Riding a mower cuts calories? REALLY??

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lrash1167
lrash1167 Posts: 16 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm not too sure about this one... I just mowed the yard on a RIDING lawn mower for 90 minutes (yea, it's a BIG yard!) and when I entered the activity it said I burnt 303 calories...Can this be RIGHT??? I mean, all I did was sit and drive a machine... Thoughts??
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Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    No... it's for the manual lawn mowers. Why would you even bother logging it... lol.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,476 Member
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    Why would even bother entering that as exercise?
  • lrash1167
    lrash1167 Posts: 16 Member
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    I entered it just to track that i wasn't couch potatoing all day - and NO, it SPECIFICALLY said mowing with a RIDING lawn mower...PLUS, I looked it up online to verify the entry and it is listed on SEVERAL other workout sites this way too... That's just weird!
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    Mfp (and most websites) (way) overestimate calories burned. With that said, using a riding lawn mower burns more calories than laying on the couch. Not that I would log it...
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Work (including commuting, housework, yardwork, and childcare) is part of your activity level, and should never be logged as exercise.

    Work = activity level. Workouts = exercise.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    lrash1167 wrote: »
    I entered it just to track that i wasn't couch potatoing all day - and NO, it SPECIFICALLY said mowing with a RIDING lawn mower...PLUS, I looked it up online to verify the entry and it is listed on SEVERAL other workout sites this way too... That's just weird!

    There's literally no point in logging it. You didn't burn 300 calories just sitting on a lawn mower.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,476 Member
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    honestly I'd count mowing the lawn as part of your lifestyle, not exercise. If you're adamant about logging it then enter 5 minutes worth of activity for it. That way the calorie burn is more accurate.
  • lrash1167
    lrash1167 Posts: 16 Member
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    i wasn't logging it as a workout, but more for accountability so down the road i can see that i did SOMETHING other than holding the couch down all day today!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    lrash1167 wrote: »
    I entered it just to track that i wasn't couch potatoing all day - and NO, it SPECIFICALLY said mowing with a RIDING lawn mower...PLUS, I looked it up online to verify the entry and it is listed on SEVERAL other workout sites this way too... That's just weird!

    there's no way that this site or any other site is going to be able to accurately determine your calorie burn from sitting on a lawn mower.

    personally, I include stuff like this in my activity level...do I mow everyday? no...but most days there's something to fix or some yard work to do or something to clean, etc.
  • klkarlen
    klkarlen Posts: 4,366 Member
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    I log it, but you must have a different entry pick, because mine was 120 minutes at a 245 calorie burn. And for those of you that think it is not a workout, try mowing a 10 acre pasture on a JD garden tractor with no power steering. And I don't use the cruise control either. All of my muscles get a workout just trying not to get bounced off the thing!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    you had to ride a mower to burn calories? Slacker! I burned 700 calories last night in my sleep.
  • nancye1
    nancye1 Posts: 1 Member
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    Riding a lawn mower is definitely work. Especially if your yard is large. I spend 3 to 4 hours mowing my lawn. That includes getting on and off the mower to open and close gates, move toys, hoses etc. I am also constantly moving my arms with turns. If it's not considered work, why do people get paid to mow?
  • allbarrett
    allbarrett Posts: 159 Member
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    It is possibly "work" but if you do it regularly (as part of your routine life), I wouldn't call it a "workout". However, there are people on MFP who will log every little thing. I don't think MFP is really supposed to demonstrate (to you, or anyone else) that you didn't just lie on the couch all day, but to each their own.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,514 Member
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    nancye1 wrote: »
    Riding a lawn mower is definitely work. Especially if your yard is large. I spend 3 to 4 hours mowing my lawn. That includes getting on and off the mower to open and close gates, move toys, hoses etc. I am also constantly moving my arms with turns. If it's not considered work, why do people get paid to mow?

    they are getting paid for the time they spent landscaping. its not exercise just because people do it as a career
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    nancye1 wrote: »
    If it's not considered work, why do people get paid to mow?

    I get paid more to sit at a desk and type. That doesn't mean typing should burn more calories than riding a mower.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    lrash1167 wrote: »
    I entered it just to track that i wasn't couch potatoing all day - and NO, it SPECIFICALLY said mowing with a RIDING lawn mower...PLUS, I looked it up online to verify the entry and it is listed on SEVERAL other workout sites this way too... That's just weird!

    what you also have to consider here is that you have a basal burn...you burn calories 24/7...anything like this that you get from a calculator is going to have your basal calories buried in there...so you're not burning 300 more calories than you would otherwise just hanging out...

    so, like I burn around 80 calories per hour just existing pretty much...then you add to that I'm doing more than merely existing so really, I'm probably closer to 100 calories per hour just hanging out...so in 1.5 hours of just hanging out I would burn somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 calories...so maybe another 150 for the mowing...maybe.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,476 Member
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    nancye1 wrote: »
    If it's not considered work, why do people get paid to mow?
    Some people also get paid to play video games
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 678 Member
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    If you think that mowing with a tractor doesn't burn calories please feel free to come mow my lawn for 3 hours or so. Oh, maybe I should really call it an old cow pasture turned green.... There are definitely calories being expended just staying seated on the tractor as it bounces you in all directions, let alone the constant steering, turning, backing and getting on and off to move things that you don't want to run over. This is not a daily activity but it is way more than my normal daily routine.....
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    What is 90 minutes of your BMR? For me, that would be around 120 calories. So take that off and you're left with 180 calories. The equivalent of 2 calories per minute riding around on your mower...still sounds high LOL. But, you are burning something over your BMR - though I too wouldn't count it.

    Just go edit your exercise and manually change it to 1 calorie burned. Problem solved.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Can't see how anyone who has actually done any physical labor in their life calls riding a lawn tractor exercise.

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