Do you account for daily tasks that burn calories?

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  • RobsGirl_lds
    RobsGirl_lds Posts: 211
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    I logged Christmas shopping last year because it was 6 hours walking with a 30# 2 yearold on my hip/sholders/back the entire time. Lol we chose not to bring the stroller and I felt it for days after!
  • MstngSammy
    MstngSammy Posts: 436 Member
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    My "normal daily" activities are already figured in to my daily calorie goal.

    This is why when you set up on MFP it asks you your activity level. So it can "guesstimate" how many calories you will need to do your "day to day" stuff.

    ETA....if it's outside of what I would normally do (extra walking, running, gym, etc)...yep I log it.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    Only if it's something like splitting logs, shoveling snow, or some other very heavy activity. Otherwise, no that's just life.
    This!

    This winter has been so long I am like married to my shovel :sad:
  • ALNoog
    ALNoog Posts: 413 Member
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    I don't... But to each their own :) whatever works for you.
    I bought a Jawbone Up and it tells me my active calorie burn and my resting calorie burn but I only count the active ones I get from actual workouts.
  • Swiftdogs
    Swiftdogs Posts: 328 Member
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    My days vary a lot and tend to be fairly active without extra exercise. I'm set at sedentary and let my Fitbit track most things.
  • zagbee
    zagbee Posts: 40 Member
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    I was just thinking about this because I am getting ready to deep clean my house today. I think I'm going to log a part of it because in reality it is going to be 3-4 hours of moving furniture, scrubbing the tub on my hands and knees, etc. which is out of the norm of what I do in a regular day and can be fairly physical work. Daily I wipe counters, do laundry, dishes, etc. and I wouldn't count that.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I don't count my usual daily activities. However, I will count moving furniture/heavy stuff around the house and the heavy duty yard work I do. Other than that, I just count my actual exercise.
  • jaxbeck
    jaxbeck Posts: 537 Member
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    No. The only time I log cleaning is when I do very deep, active cleaning. IE: This weekend I cleaned everything in my house for over 3 hours. A lot of physical activity & it's outside of my normal daily activity. I would never log daily dishes or daily clean up & I fond it funny
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    Attempting to add some science to the mix
    https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity-Categories/home-activity

    Also be sure to check out the "Corrected METs" page to get a better idea of what a MET is [because (VO2 ml.kg-1.min-1)/(3.5 ml.kg-1.min-1) doesn't mean much to most of us], and activity category 14, just because it gets asked about.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    When I first started and was restricted from doing basically everything, I counted some daily tasks because they weren't something I had been doing. I hadn't been grocery shopping, so when I was able to start doing my own yes I counted it. Now that I can do that normally and do exercise regularly I only count intentional exercise.
  • mitchiejo
    mitchiejo Posts: 179 Member
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    The only one I log is snow shoveling. Otherwise it's only intentional exercise.
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
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    I count washing the car, because I really get my arms moving and it's like a workout. I've actually worn a heart rate monitor to see how many calories I burn. It's usually around 40-70 -- enough for a little extra snack.

    Also, I'm a professional musician and I've learned (the heard way) that I have to count playing my instrument as exercise on days when I play for more than 2 1/2 hours. If I don't eat 200-300 calories more on those days, I feel hungry and a little weak at the end of the day. I haven't gained weight from eating a little more on days when I have several rehearsals or a rehearsal and concert in the same day, so it's in no way "cheating" to count this as exercise.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    While browsing the exercise database I noticed things like house cleaning, gardening, fishing, etc. The only thing I log is the actual work I do at the gym and I eat back most of those calories and feel great. Just curious if anyone else logs other activities other than your intentional exercise.
    Nope. I log sweaty exercise only.
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    While browsing the exercise database I noticed things like house cleaning, gardening, fishing, etc. The only thing I log is the actual work I do at the gym and I eat back most of those calories and feel great. Just curious if anyone else logs other activities other than your intentional exercise.
    Nope. I log sweaty exercise only.

    I normally get hot and sweaty when I am cleaning. Nothing like de-furring 12'x20' carpet with a 3" slicker brush to work up a burn in the arms. But even if I am just doing a light dusting I normally wind up dancing.
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    I count washing the car, because I really get my arms moving and it's like a workout. I've actually worn a heart rate monitor to see how many calories I burn. It's usually around 40-70 -- enough for a little extra snack.

    Also, I'm a professional musician and I've learned (the heard way) that I have to count playing my instrument as exercise on days when I play for more than 2 1/2 hours. If I don't eat 200-300 calories more on those days, I feel hungry and a little weak at the end of the day. I haven't gained weight from eating a little more on days when I have several rehearsals or a rehearsal and concert in the same day, so it's in no way "cheating" to count this as exercise.

    Exactly. It doesn't matter what the activity is, or if you are being really intense about it, just take into account that it is more of your energy expenditure. I don't get the whole TDEE as a same number every day thing, because some days I just sit (2100cals) and others I am more active (3200cals). I adjust my food intake to match my activity level for that day. If I just aim for my average (2650), then on days I work out I am running a big deficit, but on days I sit I am over eating. Isn't this the opposite of what they tell you to do?

    I set myself to sedentary because I am always that...unless I get up and move, and if I move, well now I can record it, figure out how much I did, was it big or small, and eat to cover it, or not if I don't think it was worth it.
  • ebony874
    ebony874 Posts: 1 Member
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    I keep track of my calories burned using my Sportsline watch. If you burn 1000 cal in 13hrs from walking at work or school, Wouldn't it be beneficial to log it in? I figured I do so that I can compare my calorie intake vs. my calories burned during the day.
  • PurpleCupcakes01
    PurpleCupcakes01 Posts: 141
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    I don't
  • Anniebotnen
    Anniebotnen Posts: 332 Member
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    Sometimes. For example I count "gardening" if I'm preparing garden beds, because it's a frick of a lot of hard manual labor and it's outside what I would normally do. But I don't count "gardening" if I'm weeding or planting or watering.

    edit to add: And I will count cleaning if I'm doing a deep, heavy clean and moving appliances and furniture, but not if i'm squirting Fantistik on the stove and wiping it up.

    Same. I only log my gardening when I've spent hours in the hot sun turning the beds and planting. I also log push mowing, we have a pretty big yard. I don't bother with house cleaning as my heart rate doesn't really elevate that much from it.

    Same here, except I do log house cleaning when mop the floor!
  • strutdivastrut
    strutdivastrut Posts: 105 Member
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    Yes I log if my activities are more than 15 min.I use my hrm for any physical activities mainly exercise.

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