Should I be logging regular walking?

poorcopies
poorcopies Posts: 477 Member
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
Advice needed: I walk 2 miles a day Mon-Fri to work and I include this as exercise, as I put my activity level as sendentary. Someone mentioned that you shouldn't include exercise that is part of your every day routine, so is that true? I power walk, so it's not like a leisurely stroll, I walk a 3.5 mile / per hr speed. What do you think? I know that the cals that MFP suggest are grossly out, but mine is more HRM accurate.

Should I include it or not?

Replies

  • Sissy4EverX3
    Sissy4EverX3 Posts: 247
    I would include it. Walking is walking is exercise and more exercise, especially if your activity level is sedentary like mine. I walk every day, too, even if it's just the 5 minute walk down to my sisters and back (for 10 minutes). It all adds up at the end of the day, far as I'm concerned.
  • wenders123
    wenders123 Posts: 338 Member
    I would include it. Walking is walking is exercise and more exercise, especially if your activity level is sedentary like mine. I walk every day, too, even if it's just the 5 minute walk down to my sisters and back (for 10 minutes). It all adds up at the end of the day, far as I'm concerned.

    Totally agree, log it !!
  • JoJo1953
    JoJo1953 Posts: 182 Member
    I agree! I would log it. It is an exercise. :smile:
  • mageepilot
    mageepilot Posts: 289 Member
    I say definitely count it! Especially since you put your activity level to sedentary.
  • getsveltEagain
    getsveltEagain Posts: 1,063 Member
    If you put sendentary when you made your profile then I say log it. If you want to changet you settings to lightly active then don't count it. I am sendentary but I get up to waalk on my two breaks. It is at 3.0 which is almost enough to get me to sweat for a half mile (can't be stinky at work :wink:) and I count that.
  • helenium
    helenium Posts: 546 Member
    Changing activity level is just a convenient way of not logging routine exercise. You have two choices:

    1. Log as sedentary, and count everything you do which is not sedentary (I do this).
    2. Log as (lightly) active, and don't count your 2 mile walks in exercise.

    Whatever you do, don't log as lightly active and then count the 2 mile walks separately - that's akin to logging it twice.

    It's a style choice in my books - if you get bored of logging the same activity day in day out, change your activity level and stop logging them. If you want more control, describe yourself as sedentary.
  • kevinbc
    kevinbc Posts: 34 Member
    At work I walk all day and I do not log it and it is a couple of miles aday. But I don't log any of my exercise.
  • jreese5226
    jreese5226 Posts: 328 Member
    I agree! Especially since you put sedentary as your activity level!
  • emsibun
    emsibun Posts: 208
    Beware of this though:

    The calories that will be added to your daily allowance when you change your activity level will be less than if you log the walk.

    Things to consider:

    1. If you are regularly doing the same walk your body will be used to that pace and activity - so unless you are using a heart-rate monitor to track your exercise calories, that walk might be burning less than you think!

    2. If you push yourself during this walk, make yourself breathless - maybe you use a pedometer know that you are getting faster at going the same distance, or maybe you are going further in the same time - then you are challenging your body and probably are burning the calories you think you are.

    I walk a lot as part of my usual weekly routine. I was finding I needed to walk further and further and push harder and harder to burn calories at a decent rate.

    In the end I changed my activity level, swapped a few 'walks' I did as exercise for other activities that are more challenging.

    It's like spending every gym session on the same machine, at the same incline, for the same time: Eventually it does nothing!
  • PandaFit450
    PandaFit450 Posts: 619 Member
    Changing activity level is just a convenient way of not logging routine exercise. You have two choices:

    1. Log as sedentary, and count everything you do which is not sedentary (I do this).
    2. Log as (lightly) active, and don't count your 2 mile walks in exercise.

    Whatever you do, don't log as lightly active and then count the 2 mile walks separately - that's akin to logging it twice.

    It's a style choice in my books - if you get bored of logging the same activity day in day out, change your activity level and stop logging them. If you want more control, describe yourself as sedentary.

    I agree with this !
    Jules x
  • poorcopies
    poorcopies Posts: 477 Member
    At work I walk all day and I do not log it and it is a couple of miles aday.

    But what did you put your activity level down as? Sendentary or lightly active?

    Thanks for the response people, I will continue to log it for now, as Helenium pointed out, its easy to have control if you log everything, even if it does become a bit boring and it will account for the odd day I get a lift to work and I don't log it, plus I might not do it at weekends (although I usually get some walking in somehow, I don't drive!)
  • poorcopies
    poorcopies Posts: 477 Member
    2. If you push yourself during this walk, make yourself breathless - maybe you use a pedometer know that you are getting faster at going the same distance, or maybe you are going further in the same time - then you are challenging your body and probably are burning the calories you think you are.

    I am definitely getting faster, I started out at 3miles / per hr and I am coming up to hitting 4miles / per hr. I like to get a bit of a sweat on, but not too much as I am heading to work after all!
  • jellyfishjen
    jellyfishjen Posts: 1,787 Member
    Yep Log it. :smile: Its all part of the positive changes you have made to your life.
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