Why doesn't my exercise count?
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popcorn7225 wrote: »Count it! Just because you aren't building new muscle, being as it is an activity level your body is accustomed to, doesn't mean you aren't burning a ton of calories still. It sounds like you are counting it for the cardio, just like a runner, rower, etc would, which you absolutely should. Many people on here are very focused on increasing their athletic capabilities, and forget that not everyone needs to do that to make a realistic weight loss goal.
You aren't burning TONS of calories doing dressage.
You may burn a fair bit- but it's not tons.
Even when I was racing endurance (which is literally ALL DAY in all kinds of elements) I wasn't burning tons.
Yes it's work. But no- it's probably not as much work as you think. I also would never consider riding to be exercise. I acknowledge that it's physical work- but I wouldn't' count it as exercise.
I would gladly exercise to support my riding- and make me a better athlete- but I wouldn't' count riding as exercise- it's not- it's work- but it's not exercise.
No I don't think I burn a TON I think I burn 500 - TEE for that hour. I also feel like I''m burning before I ride and after and I don't even consider them.
The other question I have is.....there are many people who ride 5-10 horses a day. While most of them are a healthy weight what must they be eating to counter balance all that exercise?
I used to ride more than that a day. Part of my 'training' was working the stables' lesson horses, usually bareback. Then I got to ride my horses, and then any of the green-broke horses that the trainer wanted exercised that day, but didn't want to do himself.
Truthfully, it doesn't burn much more than walking at a moderate pace. Probably doesn't even burn that much because you are sitting up there and not supporting a good portion of your own weight, regardless of muscle tension and perceived effort. In order to lose weight back then, I still had to significantly reduce calories (under the guise of a 'performance' diet plan - i.e. eat only grilled chicken breast, fish, occasionally bread, and steamed veg for months).
What you have to remember is that higher perceived effort doesn't necessarily mean you're burning more calories. It's an easy mistake to make.
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I'm going to sum this up as best I can.
1. Since you put sedentary into your goals, yes you should log the calories burned while horseback riding in my opinion.
2. A heart rate monitor is in no way, shape, or form an accurate device for measuring calorie burns during a horseback riding session. They are designed for steady state cardio, which this is not.
3. 500 is too many calories burned for an hour on horse back. I understand that it is work and that you work hard doing it, but that does not mean you burn a ton of calories doing it. You said you don't eat your exercise calories back so it doesn't matter anyway how much you are burning.0 -
Sweat is not a good indicator of calories burned. In fact, people who live in a warm climate and do the exact same exercise as someone in a cool climate burn fewer calories even though they sweat more profusely.
I burn about 500 calories cycling at around 18 mph. You aren't burning 500 calories sitting on a horse. You are probably working your core but it's not an intense cardio workout. Anyway, what difference does it make? If you feel good doing what you're doing and are in good health overall, who cares what a HRM says?0 -
I wouldn't' count riding as exercise- it's not- it's work- but it's not exercise.
I think you're getting hung up on semantics. If it makes you feel better, we can call it a "calorie burning endeavor". But the bottom line is, physical activity burns calories. What you call it doesn't matter. If you haven't accounted for those activities in your activity level, then you *can* add calories onto your day. While not everyone actually does this, that is how this site/app is set up. I personally find it motivating to be able to eat more on days I have more physical activity.
typing on a keyboard burns calories to- but I don't think anyone in their right mind is considering it "exercise"
if you're a vaulter... or you're a ballast on a obstacle course buggie- then yeah- I could buy "exercise" because there is without any question your'e going to be working your *kitten* off.
If you're 'just' riding (and I do say that not to be snarky) then it's not really exercise. but I agree- if you're trying to keep track of things- you need to be aware of where your calories are going.
i'm in dance class anywhere from 10-15 hours a week- I pretty much only log it to note that I did it- I log NOT calories burned for it (well 1) because despite the fact i'm working my butt off- it's still not typically burning calories like exercise is.I'm going to sum this up as best I can.
1. Since you put sedentary into your goals, yes you should log the calories burned while horseback riding in my opinion.
2. A heart rate monitor is in no way, shape, or form an accurate device for measuring calorie burns during a horseback riding session. They are designed for steady state cardio, which this is not.
3. 500 is too many calories burned for an hour on horse back. I understand that it is work and that you work hard doing it, but that does not mean you burn a ton of calories doing it. You said you don't eat your exercise calories back so it doesn't matter anyway how much you are burning
this is an excellent summation quiet honestly.0 -
I'm going to sum this up as best I can.
