Pushing Stroller with Child

Brizoeller
Brizoeller Posts: 182 Member
edited October 18 in Fitness and Exercise
I have a question for the mom's(or anyone who has any idea!) out there. Almost every day i take my son on a walk/jog in the jogging stroller. I don't have a heart rate monitor, and I want to know about how many calories i am burning. I know it is more than when I walk alone, but on mfp "pushing or pulling stroller with child" doesn't burn any calories so i know that is incorrect. Any ideas? I have been logging just walking, but the stroller is 20 pounds and my son is 30 pounds, so I know i am burning more than when i am walking alone. I don't want to underestimate since I am at the point on my journey where i have to start eating more calories. Thanks so much!!

Replies

  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
    I've been curious about that too. Other sites with calorie burn calculators come up with similar numbers as mfp but I would think the fact that you are adding resistance in with your walk would up the calories? I know I have to work harder when using the stroller. I need to get a HRM because I want to know how much I'm really burning.
  • Brizoeller
    Brizoeller Posts: 182 Member
    I just know i sweat more lol. I guess there isn't a for sure way to know without a heart rate monitor. But i wanted to see if anyone had any ideas.
  • Ekoria
    Ekoria Posts: 262 Member
    This is slightly different (for starters I don't have a child!) but when I was carrying my very young collie puppy around before I could walk him I was logging this as hiking carrying a 10K weight (I think?) This definitely saw an increase in the calories I burnt (and gave me a whole new level of respect for heavily pregnant ladies trying to walk through woodlands!) I wonder if something like that would be useful to log, I bet it is much harder to walk/jog with a stroller and child!
  • Brizoeller
    Brizoeller Posts: 182 Member
    Hahah I love that you carried your collie puppy. Made me smile! Thank you for the advice :)
  • StayMe
    StayMe Posts: 12 Member
    I don't rememeber from the last time I walked and I didn't enter it here, but I will have an answer for you tomorrow :) I have a 22 lb baby girl and I will be starting back up tomorrow with her in the jogging stroller (just walking) am still healing a broken toe from 4 weeks ago. I have a HR watch/monitor and I usually walk 5K in about 54 minutes, so maybe that will help you out.

    See ya tomorrow :)
  • Brizoeller
    Brizoeller Posts: 182 Member
    You are awesome! Thanks so much. I guess i will break down and buy an HRM soon!
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
    I input "pushing or pulling stroller with child" today under exercise and it said 107 calories.
  • Brizoeller
    Brizoeller Posts: 182 Member
    I input "pushing or pulling stroller with child" today under exercise and it said 107 calories.

    Right, which is significantly lower than what it should be. I walk in an area with a lot of hills, and also at a brisk pace of almost 4.0 mph. So walking without the stroller i burn about 150 to 170 calories. So i know when i push my child in a stroller i know it is more than that. I also do the 30 DS and am trying to build muscle, so its important to me to know how many calories i am burning, so i can eat the majority back :) i just don't want to underestimate, bc when I have, I hit a plateau!
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
    I input "pushing or pulling stroller with child" today under exercise and it said 107 calories.

    Right, which is significantly lower than what it should be. I walk in an area with a lot of hills, and also at a brisk pace of almost 4.0 mph. So walking without the stroller i burn about 150 to 170 calories. So i know when i push my child in a stroller i know it is more than that. I also do the 30 DS and am trying to build muscle, so its important to me to know how many calories i am burning, so i can eat the majority back :) i just don't want to underestimate, bc when I have, I hit a plateau!

    I only broke a slight sweat and we weren't walking very fast. I plan on getting a HRM soon.
  • stephyy4632
    stephyy4632 Posts: 947 Member
    I actully burn quite abit pushing my double jogging stroller while jogging ( 70ish pounds of kids since there are two little ones in the stroller). the burn really is quite different each time I go out and the effort I put into the jog but its normaly almost double what I would burn just jogging alone.
  • urasweethart
    urasweethart Posts: 123 Member
    I went to a couple of calulators dedicated to this questiona got about the same answer each time
    but if you get a heart rate monitor it will definetly give you the closer amount

    this is from Self had me about 15 cals more then the second was still close:

    http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/caloriesburned/pushing_stroller

    this is the Myfitnesspal calulator:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/calories-burned/pushing-or-pulling-stroller-with-child-106

    hope these help.
  • urasweethart
    urasweethart Posts: 123 Member
    http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/caloriesburned/pushing_stroller
  • Ekoria
    Ekoria Posts: 262 Member
    Hahah I love that you carried your collie puppy. Made me smile! Thank you for the advice :)

