals extra you are burning.
  • suggarpeterson
    suggarpeterson Posts: 8
    get a pedometer to track calories burned
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
    Get a new Doctor...what he said is stupid beyond belief.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Adjust your activity level in your settings.
  • grim_traveller
    grim_traveller Posts: 625 Member
    I know where your doctor is coming from. I worked at UPS, inside, loading and unloading, for many years. Package weights go up to 150 pounds, but aren't as bulky as some of the appliances you get at Lowes. It was super demanding at first, but your body will get used to the repetition, muscles adapt, and you unconsciously create paths of least resistance to make the work easier. Once you adapt, the effort is actually much less. A good workout, on the other hand, should consist of pushing yourself and your muscles to higher levels in order to improve fitness. They are in many ways opposite goals.

    All that being said, it's a lot more effort and calories burned than sitting at a desk. But I wouldn't log it.

Categories