1. Since you put sedentary into your goals, yes you should log the calories burned while horseback riding in my opinion.
2. A heart rate monitor is in no way, shape, or form an accurate device for measuring calorie burns during a horseback riding session. They are designed for steady state cardio, which this is not.
3. 500 is too many calories burned for an hour on horse back. I understand that it is work and that you work hard doing it, but that does not mean you burn a ton of calories doing it. You said you don't eat your exercise calories back so it doesn't matter anyway how much you are burning.
all of that
honestly, if you do it every day, I would include it in my daily activity level- and set it at active. You can always adjust it if you are losing to quick or slow for the goals you input.
I'm actually pretty active (even though I have mine set as sedentary) and I dont count anything other than deliberate exercise - so horseback riding, gardening, yard work, being in the pool, moving heavy things.... none of it I count, even though between it and running around taking care of an old man and disabled husband, 2 homes and 3 kids... I'm rarely still (at least it feels that way!). but those are all things i did BEFORE changing my lifestyle to lose weight. I Did all those things and was still fat, ergo, it doesn't help me in my fitness journey.... and doesn't get counted as exercise.0 -
I'm going to sum this up as best I can.
1. Since you put sedentary into your goals, yes you should log the calories burned while horseback riding in my opinion.
2. A heart rate monitor is in no way, shape, or form an accurate device for measuring calorie burns during a horseback riding session. They are designed for steady state cardio, which this is not.
3. 500 is too many calories burned for an hour on horse back. I understand that it is work and that you work hard doing it, but that does not mean you burn a ton of calories doing it. You said you don't eat your exercise calories back so it doesn't matter anyway how much you are burning.
Thanks everyone for the feedback but it looks like I'm in the same position I was at the beginning.
No. I try not to eat back the calories but I kind of like to know I have them if I want to have a beer/wine whatever. Because I need to give my horse a day or two off was week I like to know what I stand with weekly calories.
What makes you think that this is not steady state cardio? Just curious. How many calories do you think would sound normal for an hr vs sitting at a desk for an hour?
I've already restricted calories so that's not the issue. The issue is I like to know what's going on as best as I can. That is what helps me to stay on track. I'll never be a runner or weight lifter it's just not my personality. I do swim but have no way to measure cal burned doing that either.
There aren't too many fat riders so there must be something to it. Even the lifestyle is conducive to burning calories. The reason I got into trouble is just eating anything I want and only riding 1 horse a day.
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This site lists horseback riding as an activity under the Sports & Recreation category. After inputting my specific data and adding 60 minutes of trotting, it figured I would burn 529 calories. I tried it for walking - 4mph for 60 minutes and it came back with 421 calories. Walking at that pace feels more difficult than posting but maybe that's because my body is 'used' to riding.
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc0 -
I did the calculator too and it gave me 700 an hr but my HRM is only clocking 500. Not sure how accurate either are. Today I swam for 20 min after riding. I was no where near as winded or as tired from swimming as I am from riding. Someone above stated about that bc they don't feel I'm supporting my own weight that it's not getting the full benefit of working out. I must def am supporting my own weight. A true rider never sits like a sack of potatoes. And if that was the case then how is riding a bicycle or swimming any different?
For those that don't ride I can only describe riding as this. Imagine you're sitting on the horse. There is a big guy in front of you, a big guy behind you and a big guy on either side of you. Now imagine all of these guys pushing and pulling you in rapid succession for an hour straight. One guy may pull pull pulll and then PUSH. Or push push push and then pull. You just never know what direction you're going to get pushed or pulled and you must not let them take you off balance. Now imagine that whole scenario moving up and down and forward while you try to to let any of the guys get you off the horse. That's what riding feels like. It's not easy. You do get winded and you are using muscles.
I'm going to experiment more with walking, swimming, biking and riding and see which one really is most demanding. I know some of the people who just don't get it will be rolling their eyes and thinking "ugh you're just sitting there" but trust me.....it's a lot more than that and that's probably why you don't see heavy people riding at the top of the sport.0 -
I'm not going to suggest that riding isn't tough or that it isn't a sport, but since you keep tossing around the "why you don't see heavy people riding at the top of the sport," I'm going to suggest the obvious alternative. The people at the top of the sport likely run smaller because it's in the best interest of the horse (or at least makes for optimal performance by the combination of horse/rider).
Stop trying to compare riding to steady state cardio. It's different. You're not going to find an accurate comparison between running or swimming and riding, because there isn't one to find. That doesn't mean that riding isn't work, or it isn't difficult, or it isn't exercise. It simply means that you shouldn't compare the two.
I wouldn't compare lifting with running either. Different is different.
