counting daily chores as workouts????

lexrobin2
lexrobin2 Posts: 33
edited September 29 in Fitness and Exercise
I dont understand some the activities in the "exercise" database. Billiards, Cooking, Playing the Piano, Officiating Softball, or my all time favorite, Fishing from Boat while Sitting. How did these even get in here?? Did someone really have a heart rate monitor on while doing these things and entered them, or did the creator of MFP put them in? In any case, this leads me to my next question of, while doing your normal activities, do you count them as workouts? I was told no, that I cant count waitressing or bartending, vaccuming, and so on, as my workouts because those are my weekly to-dos and my body is used to them. Any info?

Replies

  • jbucci1186
    jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
    hahaha my favorite used to be "mowing lawn, sitting" but now it's the fishing one.
  • br0seidon
    br0seidon Posts: 19
    I wouldn't count the individual chores as workouts, but if you're constantly busy like that, you could definitely change how active you are in the "Goals" section ;)
  • jonikeffer
    jonikeffer Posts: 218 Member
    The reason you don't use your job as a calorie burn is just because when you start MFP it asks you about your typical daily activity level....and job would be taken into consideration there. I sit at a desk all day so I'm sedentary. If you were a nurse on your feet moving around all day, you'd be higher than me. But if you do a day of spring cleaning, that's not a normal daily activity and you could count that if you wanted to.
  • OneFitMom_
    OneFitMom_ Posts: 151 Member
    I count my daily activities because you are still burning.
  • fidgekitty
    fidgekitty Posts: 43
    Well, it all depends. When you calculated your daily caloric need, what did you put your activity level as? because "lightly active" or "highly active" tries to take into account all the waitressing/fishing/sweeping/laundry one would do during a day (or the lack of all that). I put mine as sedentary, so I do count some chores, like laundry, since I live in a 3 level house, with my washer and dryer on the bottom and my bedroom on the very top. And since laundry day consists of several loads, I climb a lot of stairs, running up and down to start new laundry and then putting it all away, not to mention collecting dirty laundry from my room, the kids rooms, ect. But other than that, I only count actual exercise (and heavy yard work) as my workout calories. I'd rather underestimate my need for the day anyway.
  • MrsWibbly
    MrsWibbly Posts: 415 Member
    I set my 'lifestyle' as sedentary so this adds very little to your BMR to calculate calories to be eaten each day. As such I add cleaning but only if I am doing something 'active' like vacuuming, scrubbing the floor or cleaning the windows. The other reason I include these is that I don't do them every day. I don't include regular stuff like cooking, washing dishes or the laundry.
  • sagisun1969
    sagisun1969 Posts: 46
    Don't let that lawnmower fool you! Try pushing that thing up a hill and you will know you are burning calories :)
  • lexrobin2
    lexrobin2 Posts: 33
    and how much does one burn during automobile repair and wall darts?? i might take on some new hobbies:huh:
  • sagisun1969
    sagisun1969 Posts: 46
    My husband works outside all day. Digging, building fences, patios and decks. I have no clue how to plug his physical activity in. Any ideas?
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,169 Member
    Don't let that lawnmower fool you! Try pushing that thing up a hill and you will know you are burning calories :)

    oh yes...i am the one doing all the yardwork around the house cause my husband is a work-o-holic... and let me tell you, it's not all that easy! especially when your coming up the slopes!!!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/activities-to-log-or-not-to-log-57883
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