Can I wear my HRM to work?

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  • Chucksteakswife
    Chucksteakswife Posts: 52 Member
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    I have to disagree with those who say that this work isnt exercise. Daycare is not an office job nor is it a normal teaching job. You are active all day long - getting up, sitting down, squatting, dancing, running, walking, climbing. If you are a good daycare teacher, you are constantly following around and actively playing with a classroom full of as many as 16 kids all below the age of 5. I guarantee working in daycare for 8 hrs is better then a 20 minute walk. a landscaper or a construction worker doesn't get exercise while at work?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    no, you will get fired.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    I wouldn't count it as exercise, but I think it would be interested to see how much you burn at work.
  • pobalita
    pobalita Posts: 741 Member
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    If you want to track calories burned per day, activity level, and/or steps taken, Bodymedia is a great tool for this. I wear mine all day almost every day.
  • XTSH
    XTSH Posts: 129 Member
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    I wore my new toy, FT7 to work just 2 days ago just to see how my heart rate fluctuate throughout the day. My bpm was around 60 – 75 sitting at the table (desk job) and occassionally 100 over while climbing stairs. Never reached 125 bpm.

    I was expected to see some ridiculously high calories burnt into the thousands ‘cos that was what some folks have actually recorded. Mine after 9 hours in office was just 800Kcal.

    I am aware this 800Kcal burnt is not mean to be counted as exercise calories. I still visited my gym later that day. The number just seems realistic, given my kind of work life.
  • Katkamm77
    Katkamm77 Posts: 108 Member
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    I love when people ask a question and then argue with the people who respond.

    I would get a pedometer (Fitbit, Withings Pulse, etc.). It tells you how many steps you've taken, miles you've walked, calories you've burned, etc. The Withings Pulse will take your heart rate also (it must be out of it's clip).
  • bfanny
    bfanny Posts: 440 Member
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    I'm a housekeeper and I would never count that as exercise, or else why did I gain weight on the first place? Our bodies "adapt" to our daily routine, so in my opinion what I do above and beyond is what really counts ;)
  • Supern0va81
    Supern0va81 Posts: 168 Member
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    What's stopping you?

    If you just want to see what you would burn in a normal day then try it. What have you got to loose? :) Your HRM will likely ask you for your set up on first use and will use this as a baseline for future workouts. Follow the instructions. They are there for a reason - to help you get the best results from it.

    I wouldn't recommend using your HRM for every moment you are active though. I have the Polar FT7 and like others have suggested a HRM isn't designed to monitor you for normal activity levels - you should be able to gauge these using the MFP guidelines, or work out your BMR and TDEE, then set your goals accordingly. Initially I used mine to get used to working out my intensity levels for walking and during crossfit, but quickly found that it can be more help than hindrance so I use it once in a while to see how I am improving - and I'm still going on strong! It also helps you to set a baseline in your mind of what intensity you are working out at.

    Otherwise, a fitbit, pedometer or similar might be more helpful if you like to use technology to keep you on track.

    However, bear in mind that technology might not always be around to keep you on track so don't be entirely dependent on it to gauge your results. I have a desk job and get lost sometimes wondering how many cals I have burnt off on a family day out. It doesn't mean i can't manage my effort for the other 90% of the time though.

    Good luck :smile:
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    No, big NO. Going to work is not exercise, nor is it cardio.

    Set aside 20 minutes for a walk everyday. Wear your HRM when you walk and log that as your exercise.

    Have you ever worked at a daycare??? If not than you don't have the right to say, "going to work isn't exercise" I thought that to before I got the job. I always though daycare as easy and simple...WRONG!
    Ive been both a Nanny and also worked in a facility as a Teacher its demanding but for the purpose of tracking and logging I believe what the poster meant was it wouldn't count as exercise here for the most part...but everyone has to do their own thing.

    Let me clarify, I am planning on losing weight jus by tracking with my mfp. I won't be working out but just tracking my calories. Maybe I shouldn't have said counting as exercise. You guys are thinking that I am going to track my burned calories at work on mfp and eat those back, no.
    Well you did say you wanted to use work rather than get up to exercise, so that's what it sounded like. While day are is a physical job it's still your normal activity. I'm a nurse and very active at work but that's my normal activity. Exercise goes above that. And HR monitors don't work well for all day tracking but I suppose you could try.
  • kymarai
    kymarai Posts: 3,607 Member
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    I wore my HRM at work with the chest strap many days. I only quit wearing it when it got so hot that I got a heat rash. I now have a fitbit. The numbers are very similar! I understand that some people feel exercise has to be specific and yes you should get the heart rate up every day, but I was so hungry even set on a higher activity level and found that I needed more calories. All you can do is give it a try. It helped me get off a 4 month plateau! Good luck!
  • madrose0715
    madrose0715 Posts: 463 Member
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    Re: work as exercise - I work on a farm and believe me - my heart rate is elevated over 100 all day except when I take a 30 minute lunch and two 15 minute breaks. I lift trees, shrubs, cinderblocks, etc...I walk a 15 acre farm, all day long. Yes - work is exercise.

    HOWEVER - I do not count my work as exercise nor did I get the impression that is what the OP was going to do.

    OP - I wore my HRM to work all day once - it tracked well over 3000 cals. Interestingly enough, using the heybales calculator to figure out my TDEE - the numbers were pretty close. Which was a good discovery for me. It gave me some solid evidence that my HRM and the calculator seem to be as accurate as much as man-made tools can be and gives me a gauge to work with. As my activity level fluctuates during the season, I can adjust my TDEE pretty easily in my head now.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,630 Member
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    I have to disagree with those who say that this work isnt exercise. Daycare is not an office job nor is it a normal teaching job. You are active all day long - getting up, sitting down, squatting, dancing, running, walking, climbing. If you are a good daycare teacher, you are constantly following around and actively playing with a classroom full of as many as 16 kids all below the age of 5. I guarantee working in daycare for 8 hrs is better then a 20 minute walk. a landscaper or a construction worker doesn't get exercise while at work?

    Unfortunately, this still will not make the FT4 Polar HRM suitable for wearing all day. The manufacturers will also state that it is only meant to be used during cardio workouts whereby the heartrate is elevated. It will become inaccurate to any heartrates below 120bpm.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    Re: work as exercise - I work on a farm and believe me - my heart rate is elevated over 100 all day except when I take a 30 minute lunch and two 15 minute breaks. I lift trees, shrubs, cinderblocks, etc...I walk a 15 acre farm, all day long. Yes - work is exercise.

    HOWEVER - I do not count my work as exercise nor did I get the impression that is what the OP was going to do.

    OP - I wore my HRM to work all day once - it tracked well over 3000 cals. Interestingly enough, using the heybales calculator to figure out my TDEE - the numbers were pretty close. Which was a good discovery for me. It gave me some solid evidence that my HRM and the calculator seem to be as accurate as much as man-made tools can be and gives me a gauge to work with. As my activity level fluctuates during the season, I can adjust my TDEE pretty easily in my head now.
    She said she was going to use it rather than get up early to exercise.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    As some others have said, it's designed to be used during intense cardio activity. I once played with mine, trying to use it for biofeedback and as lie detector. :smile:

    If you want an all day activity monitor, get something like a Fitbit. I had one,and it was very motivating, especially when I wasn't able to exercise.
  • BigDnSW
    BigDnSW Posts: 641 Member
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    SuperWife is a Kindergarten teacher. She wears a Fitbit Ultra to work but switches to an ePulse2 when she works out. She only records the workouts. But it is amazing what she burns during the day with the kiddos...Damn proud of her in every way for a very long time.

    ry%3D480

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