Riding isn't some magical, high-end exercise that creates super athletes no matter how many times you try to suggest that to be the case. If you don't want to run or lift or whatever, then don't do them. No one is trying to force you to do anything, but you're not going to get anywhere pretending that what you're doing now will somehow cover those same areas for you.
Have you tried talking to other riders about this issue? I imagine that you'll find that people who possess this body type you keep talking about in this topic put a fair amount of work into it when they're not on a horse.
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I'm well aware of why there aren't heavy people at the top of the sport and yes....1 is the welfare of the horse and to obtain optimal results and 2 the physical demands keep people thin.
I don't think I was trying to compare riding to steady cardio but I do believe there is def cardio involved for a portion of the ride which doesn't make it a magical high-end exercise that creates super athletes rather I was asking why this form is exercise doesn't count as exercise. I'm not sure that has been answered.
I realize no one is forcing me to do anything I'm simply trying to find some form of exercise that I can do to reach my weight loss goals and while I understand why some would think that it's "just sitting there" I just don't understand why it wouldn't be beneficial to me just as swimming is to a swimmer or biking is to a cycler.
No I haven't spoken to other riders and yes I agree they do (put a fair amount of work into it outside of riding). As do I (maybe not as much as they do bc I work full time at a desk (and they more than likely do this for a living) but there is still a good amount of daily work that goes into it that I'm not even considering as exercise.
Just to be clear.....I'm not so overweight that I'm threatening the welfare of my horse.0 -
Also, I wanted to add.....I'm not trying to argue until I win. I'm just trying to understand.0
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Lifelong rider -- gaited, western, trail, huntseat, eventing, dressage -- though I've never obtained upper level anything.
Riding absolutely is exercise and anyone who claims differently has never ridden beyond leadline or guided trails on near-dead horses. And, yes, I would say it IS steady-state cardio. Twenty minutes of posting gets and keeps my heartrate as high as if I was walking briskly on a treadmill.
Personally, I'm not counting calories - food or exercise - right now, in part, because of the variation in what various sites and my HRM claimed I was burning. I am a bit of a control freak; I like things to be concrete. That variation drove me nuts. So, I stopped counting. I focus on the way I feel, the way my clothes fit, and the way I perform in the saddle. To get the results I want, in addition to riding, I lift weights and I walk.
I think what others might be trying to express, though, is that if you're not seeing results doing what you're doing (monitoring food intake and riding), you might want to consider changing something. If you really want to count calories, I suggest picking one method of determining calories and ignoring everything else (including other people). It doesn't matter what you use to measure, as long as you use the same method. (If you're doing cavaletti work, do you take a tape measure and mark off the distances with it or do you pace them off using your own stride length? As long as the striding is consistent and correct for your horse, does it really matter?) Monitor your results for a couple weeks and adjust if you need to make a change0 -
Here4Cookies wrote: »
Personally, I'm not counting calories - food or exercise - right now, in part, because of the variation in what various sites and my HRM claimed I was burning. I am a bit of a control freak; I like things to be concrete. That variation drove me nuts.
Can I ask you which was reading out higher in your variations? The HRM or the online calculators?
Also, were your HRMs consistent ride after ride or did it show substantial variations?
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What if you just set your account for highly active? You get more calories.0
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its just sitting on a moving chair. Should i get exercise calories for riding my motorcycle?0
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You're better off just adjusting your activity level IMO. If you do plan on logging it as exercise while you're at sedentary, only eat half back because MFP is overestimated and your HRM isn't going to be an accurate guide either since you aren't in a steady state cardio. The best way to judge whether or not it's working is to see if your deficit matches up with the weight loss. It's trial and error for all of us.
Also, I'd be careful about judging calories burned based off the ease of doing one exercise compared to the other. Swimming is far easier than running for me. But I burn more calories swimming. Lifting is more physically exhausting for me but I burn more running.0 -
I ride hunter/jumper. Yes it is a cardio workout, but when I put it in my tracker for an hour it only burns roughly 300 calories. I do it between 3-5 days a week. And I try to get as many horses as I can. I also work a desk job and pretty much sit for 12 hours a day, plus I'm a part time student.... lots and lots of sitting. I was pretty overweight... 180 lbs (now I am 154 lbs). I was told by my horse's vet I needed to slim down. So that's what I'm doing. I track my food very closely and I try and get to the gym 3-4 days a week. I run intervals and I lift weights. My friend (who is also my gym buddy) has an active job, runs, lifts weights and rides between 4-5 horses 6 days a week, along with watching her food (And she loses MAYBE a pound a week). Some of us ride competitively and my trainer tells us all the time riding isn't enough. The more you run the better it will be for your riding... the more you lift the better it will be for your riding... Yesterday because I couldn't get to the gym I took my stirrups off my saddle for my 30 minute hack. Though I completely agree that riding is cardio it just isn't enough, especially if you are only riding one horse a day. I also find it helps to remind myself that I am doing this for my horse. I want him to be able to be in his best shape... and therefore I must do all that I can to be in my best shape... My friend and I frequently go to the gym after we ride even if it is just for 20-30 minutes instead of our usual 60.0
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its just sitting on a moving chair. Should i get exercise calories for riding my motorcycle?
