do you record everything in exercise???

BrodiesMom2008
BrodiesMom2008 Posts: 27
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I record when I go to the gym and work out, and I know in the food section you record everything you eat or drink, but I am not sure how that works for exercise, like are you supposed to record walking the dog?? or for example my son just turned 3 and he is learning to ride his bike (he isn't fast enough yet for me to ride a bike too) so we take the dog and the dog and i walk/jog for most of his bike ride (and sprint occasionally when we hit a downslope) but I was wondering if that is just counted as a normal day or if you are supposed to log it as exercise???

Replies

  • e1lindsay
    e1lindsay Posts: 230
    i would definitely count any walk longer than 15 minutes! if you're going at a good pace (as dogs typically make you), you'll be burning calories! i took a 15 minute power walk last night and definitely counted it!
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
    I say record anything extra strenuous that you don't normally do. I would say don't bother recording anything that took less than 15 minutes. Also, MFP is known for over estimating, so it's better if you don't put in the entire workout anyway or don't eat back all your calories.
  • marissa4354
    marissa4354 Posts: 140
    It depends on the "lifestyle" you filled out in the beginning: sedentary, light, moderate, etc. Based on this is based on what I record. I put sedentary cause I sit in an office all day. so when I go for a 15 minute walk, I record it. When I walk up and down the stairs to the mailroom, I don't. Just depends.

    Hope this helped.
  • clw_888
    clw_888 Posts: 157 Member
    It depends on the "lifestyle" you filled out in the beginning: sedentary, light, moderate, etc. Based on this is based on what I record. I put sedentary cause I sit in an office all day. so when I go for a 15 minute walk, I record it. When I walk up and down the stairs to the mailroom, I don't.


    Same here! I record anything that is purposeful exercise, taking walks or doing calisthenics. Any activity that is a part of my normal daily routine that I have been doing for awhile...I don't record.
  • AHealthierRhonda
    AHealthierRhonda Posts: 881 Member
    It depends on the lifestyle choice you made on MFP as others have said. I log things that are above and beyond my normal everyday routine. When I play running games or dance with my daycare kids I log it in as exercise, if I do it for more than 20 minutes at a time. I don't count everyday cleaning as exercise or everyday walking around and lifiting things and kids up and down,....
  • rfcollins33
    rfcollins33 Posts: 630
    i do not record walks (unless they are long and meant for exercise), cleaning, or anything I would do everyday anyway. I see a lot of people do, but I think all that is pretty much included in your BMR calculation, so I don't add it. I think I'd be cheating myself if I did. That's the thing, I'm not hurting anyone but myself trying to cut corners and make my calories allowed number higher than it should be. Just me though, everyone does it their way.
  • everyoung
    everyoung Posts: 67 Member
    I'm so helpless, unless I really worked out, I hardly record anything, small walks in the park, walk to the library, or 2 miles to my sis's house, I don't record it. I guess I should do a better job.
  • bethany41h
    bethany41h Posts: 218
    I chose sedentary on mine so I try to add anything that wouldn't be included in that. If it gets my heart rate up or makes me break a sweat... and its longer than say, 15 minutes... I add it :)
  • stephierae25
    stephierae25 Posts: 60
    I agree with Marrisa as well. I did moderate because I work part-time and have a toddler at home so I only log when I am actually working out. Hope this helps! :)
  • cat3nv
    cat3nv Posts: 389 Member
    It depends on what your settings are. I am a SAHM and I have my settings set to no activity. Sometimes I am super busy and never sit, but I am also a full time student and spend 2 days a week sitting in class and then I spend time sitting doing homework.

    I do not count my walking at the grocery store, or from class to class. I do however count some of my chores. Laundry makes me sweaty and exhausted so I count that.

    Sorry for rambling....... Check your setting and see if you should add it in or if it is already accounted for.

    Good luck!
  • Nomomush
    Nomomush Posts: 582 Member
    I don't count normal daily life activities only because it's already counted for when you enter your level activity while setting your goals. I feel that it's like writing your name on your homework...it's already part of what you do ...no need to get extra credit for it. right?
  • ♥_Ellybean_♥
    ♥_Ellybean_♥ Posts: 1,646 Member
    I only record Exercise done over a period of time... Ie @ the gym, a walk (intentional), bike ride etc.

    I do not record daily chores, things done @ work, or just general life movements ...
  • stitcherbeth
    stitcherbeth Posts: 52
    i do not record walks (unless they are long and meant for exercise), cleaning, or anything I would do everyday anyway. I see a lot of people do, but I think all that is pretty much included in your BMR calculation, so I don't add it. I think I'd be cheating myself if I did. That's the thing, I'm not hurting anyone but myself trying to cut corners and make my calories allowed number higher than it should be. Just me though, everyone does it their way.

    I agree.

