How to estimate calories/carbs burned

wesj43 · July 2015

I do some gardening every day. The "general" selection works fine for most stuff. However, 3 - 4 days a week, I shovel 3 to 4 contractor wheel barrows of dirt and rocks around. This involves a lot of digging, transporting, dumping and leveling.

I have been scratching my head trying to figure out some way to estimate the burn rate.

Does anyone have any ideas??

Wes

editorgrrl · July 2015

Work (including house work, yard work and child care) is part of your activity level, and should not be logged as exercise.

Work = activity level. Workouts = exercise.

Increase your activity level, give it a few weeks, then reevaluate your progress.

cwolfman13 · July 2015

I include stuff like that in my activity level. Like I have a desk job, but I also have a 5 y.o. and a 3 y.o. and a good acre to tend to as well as a home...there's always something needing fixed or cleaned or cooked, etc...so while I have a desk job, I'm still "light active" without deliberate exercise.

you're never going to be able to accurately estimate calorie burns for that.

wesj43 · July 2015

Thanks for your reply.

I don't know about anyone else, but I consider shoveling rocks and dirt exercise. The same could be said for lifting cinder blocks, bricks and other masonry. Some of the rocks I move are over 100 pounds. I sometimes have to move 5 or 6 of them.

That involves a lot of muscle power and sweat. I would like to keep track of how many calories and carbs I am burning; even if this would only be considered "activity." It still has a burn rate and should be tracked.

Since I am 73, this is kind of important to me. Trying to stay around long enough to see my 8 month old grandson graduate college :-))

How to estimate calories/carbs burned

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