What should be tracked as exercise?
mcge1580
Posts: 2 Member
What activities should you include under exerciser. I am sure there is some element of accounted for exercise and movement in the alloted dietary value. So do you things like grocery shopping, walking at work etc.
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I only do what i log on my Polar FT7 HRM watch when i work out all of the other stuff i do everyday anyways (walking to work, walking at work, walking home ect) so i dont count it!0
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For me I log shopping because it is not in my normal. Basically I log anything that isn't something I would do everyday. My exception would be if I am doing vigorous house cleaning.0
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daily tasks are accounted for within your activity level. For instance, if you think you do as much walking daily as a waiter/waitress, you would put down Active as your activity level. The only thing you should be putting into the exercise section is purposeful exercise, such as running, lifting, swimming, or even walking. (and by walking I dont mean walking around a store or things like that, I mean walking as in, you go on a walk around the block with the sole intention to just exercise, rather than go somewhere.)0
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NVastlik93 wrote: »daily tasks are accounted for within your activity level. For instance, if you think you do as much walking daily as a waiter/waitress, you would put down Active as your activity level. The only thing you should be putting into the exercise section is purposeful exercise, such as running, lifting, swimming, or even walking. (and by walking I dont mean walking around a store or things like that, I mean walking as in, you go on a walk around the block with the sole intention to just exercise, rather than go somewhere.)
I agree with this. If I wind up walking around the mall randomly one day, I don't log it. It's just a natural fluctuation in my energy expenditure. But if I set out to go for a walk on top of my normally scheduled exercise and it's specifically being done for exercise purposes, such that I'd be monitoring speed or... something, then I'd log it. I don't log exercise thouhg, I account for it in my average intake needs. Any extra unplanned exercise will get logged if it's excessive enough to be worth logging.0 -
If it's a workout, I would log it. If it is part of your everyday life, I wouldn't.
Everyone makes different decisions, though. Some people even log their sleep.
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I log purposeful workouts. Any additional activity… even if it's out of the ordinary for me… I don't log. I just figure it's a bonus!0
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Purposeful workouts and SOMETIMES shopping, but only the kind where I'm hunting for shoes for 3-4 hours in 3-4 neighbourhoods (there's not a lot of trying things on either, that's speedwalking, scanning the merch and moving on). If you shop like a normal person, I wouldn't log it.0
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that all depends on what you select as your activity level on MFP.
When you select sedentary it assumes you will burn 20% on top of your BMR, lightly active is 25%, etc. etc.
MFP already assumes you'll burn extra calories throughout the day doing normal daily activities such as walking around, brushing your teeth, standing up, etc.
Im of the opinion that unless you set out to work out and it's not something you do on a daily basis it shouldn't be counted as exercise. If it's you cleaning the house or shopping i would think the calories burned from that are incredibly difficult to measure and likely not big enough to make a difference.0 -
Exercise has a widely accepted definition. Take a look at that. The activities you mentioned in the OP are not exercise.0
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Since daily activities are already accounted for when you choose your activity level, I only count purposeful exercise, like going to the gym or for a run or hike - above and beyond normal day to day stuff. I don't ever count housework or yardwork unless it is extensive and extraordinary - like a huge, all-day garage clean-up or a massive, multi-hour landscape project. Day-to-day stuff is already accounted for. 0
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My fitbit picks up all general step-based activity. In order to hit sedentary I need to walk at least 2500 to 4000 steps,dependent on intensity otherwise I get a negative adjustment on my daily calories but by the time I hit 10,000 I get an extra 350 or so calories to munch on.
I log workouts eg when I change to gym clothes, put on my HRM and go to the gym0 -
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If you don't sweat, it's not exercise0
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sheldonklein wrote: »If you don't sweat, it's not exercise
Sweat is only a sign that you are overheating and you could be exercising perfectly well without sweating. Walking counts as exercise.