    I wear my heart rate monitor when I intend to count it as exercise and then only record it if I hit over 150 calories. That puts my brain in exercise mode and I am focused. Otherwise, I feel like it is the ups and downs of daily routine. I would be over recording if I claimed it. I think of any extra movement that is above and beyond the daily routine that is not seriously major as extra padding if I mess up and don't record calories...like when I am tasting food when I am cooking or didn't measure correctly.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    I don't count anything other than intentional exercise. Even if I spend all day walking around a shopping mall or an amusement park, I don't go home and record that in my journal. I just know in my head that I burned more calories that day than usual. But that's just how I like to do it. I definitely think it's okay to record walking your dog, even if it's something you do every day, as long as it feels like actual exercise and it's not just a leisurely stroll.
  • Windi38
    Windi38 Posts: 164 Member
    I put down Sedentary as my life-style, so if I do anything that is longer than about 15 minutes and actually gets my heart rate up, I plan on recording it. I spent time last night pulling out all the plants out of an overgrown flower bed, about 45 minutes, and it was definitely 'work', so I added it. Estimated 150 calories since the program tried to give me 270 for 45 minutes of gardening, and I know I didn't burn THAT many! But I wasn't going to not record it, since it's definitely not something I do on a regular basis.

    Someone else mentioned that the program tends to over estimate calories, and I agree with them on that. I have a HR monitor and there is definitely a discrepancy between what my HR says and what the pre-sets say. Like hiking, the preset tried to give me 670 calories, but my HR monitor said 385! that's a lot of calories, you know? So, if you are only using the pre-set numbers for your exercises, maybe it's better to not record the 'little things'. I wish I had worn my HRM while I was pulling those weeds! :) I will today, I've still got half the bed left to do.

    Plus, I don't know about you, but I'm trying hard to count all my food intake, but I'm sure I'm probably underestimating some, and so I'd rather under-record my exercise calories and hopefully that'll off-set me under-recording my food diary! :)
  • djhavoc
    djhavoc Posts: 43
    I stopped recording my weight training because it doesn't calculate how many calories are burned during it I only record my cardio/treadmill workouts.
  • BrodiesMom2008
    BrodiesMom2008 Posts: 27
    I work in an office and sit all day, so I picked the lowest amount of daily exercise, but I do have a big dog (golden/husky cross) and we go for walks every day and now that the weather is nice i take my son on bike ride (again where i walk/jog along side him) every day that it is nice enough outside. and they usually are 30-60min because we'll go to the park and run around for a bit too. but it's not unusual, it's like a regular thing, so i guess don't record it?
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    i do not record walks (unless they are long and meant for exercise), cleaning, or anything I would do everyday anyway. I see a lot of people do, but I think all that is pretty much included in your BMR calculation, so I don't add it.

    Actually, MFP specifically states that your BMR calculation does not include calories burned through exercise or normal daily activities. It includes only the calories burned as your body performs its basic functions, like breathing, pumping blood, digesting food, etc.
  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
    Hi,
    I only recording walking that I do intentionally....since that is my main form of exercise. I also walk an additional three miles or so, just in the course of my day (that I do not record). A couple of weeks ago, I did include cleaning, because I was up/moving/busy all day long.
    Kaye
  • rfcollins33
    rfcollins33 Posts: 630
    i do not record walks (unless they are long and meant for exercise), cleaning, or anything I would do everyday anyway. I see a lot of people do, but I think all that is pretty much included in your BMR calculation, so I don't add it.

    Actually, MFP specifically states that your BMR calculation does not include calories burned through exercise or normal daily activities. It includes only the calories burned as your body performs its basic functions, like breathing, pumping blood, digesting food, etc.


    Yes, that is correct. I guess a more accurate way of saying what I meant would be that it would be calculated in when you tell mfp your lifestyle type. So, as the other posters have said if you have sedentary, then maybe you'd want to add that 15 minute walk, but if you have that you have an active lifestyle, you wouldn't add a 15 min walk. As I said further into my comment, it's just what works for me. Sounds like most share the same view. Anyways, thanks for the correction. :)
  • cupajoe
    cupajoe Posts: 155
    I only record things that are meant to be exercise. For example...I walked to the park and played with the kids yesterday, but didn't record that. I went for a 5+ mile walk that night and that I recorded. I figure that I don't measure my food exactly and am probably off on my calorie count...so it will even out in the end?
  • Maxylicious
    Maxylicious Posts: 226 Member
    If i don't do it with the intention to 'exercise', then i don't log it as 'exercise'.

    Also, i like knowing that I've burned more calorie walking and doing household stuff than i recorded. It makes me less worried about all the little extras i randomly eat during the day and don't log, like gum, sweetners, or that extra teaspoon of milk in my hot cocoa....:wink:
  • JohnnyNull
    JohnnyNull Posts: 294 Member
    I record stuff that I put a different outfit on to do. Well, most of that. Walking does not count, IMO.
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
    I generally don't record my exercise. I use my HRM and get a calorie burn and adjust my intake, but I don't bother to record it here. It is uploaded to the polar site for my review so I don't see that it adds anything to type it in here......
  • SKP1986
    SKP1986 Posts: 392 Member
    I put in my lifestyle as sedentary because I write, which means sitting on my butt for quite a lot of time. I log anything that is over 15 minutes and outside of my normal routine. I don't usually log things like cleaning and such, but if I go on an hour walk with my dog, I log it. For me, it depends on the length and intensity of the exercise I do.
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