Do you count the walk to work or no?

nminden
nminden Posts: 55 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I walk 30 minutes to work; 30 minutes home. The route is half moderate incline and half extreme incline. Normally I'm walking at a moderate pace, unless I'm late in which case I speed walk and it's between 20-25 minutes.

When I first started MFP I counted it. I work out about 4-6 times per week for an hour ( aerobic mostly and strength training, sometimes swimming). I stopped counting the walk because it was adding way too many calories.

Aside: I had lost 6 pounds, then went on a visit home and gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and stopped tracking for 2 weeks. Coffee shops and sweets, chocolate, bread and butter. I gained the weight back on and I'm not surprised. I'm pretty motivated to take it back off and get into my BMI normal range.

Replies

  • nathalier71
    nathalier71 Posts: 570 Member
    If this is what you do everyday and is just part of your day I would say no. What do you have your setting as? sedentary? active? That's what I would change.

    I wish I could walk to work!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    change your activity level from sedentary to light active
  • ChristineinMA
    ChristineinMA Posts: 312 Member
    If this is what you do everyday and is just part of your day I would say no. What do you have your setting as? sedentary? active? That's what I would change.

    I wish I could walk to work!

    I think this is excellent advice.

    I have been toying with the idea of walking to work, but the streets are narrow and no sidewalks - I would have to wear a big retro-reflective vest and stick a long flag in my pocket :-)
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    Not recording it doesn't mean it didn't happen. You either need to account for it when you calculate your allotted calories (by checking lightly or moderately active instead of sedentary) or you need to count it as exercise in your diary.
  • mb168
    mb168 Posts: 4 Member
    I walk to work, but it's to my mancave/office/cookshack/doghouse I built 3 years ago, 20' behind my house, so I still consider myself sedentary, though the decision to wear pants is usually based on weather more than modesty ;-)
  • LoreleiEvil
    LoreleiEvil Posts: 65 Member
    Nope, that's part of normal activity level for me.
  • kenziberry
    kenziberry Posts: 164 Member
    i walk to work every, about 3 miles up and down hill, and it takes me about 40-45 minutes, and i absoltely count this as part of my exercise......even tho i still work out later in the day

    i do sweat on my walk to work and als carry a 13 lbs backpack full of my suff to change into at work

    i think it is awesome to be able to walk to work....award your seld for it!!!
  • kkzmom11
    kkzmom11 Posts: 220 Member
    i say update your profile to be "lightly active" like another suggested. however, since it is what you do everyday, i wouldn't count it extra except for what you updated in your profile.
  • nminden
    nminden Posts: 55 Member
    change your activity level from sedentary to light active

    Done!
    I just feel a little guilty sitting here describing my daily activity as light active. It didn't change the calorie recommendations.
    Did you mean- change the setting and count it, or change the setting and don't count it? I am assuming the latter.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    It's 60 odd miles to work so I don't walk it.

    I do count my lunchtime walk (about a half hour) weather permitting...
  • Caitu13
    Caitu13 Posts: 55 Member
    I would! Its a good exercise! Especially since its everyday! Any kind of exercise is better than none!! I use MapMyWalk, it tracks speed, distance, etc. That way when ever I'm walking I know how fast I go and I try to push myself alittle faster!
  • leahgoldgirl
    leahgoldgirl Posts: 61 Member
    I don't count any walk under 3 miles at a very brisk pace (13 minute miles or under). In my mind, walking isn't exercise, it's a necessary function of being human and needing to get from point a to point b.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    I walk 20 minutes each way to work. My activity level is set to sedentary, so it gets logged in addition to my daily exercise.
  • nminden
    nminden Posts: 55 Member
    Excuses! Excuses! :wink:
    Good on you for the lunchtime walk.

    This reply was intended for the 60 miles to work pal................justal
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    change your activity level from sedentary to light active

    Done!
    I just feel a little guilty sitting here describing my daily activity as light active. It didn't change the calorie recommendations.
    Did you mean- change the setting and count it, or change the setting and don't count it? I am assuming the latter.

    It probably didn't change it as you must be at 1200 cals and it wont let you go lower. (If you were already above 1200 cals, it would have added about 15% more cals by changing the activity level) With the amount you have to lose I suggest also changing your weekly weight loss goal to 0.5/lbs/week.
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
    I don't walk to work every day but when I do walk I don't count it as exercise. It takes a little under 20 minutes and there is only one small hill to go over.
  • patfriendly
    patfriendly Posts: 263 Member
    In New York, walking takes up a lot of time commuting to work and just going around places in the city. Its a waste if you don't log it.
  • ChristineinMA
    ChristineinMA Posts: 312 Member
    I don't count any walk under 3 miles at a very brisk pace (13 minute miles or under). In my mind, walking isn't exercise, it's a necessary function of being human and needing to get from point a to point b.

    Whoa! You're hard-core! :-)
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Set MFP to sedentary, and log the walk. This is more walking than most people do to get to work.
  • tphil58
    tphil58 Posts: 89 Member
    I say count it. I walk to work most days 28-32 minutes one way depending on how fast I walk and I log it in addition to any other exercise I get. I am pretty sure that the calories burned walking to work would not get burned if you didn't walk. Now, if you are asking because you are wondering about earning back extra calories to eat, that is up to you to decide if you are going to eat them all back or not. I try to eat about 1/2 my walking calories back because I am not sure I trust the calories burned calculated by mfp. Good luck to you however you decide!

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