LOL! I've never ridden a motorcycle but it is slightly different than a moving chair. You don't have to worry about your chair using its eject button because a plastic bag just flew by! And your motorcycle has a motor and an accelerator. Our gas pedal is our legs and our seat. If you just sit there... well... the horse will just stand there and you won't be going anywhere. I get what your saying but its much more physical than that.0 -
popcorn7225 wrote: »I'm well aware of why there aren't heavy people at the top of the sport and yes....1 is the welfare of the horse and to obtain optimal results and 2 the physical demands keep people thin.
I don't think I was trying to compare riding to steady cardio but I do believe there is def cardio involved for a portion of the ride which doesn't make it a magical high-end exercise that creates super athletes rather I was asking why this form is exercise doesn't count as exercise. I'm not sure that has been answered.
I realize no one is forcing me to do anything I'm simply trying to find some form of exercise that I can do to reach my weight loss goals and while I understand why some would think that it's "just sitting there" I just don't understand why it wouldn't be beneficial to me just as swimming is to a swimmer or biking is to a cycler.
No I haven't spoken to other riders and yes I agree they do (put a fair amount of work into it outside of riding). As do I (maybe not as much as they do bc I work full time at a desk (and they more than likely do this for a living) but there is still a good amount of daily work that goes into it that I'm not even considering as exercise.
Just to be clear.....I'm not so overweight that I'm threatening the welfare of my horse.
Look, no one is saying riding isn't strenous or that it isn't giving you a bit of a cardio workout. I'm sure it's better than sitting in a chair. What we're saying is that there is no way to accurately determine the amount of calories you are burning by riding. Do you weigh all of the food that you eat all the time? If not, you can't possibly quantify how much weight loss is attributable to riding, if any. HRMs won't do you a bit of good. They are tools that give a very rough estimate for specific types of exercise (riding is not one of them).
I don't know how we can make this any clearer to you.
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Ok. I'm just going to thank those of you who contributed in a constructive way and ignore the guy who said it's the same as sitting in a chair. Pretty funny to hear people speak of something they know nothing of.
I've only just started tracking 2 weeks ago. Almost 10lbs down since I've started. I'm not hungry and I feel good. If I eat back any calories it's normally only half as someone above suggested. So far it's working for me. Who knows maybe in a few months I'll have to add more to my routine but for now I'm going to stick with whats working.Here4Cookies wrote: »
Personally, I'm not counting calories - food or exercise - right now, in part, because of the variation in what various sites and my HRM claimed I was burning. I am a bit of a control freak; I like things to be concrete. That variation drove me nuts.
Can I ask you which was reading out higher in your variations? The HRM or the online calculators?
Also, were your HRMs consistent ride after ride or did it show substantial variations?
I can't speak for Here4cookies but the online calculator is way higher than the HRM and the HRM is very consistent depending on how hard I'm working on that particular day. On average it's 500 cal an hr of strenous riding. Today (bc I have a long weekend planned riding) I rode for 30 min and it registered 300. I am only counting 250 just to ease my mind.
Here4cookies: I really appreciate your post. I know exactly what you mean. As long as it's working stick with it.
I don't set my activity level as high bc I'm a control freak and it would drive me nuts. I'd rather see that I'm earning calories.
Terar21: How do you know how many cals you burn swimming?
cc3383: I totally agree. Anything I do outside of riding will def be felt as a benefit in my riding. I'm working on it. It's just time consuming when I'm spending 3hrs at the barn as it is.its just sitting on a moving chair. Should i get exercise calories for riding my motorcycle?
LOL! I've never ridden a motorcycle but it is slightly different than a moving chair. You don't have to worry about your chair using its eject button because a plastic bag just flew by! And your motorcycle has a motor and an accelerator. Our gas pedal is our legs and our seat. If you just sit there... well... the horse will just stand there and you won't be going anywhere. I get what your saying but its much more physical than that.
Yea it would be similar to riding a motorcycle....... on a trampoline,,,,, with roller skates,...... down a pot hole filled road and people trying to push you off in every direction. Good luck with that csman49.
Yes I weigh my food, yes some weight loss is going to be contributed to riding DevilsFan. And I'm crystal clear. Thanks!
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