Gardening as exercise

LibbyF65
LibbyF65 Posts: 6 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Since spring is finally here--thank goodness, I have a gardening as exercise question. I am already spending a lot of time weeding dandelions. Does that really count towards calories consumed as defined by the exercise board. Or should I only be counting mowing the lawn, especially since I have a push mower?!

Thanks.

Replies

  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
    What do you have your daily activities set to? Sedentary? Active?
  • SarahWrittenThin
    SarahWrittenThin Posts: 595 Member
    I count weeding the garden into mine but I have my settings as sedentary for right now because I'm either in class or doing homework most of the day everyday. So when I take a break to go outside I count my activities.
  • Momma24
    Momma24 Posts: 589 Member
    I think it would depend on your daily activities setting. Also, I would def count lawn mowing. I count house cleaning when I do deep cleaning.
  • muth3rluvx2
    muth3rluvx2 Posts: 1,156 Member
    weeding can burn some serious cals. I count all my yard work as I'm rarely doing just one thing and will spend some time hauling rocks, some time weeding, and some time shoveling.... so for me, it's kind of a no brainer.

    and I'm like the other poster - a full time student on my butt wayyyyy too much.
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    I don't count any of that. Cleaning, washing the car, weeding.....Mowing the lawn with a push mower - sure, I woudln't think gardening.
    I usually only count walks, time in the gym, or a sport.
    But that's just me.
  • redgrandma
    redgrandma Posts: 15 Member
    I do a lot of gardening but only count things that are over and above my normal activity, I put myself down as moderately active so that assumes a certain level of housework and gardening.

    I only add gardening as extra exercise it I have done some really heavy work like digging, mowing a big area etc, just weeding a flowerbed would not count.
    Its the same with house work, I don't count the normal household chores, but only if I am doing something really energetic.

    Stick with the gardening, its really a lovely relaxing thing to do, how ever many calories it uses up.
  • DeBlue
    DeBlue Posts: 254 Member
    Weeding and other gardening work is HARD labor if you are really getting after it. Yes by all means count it!
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    I personally don't count any of it- house cleaning, weeding, lawn mowing. Maybe if I took on another big landscaping project I would count it, but to me, those are all things I did before and are part of life. I also don't count the typical 10-15 flights of stairs I take every day, but if I go over, then I count them. But, if you're a sedentary person who gets minimal exercise, it might be ok to count. If your weight loss stalls, I would stop counting it and see what happens.
  • DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo
    DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo Posts: 296
    I do a LOT of it yet I dont count it as anything but extra..... I am listed as sedentary

    If I dont do it in a gym, on a path, in front of a DVD or in a class, I dont count it....
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
    i'm a gardener and i don't count it (unless i'm turning over soil w/ a shovel for like an hour - that's a strength workout for sure). if gardening was such a great workout my grandma would have been a world-class athlete.

    but hey, it's activity and every little bit helps!
  • 3ur3ka
    3ur3ka Posts: 230 Member
    I only count it if I spend most of the day outside and on the go...and I usually cut the time in half. I spent about 6-7 hours pulling weeds, cutting branches, dodging mosquitodactyls, and stuff like that.. I think I logged it as 2 hours.
  • sandynx820
    sandynx820 Posts: 23 Member
    I count it....heck yeah! I live in Florida and since this is the first year I have ever done any weeding, etc., it is new activity for me and has to beat my old favorite activity...napping! Anyway, it is 90 degrees here and very humid too, so when working in the garden I sweat just as much as during any other exercise I do. But then again, I try not to eat ANY of my exercise calories so maybe that helps a little!
  • light_shimmer
    light_shimmer Posts: 118 Member
    Some links just for fun. Gardening has recently become my favorite thing to do, and I'll be darned if anyone's gonna tell me it's not a workout! :) (course...this winter kicked my butt and I'm really out of shape, so anything counts at this point)


    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/145818/the_amazing_health_benefits_of_gardening.html?cat=51

    http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=453

    http://web.extension.illinois.edu/champaign/homeowners/050103.html
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    I count it when I have a sense that I will get my heartrate up...ie pushmower....not weeding...I did count thatching the yard...prepping the garden my expanding it 4 feet etc...not planting seeds or a few plants as I am sitting and not breaking a sweat...kwim?...you know if your exertion is above normal exertion...when it is count...when not...I think you know the answer
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    Weeding is great exercise, you're constantly bending down - and if you have dandelions, bamboo or couch grass to pull up, you can count it as strength training too LOL (not recommended, great way of destroying your back, and doesn't do a great job anyway.

    As for digging, it's a fabulous exercise. When I had my allotment I did a lot of digging, and was pretty strong and fit at that time. :)
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