Exercise - does painting count?

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nic632
nic632 Posts: 295 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hiya. Yesterday I spent 2 1/2 hrs painting, which obviously included lots of bending and stretching, can I class this as exercise and if so, how do I log it?

Thanks
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Replies

  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
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    You CAN. I might log it as housework.

    Is it exercise? No. No it is not, at least in my opinion. It's not cardio. It's not weight lifting. Those are exercises. Sure you burn calories, but let's be honest here. You aren't really exercising.
  • FakingFitness
    FakingFitness Posts: 325 Member
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    Nope, I've been painting for a week and no, I haven't felt the burn. Nor have I needed my HRM. lol
    There may be some bending, but stretching is a bit of a stretch. (pun intended)
    Lifting your arm or bending your torso to the right, really isn't a stretch.
    Just leave it out and let the very few cals it burns, be a bonus.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
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    Hiya. Yesterday I spent 2 1/2 hrs painting, which obviously included lots of bending and stretching, can I class this as exercise and if so, how do I log it?
    You CAN do whatever you want! I know I can feel it for a while when I have painted a big room, but it may be that I just push too hard on the roller :) I don't know how you would log it, though, as it doesn't seem to come up.

    Oddly enough, playing the guitar is in the database. Weird. I also think it's weird that yardwork is not in there but raking lawn is.
  • nic632
    nic632 Posts: 295 Member
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    Thanks for all your replies, think I might leave it, don't want to get obsessed with everything that gets me off the couch. It is definately weird about guitar playing being on the list considering the amount of things that aren't and regarding yard work - how about putting down gardening instead cos that's what I use?
  • KatieHall77
    KatieHall77 Posts: 129 Member
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    The jury is out on this one, logging activities is personal preference.
    Some people will really freak out if you log anything that doesn't involve gym equipment. However, its your log and your fitness plan, so do whatever feels right to you. It matters more in maintaining a weight, where you want to match your intake and output carefully.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Hiya. Yesterday I spent 2 1/2 hrs painting, which obviously included lots of bending and stretching, can I class this as exercise and if so, how do I log it?

    Thanks

    If it isn't something you do regularly, then painting is *quite* the workout, especially for your arms. I don't log exercise at all, but if I were, I might use a site like the one below and compare it MFP listings, logging the lower of the responses.

    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    You CAN. I might log it as housework.

    Is it exercise? No. No it is not, at least in my opinion. It's not cardio. It's not weight lifting. Those are exercises. Sure you burn calories, but let's be honest here. You aren't really exercising.

    Agreed.

    If you have to ask if it's exercise, it probably isn't. Seems like most people who log this type of thing area really only looking for excuses to eat more.

    Though, I also don't believe anyone is truly sedentary, so...
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    Last time I painted a room, I used an estimate of 350 calories per hour. But I probably only logged about half the time I actually spent.

    For me, painting is bending, stretching, up and down ladders, moving furniture out of the way, moving furniture back. I work up a sweat and a thirst. I'd call it a pretty good mix of cardio and strength, if you have furniture to move.
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
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    You CAN. I might log it as housework.

    Is it exercise? No. No it is not, at least in my opinion. It's not cardio. It's not weight lifting. Those are exercises. Sure you burn calories, but let's be honest here. You aren't really exercising.

    Agreed.

    If you have to ask if it's exercise, it probably isn't. Seems like most people who log this type of thing area really only looking for excuses to eat more.

    Though, I also don't believe anyone is truly sedentary, so...

    My activity is sedentary, and I eat back my exercise calories. If I walk around for a bit, (like going to the museum or going downtown) that doesn't get logged. The only thing I log is my morning weight lifting, and my afternoon run (if I happen to run in the afternoon).

    I've seen people who log 4 minutes of walking a dog. Seriously? That's a chore, not exercise. I wash the dishes, but it would be silly to log "10 minutes of scrubbing pans - vigorous effort" so I can eat an extra gorram cookie.
  • marcgo2
    marcgo2 Posts: 15
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    Only if you're painting happy little trees.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    I painted a room last weekend. I didn't log it as exercise (I use TDEE-20% so I don't eat calories burned) but it was a whole lot of bending, stooping, stretching and squatting that I wouldn't have been doing otherwise. My glutes sure felt it for the next two days. If it's out of the ordinary of your regular daily routine, you can count it. Best to wear a heart rate monitor while doing it though for a more accurate count.
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
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    No it's not...
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Hiya. Yesterday I spent 2 1/2 hrs painting, which obviously included lots of bending and stretching, can I class this as exercise and if so, how do I log it?

    Thanks

    No, it's not exercise. Seriously, wtf.
  • FrankiesSaysRelax
    FrankiesSaysRelax Posts: 403 Member
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    If it's not intentional exercise for me, I don't log it.
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
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    FYI heart monitors are only accurate at measuring calorie burn when doing steady state cardio, and even then the accuracy is questionable. Do not use a heart moitor to estimate calories burned while painting
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
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    Hiya. Yesterday I spent 2 1/2 hrs painting, which obviously included lots of bending and stretching, can I class this as exercise and if so, how do I log it?

    Thanks

    No, it's not exercise. Seriously, wtf.
    I don't think ya'll are painting the same way some of us are painting. It's definately a workout. I certainly use more energy/muscles than I do walking. That said:
    If it's not intentional exercise for me, I don't log it.
    This is what I actually do.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Hiya. Yesterday I spent 2 1/2 hrs painting, which obviously included lots of bending and stretching, can I class this as exercise and if so, how do I log it?

    Thanks

    No, it's not exercise. Seriously, wtf.
    I don't think ya'll are painting the same way some of us are painting. It's definately a workout. I certainly use more energy/muscles than I do walking. That said:
    If it's not intentional exercise for me, I don't log it.
    This is what I actually do.

    I painted about 2200 square feet of walls earlier this month. Ladders, taping, rollers, blah blah blah. If you aren't using a sprayer, there really is only one way to paint. Yeah, I was sore, no, it was not exercise.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    sure does!!
  • Thruen
    Thruen Posts: 80 Member
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    Exercise (cardio) is basically anything that puts your heart rate over 70% of your maximum for the duration of the said exercise.
    I doubt painting does this. But you can always check with a heart rate monitor to see for sure if you want.
  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
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    Last time I painted a room, I used an estimate of 350 calories per hour. But I probably only logged about half the time I actually spent.

    For me, painting is bending, stretching, up and down ladders, moving furniture out of the way, moving furniture back. I work up a sweat and a thirst. I'd call it a pretty good mix of cardio and strength, if you have furniture to move.

    ^^^^ Agreed!

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