Calories burned at work?

Thesoundofwolf
Thesoundofwolf Posts: 378 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I do inventory for various businesses (every day, all day)- at work for long periods of times. It's a lot get up, get down, kneel, squat and count. How should I count the calories? I figured Light (moderate) cleaning- but it seems awfully generous in calories burned and earned.

I also do simple stretches to keep limber and move my body correctly to prevent damages- so proper squats and bending. Some lifting objects (up to 50 pounds at the heaviest).
How should I count my calories for this?
I mean, I'm hungry, so I eat- but I would like the peace of mind that I am within my calories.

Replies

  • brentbarrie
    brentbarrie Posts: 532 Member
    There is only one answer for this: Heart Rate Monitor. Anything else would be a VERY rough estimate.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    There is only one answer for this: Heart Rate Monitor. Anything else would be a VERY rough estimate.

    a heart rate monitor is not designed for continuous use at low heart rates or during strength training.

    i don't count the calories burned during work. they're part of your day.
  • panthera_leo48
    panthera_leo48 Posts: 4 Member
    Your lifestyle choice in settings should fix this for you. Active lifestyle.
  • kayl3igh88
    kayl3igh88 Posts: 428 Member
    get something like a fitbit or the jawbone up, you can wear them all the time and it automatially tracks everything.
  • brentbarrie
    brentbarrie Posts: 532 Member


    a heart rate monitor is not designed for continuous use at low heart rates or during strength training.

    i don't count the calories burned during work. they're part of your day.

    I don't understand why people say that. If you work out every day, working out is part of your day and you shouldn't count that at all?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member


    a heart rate monitor is not designed for continuous use at low heart rates or during strength training.

    i don't count the calories burned during work. they're part of your day.

    I don't understand why people say that. If you work out every day, working out is part of your day and you shouldn't count that at all?

    It should be accounted for in your activity level setting. What you do at work is part of your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). MFP is a NEAT method calculator...so you would include it in your activity level when you set your profile.

    Also, it is true...HRMs are only relatively accurate for actual aerobic activity. Your calorie burn isn't based on your actual heart rate. The monitor simply uses your HR and assumes you are doing an aerobic activity...and uses the HR in the formula to determine what % of VO2 max you are at and thus how many estimated calories you burn.

    If you really want something to be more accurate for just wearing around and estimating your actual calorie burn during a given day, you'd need a Fitbit or similar.

    Keep in mind, it's all estimation.
  • Thesoundofwolf
    Thesoundofwolf Posts: 378 Member


    a heart rate monitor is not designed for continuous use at low heart rates or during strength training.

    i don't count the calories burned during work. they're part of your day.

    I don't understand why people say that. If you work out every day, working out is part of your day and you shouldn't count that at all?
    The thing is, is I'm -not- working out persay, I'm just doing my 'job'. But unlike, say, a desk job- it requires me to move quite a bit. And thats what I'm trying to cacluate is the rough estimate of what I should do to adjust my calories.
    Otherwise, on my days off I am rather inactive save for my gym going habbits. And at that, I have manually adjusted my calories (so the stupid 'choose your life style' bs is not useful in this case).
    I eat a bate rate of 1500, as my doctor has as told me (no more, no less- wiggle room acceptible depending on workouts), and try to keep my sodium under 2000- again doctors orders.

    I use an HRT monitor when I go to the gym, and thought about using it at work, but I am not sure it would be accurate to gauge.
    (Mind you, I am standing the entire time, even on 'breaks', because most places do not have a break room for us to use, or a place to sit- such as today, because we were 'not the store employees' and they told us to just hang out in the parking lot on our break. Very rude).
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    There is only one answer for this: Heart Rate Monitor. Anything else would be a VERY rough estimate.

    a heart rate monitor is not designed for continuous use at low heart rates or during strength training.

    i don't count the calories burned during work. they're part of your day.

    Same here.

    Personally, I only count exercise calories as those I especially go out and do a run or a work-out to.
  • SDkitty
    SDkitty Posts: 446 Member
    Your lifestyle choice in settings should fix this for you. Active lifestyle.

    I agree with this ^ if it's part of your normal routine like that you shouldn't be logging it as exercise but up your "lifestyle" setting.

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