Wearing HRM while working outdoors

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DEE4560
DEE4560 Posts: 139
in Introduce Yourself
If you were to wear the HRM while doing yard work would it be fair to use the calories burned at the end of the project? My activity is set at sedentary. I sit at a desk all week and when the weekends come I work outdoors most of the time.

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  • Wraiythe
    Wraiythe Posts: 786 Member
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    Then I say definitely, because that's not sedentary activity. So you could use it as an exercise.
  • KristieKRN
    KristieKRN Posts: 71 Member
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    I would, especially if it's above what I would normally do. I've read that for sedentary people, even cleaning house - dusting, vacuuming, mopping.... are all better than just doing nothing.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    If you were to wear the HRM while doing yard work would it be fair to use the calories burned at the end of the project? My activity is set at sedentary. I sit at a desk all week and when the weekends come I work outdoors most of the time.

    If you are working hard and have your HR elevated the whole time then yes. Just remember to back out maintenance calories from the total displayed if you enter the info into MFP and eat some or all of your exercise calories.

    HRMs calculate total caloric burn so when entering in MFP which already accounts for maintenance you must back it out or you are double counting those calories. To get this go to your goals tab, and on the top right you will see "calories burned from normal daily activity" take that number and divide by 1440 to get calories burned/minute while not exercising. If you did yard work for 2.5 hours (180 minutes) take you number of maintenance cals/min x 180 min. and back that out from what your HRM says.

    If your maintenance is 2000 cals then you would burn 1.39 cals/min while not working out (2000/1440) so you would back out 250 cals (1.39*180) from your total if your 2.5 hours of work burned 1000 calories you would enter 750 into MFP (1000-250)
  • DEE4560
    DEE4560 Posts: 139
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    If you were to wear the HRM while doing yard work would it be fair to use the calories burned at the end of the project? My activity is set at sedentary. I sit at a desk all week and when the weekends come I work outdoors most of the time.

    Taking the calories displayed on the HRM for the day not calories listed on the MFP data.
  • DEE4560
    DEE4560 Posts: 139
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    If you were to wear the HRM while doing yard work would it be fair to use the calories burned at the end of the project? My activity is set at sedentary. I sit at a desk all week and when the weekends come I work outdoors most of the time.

    If you are working hard and have your HR elevated the whole time then yes. Just remember to back out maintenance calories from the total displayed if you enter the info into MFP and eat some or all of your exercise calories.

    HRMs calculate total caloric burn so when entering in MFP which already accounts for maintenance you must back it out or you are double counting those calories. To get this go to your goals tab, and on the top right you will see "calories burned from normal daily activity" take that number and divide by 1440 to get calories burned/minute while not exercising. If you did yard work for 2.5 hours (180 minutes) take you number of maintenance cals/min x 180 min. and back that out from what your HRM says.

    If your maintenance is 2000 cals then you would burn 1.39 cals/min while not working out (2000/1440) so you would back out 250 cals (1.39*180) from your total if your 2.5 hours of work burned 1000 calories you would enter 750 into MFP (1000-250)

    Thanks that was what I was looking for.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    If you were to wear the HRM while doing yard work would it be fair to use the calories burned at the end of the project? My activity is set at sedentary. I sit at a desk all week and when the weekends come I work outdoors most of the time.

    Taking the calories displayed on the HRM for the day not calories listed on the MFP data.

    The calories on the HRM - your maintenance amount as I mentioned above.
  • warrior_underdog
    warrior_underdog Posts: 39
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    Just remember to back out maintenance calories from the total displayed if you enter the info into MFP and eat some or all of your exercise calories.

    HRMs calculate total caloric burn so when entering in MFP which already accounts for maintenance you must back it out or you are double counting those calories.

    How did this never occur to me before?
  • DEE4560
    DEE4560 Posts: 139
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    Just remember to back out maintenance calories from the total displayed if you enter the info into MFP and eat some or all of your exercise calories.

    HRMs calculate total caloric burn so when entering in MFP which already accounts for maintenance you must back it out or you are double counting those calories.

    How did this never occur to me before?

    I figured it would be double dipping because your taking some for just breathing and body function. Didn't want to start eating all the excersise calories and end up gaining weight :bigsmile:
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Just remember to back out maintenance calories from the total displayed if you enter the info into MFP and eat some or all of your exercise calories.

    HRMs calculate total caloric burn so when entering in MFP which already accounts for maintenance you must back it out or you are double counting those calories.

    How did this never occur to me before?

    It is hard to get your head around because your HRM is correct you did burn that many calories, but what the HRM doesn't know is that you are calculating calories elsewhere and/or plan on eating those calories. So it is sometimes hard to get this across, that being said it doesn't make a big difference unless you are working out for an hour or longer and at a lower intensity.
  • Larry1369
    Larry1369 Posts: 59
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    Hey eric, thanks for this info. I haven't been entering my activities, now I know why I'm losing weight slightly faster than I've planned. :)
  • DEE4560
    DEE4560 Posts: 139
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    Yes it was very helpful information. Thank you. I think you helped many of us to calculate this correctly.

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