I would count things over and above those included in your selected activity level.0 -
jillianedwards wrote: »I only do what i log on my Polar FT7 HRM watch when i work out all of the other stuff i do everyday anyways (walking to work, walking at work, walking home ect) so i dont count it!
This ^
Everything except my workouts are activities of daily living. Physically active people are defined as doing a minimum of 30 minutes of activity 5x a week, just to get out of the sedentary category and that's barely acceptable for general health. To get to a physically fit level you need to do a minimum of an additional 30 minutes of moderate to intense exersize at least 5x a week. The American College of Sports Medicine provides these guidelines as the bare minimum for people to attain physical wellbeing.
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There's a thread in fitness about whether to add sex ...LOL0
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sheldonklein wrote: »If you don't sweat, it's not exercise
Really? Tell that to the people in Albuquerque. I spent a week there last summer working like a dog and I don't think I saw a drop of sweat.
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I only log things that are purposeful exercise (circuit training, kickboxing, yoga, hike etc), otherwise it's all regular activity. I may make an exception for something out of the normal like snow shoveling though... that's hard work!0
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It also depends on your size and fitness level. Someone who is 500 lbs would get quite a workout just going grocery shopping, but someone who is a healthy weight and works out regularly shouldn't count that.0
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I've got a fitbit, and it is synced to my MFP profile, however I don't log any of my activities due to being so sedentary.
My husband has done P90X and Insanity and he logs his activity. If he doesn't, he ends up hungry. But those workouts burn enough that he can "eat back the calories" - and he's hungry if he doesn't.
To me, it depends on your level of activity and what sort of activity it is on whether or not to count it, or to have extra food based on it.0 -
When you are setting up your account, its asks you your normal daily level of activity? Ie an office working, a builder etc. Its already accounted for0
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I only log my activity as exercise when I put on a sportsbra to do it and I am doing the activity to exercise.
Yes, Log it:
-Walking the dogs (3-3.5 mph without stopping, 1 mile minimum)
-Running
-Weight lifting
-Dance (lindy hop)
-Yoga
No, I Don't Log:
-Walking to get places in my life
-Walking around stores
-Yard work
-Cleaning
-Marital activities
-Taking the stairs
The reason I do not log those activities is that I am not getting my heart rate up and keeping it up. I'm maybe burning 10 more calories per hour doing those activities than I would burn just walking around my house.0 -
Exercise.0
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I log only actual workouts and *heavy* physical labor. For example, chopping wood. Other stuff is just part of whatever activity level you picked to represent your lifestyle.0
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What activities should you include under exerciser. I am sure there is some element of accounted for exercise and movement in the alloted dietary value. So do you things like grocery shopping, walking at work etc.
Nope. I log weight lifting for record keeping purposes only, but it gets one calorie (you have to put in something). The only exercise I log is cardio because my heart rate gets up and stays there for however long my session is. I use a heart rate monitor to track my calories, and thus far it's been the most accurate of every exercise burn tool I've used.
Anything else outside of cardio is generally part of your activity level.0 -
RebeccaMaunder wrote: »For me I log shopping because it is not in my normal. Basically I log anything that isn't something I would do everyday. My exception would be if I am doing vigorous house cleaning.
Really? I would say once a week shopping is in your normal activities of living and should not be logged.0 -
0somuchbetter0 wrote: »It also depends on your size and fitness level. Someone who is 500 lbs would get quite a workout just going grocery shopping, but someone who is a healthy weight and works out regularly shouldn't count that.
I never thought of that.0 -
Depends on the activity level you chose in your MFP settings. I never add back extra calories for exercise as on average they seem to be accounted for in my activity level settings. Other people seem to prefer setting their MFP setting to sedentary and then log their exercise and add back to calories. Figure out what works for you.0
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I log something I leave my normal routine for so although I walk an hour a day I don't log it as its school run so my activity level is active to count for that. If I put a dvd on or grab weights or decide to go jog I log it0
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