    Lol your welcome :)
  • StayMe
    StayMe Posts: 12 Member
    OK here are the numbers. I weigh 169 lbs and am 41 years old. Pushing a Jogging Stroller with a 22 lb baby at approx. 3.5 mph for 60 minutes I burned 521 calories.
  • Brizoeller
    Brizoeller Posts: 182 Member
    OK here are the numbers. I weigh 169 lbs and am 41 years old. Pushing a Jogging Stroller with a 22 lb baby at approx. 3.5 mph for 60 minutes I burned 521 calories.

    Wow. Yeah I need an HRM. I push a 29 pound baby for about a half hour and have been been entering about 170 calories, except for yesterday i upped it. I am 25 and weigh 145, so I still have been under. Any reccomendations on a good HRM? off topic i know!
  • Val_from_OH
    Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
    I use the one for walking carrying an infant or 15 lb load. Of course my stroller + 30lb kid weighs a lot more than 15 lbs, but it has wheels :-)
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    I would say it only burns significantly more calories if your going up hills or the child is very heavy - when my kids were in strollers, I had nice ones that rolled very easily and it was like nothing pushing them around in it.......unless the pushing is making you short of breath I doubt it changes much.....
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
    Yes, HRM is your best bet! I can run 4 miles, pretty easily and at a pretty good pace. But, when I have to push that stroller with my 40lb son; it's brutal!

    I have the Polar FT7 HRM and love it! I use apps on my iphone to tell me my pace & distance. If you don't have a smart phone, you can buy a HRM that has built in GPS. I think Garmin makes good ones.
  • Brizoeller
    Brizoeller Posts: 182 Member
    I would say it only burns significantly more calories if your going up hills or the child is very heavy - when my kids were in strollers, I had nice ones that rolled very easily and it was like nothing pushing them around in it.......unless the pushing is making you short of breath I doubt it changes much.....

    From what i hear with an HRM, it does burn significantly more. Yes a lot of hills are involved. So definitely makes me more out of breath pushing a heavy load up a hill. An article in a parenting magazine said you can actually burn over 100 calories in 10 minutes pushing a stroller! And i have a nice jogging stroller, doesn't make much of a difference though when a child is placed in it.
  • classc1
    classc1 Posts: 42 Member
    I would highly recommend the Polar FT4 HRM. I've had mine for a few weeks now and it seems very accurate. I use it when I run with my 30lb toddler in her jogging stroller. It was one of the best purchases I've made because now I feel more comfortable eating back all those exercise calories without worrying about going over.
  • StayMe
    StayMe Posts: 12 Member
    my HRM is a sporstline. I recommend one with a chest belt. they seem to be more accurate. it was a little uncorfortable at first but once i get moving i forget I have it on.

    each person calories burned are different according to they body size and levelof fitness. so a HRM would definately help you track your calories burned properly.
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    I have a BOB Revolution SE stroller and absolutely love it...i too was wondering how to figure the calories burned when I take him for walks. He's 28 pounds....Can anyone suggest a cheap heart rate moniter that works well?
  • 1fitkimberly
    1fitkimberly Posts: 1 Member
    I could really use the help as well. I typically run a 10-min-mile with my two children in the double jogger. My children combined weigh about 45 lbs. and the double jogger is about 32 lbs. However, just entering "pushing child in stroller" will not cut it, and neither will simply entering "running a 10-min-mile"... Does anyone know the best way to calculate my true calories burned?
  • FrazierSamuel
    FrazierSamuel Posts: 45 Member
    It really depends where you are walking or jogging as well. I wear a heart rate monitor and usually aim for a three mile walk at about 3.5 Mph. Pushing the stroller on a gravel trail around the lake can increase the calorie burn by almost 50% compared to sidewalks around the neighbourhood. Up and down hills makes a huge difference as well.
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