Swimming with children?

elpurple
elpurple Posts: 46 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hiya,

Does anyone else log calories playing with children at a swimming pool? Obviously it isn't the same as constant slow laps but how do you log it?

Replies

  • elpurple
    elpurple Posts: 46 Member
    Any ideas anyone?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    as a general rule i don't log playing with my kids. not consistent enough activity levels. the exception is if i have my daughter ride her bike next to me while i'm running. but that's more about me running than her playing.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    My kids are ferocious spider monkeys.

    I log it as drowning.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    If I'm just playing and goofing off, I don't log it...if I'm out to actually do laps..then I'll log it.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    I'm a jungle gym, so while I get back bruises from them climbing on me and jumping off my shoulders, I doubt I burn many calories unless we're racing.
  • elpurple
    elpurple Posts: 46 Member
    I generally end up doing some laps, some swimming with her on my back and some random splashing!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    random splashing with my kids is fun as heck. treat it as fun, not exercise. i don't log my fun
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
    My kids are ferocious spider monkeys.

    I log it as drowning.

    This made me spit out my water. That's perfect! :flowerforyou:
  • elpurple
    elpurple Posts: 46 Member
    I just wondered, I don't log much other than the steps I walk but I'm sure some people log absolutely everything :)
  • Teardrop81
    Teardrop81 Posts: 132 Member
    My kids are ferocious spider monkeys.

    I log it as drowning.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    I don't log any time I spend in the pool (and its a lot becuase we have one), because I'm usually going from tossing my daughter through the air to chilling on the floatie and it isn't consistent exercise. I would only log it if I were doing laps.
  • sakuragreenlily
    sakuragreenlily Posts: 334 Member
    as a general rule i don't log playing with my kids. not consistent enough activity levels. the exception is if i have my daughter ride her bike next to me while i'm running. but that's more about me running than her playing.

    Anyone else think it's the sweetest thing ever that he has his daughter ride her bike next to him as he runs? Good father FTW!

    Also, I agree... Don't log it but know deep down that you've burned some extra calories for the day.
  • AnisaMG
    AnisaMG Posts: 154 Member
    My 9 year old daughter does competitive swimming - so when I go to the pool with her I am actually swimming laps, and log it as such.
  • doowop713
    doowop713 Posts: 268 Member
    My kids are ferocious spider monkeys.

    I log it as drowning.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Oh gosh! That made me chuckle. Our little guy isn't old enough to really "Swim" so it is just following him around and making sure his floaties don't flip him over... but I wouldn't log it either unless you are in the pool for a very long time and not laying on a raft. If you were actually lightly swimming or playing with the kids and find yourself out of breath much of the time, I'd log 1/4 the time so I have something but that kind of balances out the inconsistency. Just my opinion :)
  • JulieAnn72
    JulieAnn72 Posts: 795 Member
    I would only log it if you're actually exerting yourself. Usually when I'm in the pool with my kids, I'm mostly just standing. Sometimes I'll push them around a bit, but that's it. I did log swimming with my kids once when we were on vacation in a hotel pool by ourselves. My kids were playing in the low end and I went into the deeper water and tread water for a while, and then I did a few laps. I think we were in the pool for about an hour but I logged 15 minutes of light swimming. I wouldn't log all the time you're in the water with them, just the amount of time you're actually swimming, treading water, etc.
  • megsi474
    megsi474 Posts: 370 Member
    My kids are ferocious spider monkeys.

    I log it as drowning.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • BoomstickChick
    BoomstickChick Posts: 428 Member
    I log it as treading water
  • hungryhobbit1
    hungryhobbit1 Posts: 259 Member
    I try to keep up some form of constant movement in the water when I'm swimming with my kids, and I wear a heart rate monitor.

    It's not a super huge burn, but it always makes me ravenous so I track it. The last time I logged "water play" as 88 minutes at 328 calories. In a wave pool with constant jumping every time a wave came up I still only burned 403 calories in 118 minutes.

    If I were mostly just floating around I wouldn't bother to track it.

    We don't have a pool at our house, so it's not an everyday activity for me.
  • lisamarie1780
    lisamarie1780 Posts: 432 Member
    No, I always think you're clutching at straws when you start logging cleaning and playing with kids. Chances are these are the things you do most days... and even if you don't... are you really out of breath, feeling the burn and sweating?

    Maybe if you have a really sedentary lifestyle and/or you are much older I would consider it but I play with my kids, clean, walk etc most days....I only log serious exercise that I have taken time out of my day to do .... for me, on my own that I know is gonna hurt lol
  • TyTy76
    TyTy76 Posts: 1,761 Member
    Not everything needs to be logged.

    Playing with your kids, should not be.


    IMO
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Anyone else think it's the sweetest thing ever that he has his daughter ride her bike next to him as he runs? Good father FTW!

    Much appreciated. But they are my kids and no extra credit given for spending time with them. Besides, my wife does 90% of the hard work
  • AnisaMG
    AnisaMG Posts: 154 Member
    as a general rule i don't log playing with my kids. not consistent enough activity levels. the exception is if i have my daughter ride her bike next to me while i'm running. but that's more about me running than her playing.

    My daughter bikes with me while I run too - or she scooters, but hates when I do the trail portion of my run! lol
  • SkinnyBubbaGaar
    SkinnyBubbaGaar Posts: 389 Member
    I like to hold mine over my head in the deep end, then log it as "Treading Water - Fast/Vigorous"


    (edited to not sound snotty, which is not what I originally meant!)
  • sakuragreenlily
    sakuragreenlily Posts: 334 Member
    Much appreciated. But they are my kids and no extra credit given for spending time with them. Besides, my wife does 90% of the hard work
    My daughter bikes with me while I run too - or she scooters, but hates when I do the trail portion of my run! lol

    It's A LOT more than a lot of parents do. I work in a school system and it always warms my heart to see parents spending quality time with their kids and instilling some good healthy habits to boot! You don't have to take the extra credit but I'm giving it to you anyway >:(! :bigsmile:
  • jennibear8504
    jennibear8504 Posts: 46
    I think it depends on whats going on, and how active the whole thing is.... My oldest niece and nephew (8 & 6) like to be chased and thrown around, and they play really hard sometimes. I do count the time, but I count it as half the time I played with them and as leisurely activity. So if we were in the pool for an hour playing hard, I count is as 30 minutes of slow/leisurely swimming... I count it mostly because 1. it really tires me out like a workout, and 2. Its not part of my normal daily/weekly thing...

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