Question regarding my walk to work

waynehaworth9
waynehaworth9 Posts: 5
in Fitness and Exercise
I walk to work each day, it is a 3 mile trip and back, about an hour each way. So in total I am doing 6 miles and 2 hours of walking.

As I do this 5 x days a week, should I set my activity level to 'lightly active' and not count these trips as exercise? Or should I set my day as 'sedentary' but input each of these trips as a piece of exercise?...Or do I do both, set myself as lightly active and also log each of these as exercise?

Thanks all :)

Replies

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    No double dipping! Set your activity level to lightly active. Since that includes the walks, don't log them.

    Give it a couple of weeks, then reevaluate. Weight loss takes lots of trial & error.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    Good for you for walking to work! :flowerforyou:

    Of course the trips are exercise. I would log them. I walk to work (with my dog, who is a slow walker) and log everything. Sometimes with the winter ice those walks are the only exercise I get. To be honest, I think the calorie difference between sedentary and lightly active is only 40 calories and you are burning a lot more than that with the walks (check out both settings to verify this). I would probably choose lightly active.
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    It sounds like you've been doing this for a bit so it is part of your daily activity.

    Call yourself lightly active and don't log them.
  • waynehaworth9
    waynehaworth9 Posts: 5
    Ok, but now I have two pieces of conflicting advice! :)
  • CompressedCarbon
    CompressedCarbon Posts: 357 Member
    Ok, but now I have two pieces of conflicting advice! :)

    Welcome to MFP! How much do you enjoy logging? That might be the determining factor for me. If you like seeing the exercise minutes each day then I'd set myself as sedentary and log them; if you find it to be a pain, then lightly active and don't log it. Just not both.

    Try one way and see how it works for you. If you don't like it, you can always reset and do it the other way.
  • spersephone
    spersephone Posts: 148 Member
    Well pick the way you want to record it. Either pick sedentary and add it in, or pick lightly active and don't.

    Then continue doing that.

    Two hours of walking most days, is far more than most people would manage. Depending on your speed, it may add several hundred calories to your allowance. If you're plodding along, maybe it will be a bit less (300-400), but if you're walking briskly and getting your heart rate up, maybe more. Obviously it depends on your height, weight, age, sex and physical exertion as to what the true calories would be.

    If what you're doing each day (over and above what most of us would do) adds up to no more than around 200 calories per day, you could class it as lightly active. If it's quite a bit more than that, add it in. Your food allowance should be reflecting what your body truly needs, so don't undereat as in the long run it doesn't really help.

    If you're entitled to another few hundred calories, enjoy them!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Really either way works but not both!

    When I was losing weight I used to log my daily walk/cycle commute so that I could be more precise - if I worked from home and at weekends I obviously didn't "earn" any extra calories.
    Now I'm maintaining I've just averaged out my normal commuting and just manually added 500 calories a week to my calorie allowance.

    All the estimating in the world just really gives you a reasonable start point, after that I would advise adjusting your intake depending on actual results over a period of time.
  • Erikalynne18
    Erikalynne18 Posts: 558 Member
    What type of work do you do? I think this could also impact your activity level.

    For example I work in a restaurant and am on my feet and moving the entire shift, some days 10 hours straight. Plus I usually walk to and from work. I set my activity level to very active AND log my walks. I don't consider that 'double dipping' at all :)

    P.S.- whatever you chose, listen to your body! You don't need to feel FULL however if you are going to bed hungry (stomach pains, grumbling, waking up very lightheaded, etc) then you may need to reevaluate and increase your cals :)
  • spersephone
    spersephone Posts: 148 Member
    P.S.- whatever you chose, listen to your body! You don't need to feel FULL however if you are going to bed hungry (stomach pains, grumbling, waking up very lightheaded, etc) then you may need to reevaluate and increase your cals :)

    Very sound advice. We are all different, and the most important thing is to work out what YOUR body needs. Definitely listen to it and see whether it agrees with the path you choose.
  • waynehaworth9
    waynehaworth9 Posts: 5
    You're all great, thanks for the advice :)

    For the record. I am 5ft 8, male, 175lbs. I have been walking to work like this for about 2 years.

    I think I will try logging them. According the the interwebs I am burning around 300 calories each trip. It would seem strange me not being able to log 600 calories on each day. I have earned it! :)

    For the record, I sit in an office all day so this is really all the exercise I get. Although my Kettlebell arrived a couple of days ago, so I will digging in to that soon.

    And as some of you are saying, I will re-evaluate things in a few weeks to see how things are going.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    I think I will try logging them. According the the interwebs I am burning around 300 calories each trip.

    And as some of you are saying, I will re-evaluate things in a few weeks to see how things are going.
    The calorie burns are estimates; only trial & error will show what works for you.

    If eating back 600 calories stalls your progress, either a.) switch to lightly active & stop logging your walks, or b.) eat back only half the calories. Good luck!
  • timmer74
    timmer74 Posts: 46 Member
    I do pretty much the same walk to work.....

    My advice is to get a fitness tracker like the FitBit that will give you an estimated calorie burn to add to current balance. It has worked great for me (been using this long before MFP)

    All the best in 2014!
  • waynehaworth9
    waynehaworth9 Posts: 5
    Yea this is a good idea. In fact I have a HRM somewhere around here I should use for a couple of trips to work. Thanks.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    If you do log it pep up your step. An hour for 3 miles means you are just strolling along. I understand not wanting to get sweaty for work but after work speed it up. Try to make it home in 45 minutes, for example.
  • waynehaworth9
    waynehaworth9 Posts: 5
    Yea it's actually about 55 mins. I was not really thinking of it as exercise, more of a way to get to work! :)

    You're right of course, I should pick up the pace on my return journey.

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