Pet Peeve - logging non 'exercise' exercise

For some people, getting up and making dinner or cleaning their house is exercise. As an RN, I once attended an extreme weight-loss class for morbidly obese people (the people that if wanting life-changing surgery needed to lose 50+ lbs in 3months) for work and learned that just walking in 5 minute bursts up their stairs was more exercise than they've probably done in a long time. The class made let you know calories in, calories out. At my house, there are 3 levels so doing laundry for everyone and putting it away can give me a few miles on my pedometer with all of the stairs I'm walking. Not everyone has the same fitness level and if cleaning house, standing to make dinner or walking to the mail box if their exercise for the day, then congrats to them for making some type of movement besides picking up a fork or remotes.

and THIS too!

Which *may* have occurred to you, OP, if you could take a moment to step outside of your self-absorbed, near-sighted conceit for a moment. You know, like: "Don't judge my journey until you've walked a mile in my body."

AND.... why the freak are so many people feeling obligated to respond to this by justifying why they do or don't log this or that??? It's NONE of her business!

I didn't read all 6 pages so if this is a duplicate of what someone else said......sorry.

That being said, there are some of us (like myself), that those kinds of things ARE our exercise. I have an auto-immune disorder that affects my muscles. It's called Dermatomyositis and it is an inflammatory muscle degenerative disorder. I also have suspicions that I may have Fibromyalgia as well. This makes most physical activity difficult. To be able to go to work, I have to "save up" my energy and that means no "official workout". So for ME, the going to the beach with the kids, walking the zoo on a field trip with work, cleaning the bathrooms......that IS my movement/workout. It wears me out as much as a Zumba class may wear someone else out. That's not everyday stuff for me. I don't count doing the laundry, cooking, showering, etc because those are things that I DO do on a regular basis. But if I give the bathroom a good scrub down.....you better believe I'm going to count it.

Just my 2 cents and why I put those types of things.

It is. If you ever do find that unicorn, please let me know. Calorie free fries sound amazing!

You're getting a lot of flak for this but you're totally taking it like a champ. So despite the fact that you did two things that are pet peeves for me, I think I actually like you. :laugh:

I only log it if it involved getting changed and going to the gym, or going for a run, anything else I figure fits in the Sedentary profile. After all even couch potatoes have to make dinner.

Agree totally!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Amen to that, sista! I am so glad yo posted this topic, 'cause I hate to be rude to people...but I totally agree with you! Grasping at straws for sure..."gardening, mowing the lawn"...silly stuff to me. As a rule, I just don't comment one way or the other on those types of "exercises", so as not to offend..

thanks for speaking up!

Who cares? I mean, do what you do and don't worry about what anyone else is doing - how the hell does it directly or indirectly affect you???

THIS!

I have to say this is a dead horse subject and one that just stirs up more trouble than good!

I didn't read all 6 pages so if this is a duplicate of what someone else said......sorry.

That being said, there are some of us (like myself), that those kinds of things ARE our exercise. I have an auto-immune disorder that affects my muscles. It's called Dermatomyositis and it is an inflammatory muscle degenerative disorder. I also have suspicions that I may have Fibromyalgia as well. This makes most physical activity difficult. To be able to go to work, I have to "save up" my energy and that means no "official workout". So for ME, the going to the beach with the kids, walking the zoo on a field trip with work, cleaning the bathrooms......that IS my movement/workout. It wears me out as much as a Zumba class may wear someone else out. That's not everyday stuff for me. I don't count doing the laundry, cooking, showering, etc because those are things that I DO do on a regular basis. But if I give the bathroom a good scrub down.....you better believe I'm going to count it.

Just my 2 cents and why I put those types of things.

Everyone has different needs and to give a blanket statement on the subject of what should or should not be logged is simply short-sighted in my opinion. The above quote is a good example of the fact that everyone has different needs and reasons for doing what they do and it is not for us to judge if it is right or wrong!

Ours is to discover what works best for us and do it with the best energy possible!

Amen to that, sista! I am so glad yo posted this topic, 'cause I hate to be rude to people...but I totally agree with you! Grasping at straws for sure..."gardening, mowing the lawn"...silly stuff to me. As a rule, I just don't comment one way or the other on those types of "exercises", so as not to offend..

thanks for speaking up!

The house I grew up in sat on a full acre of HILLY land and we had a push mower. You don't think that's exercise? SERIOUSLY?

Well, I don't personally log things like that unless I AM grasping at straws and trying to justify why I felt I deserved (and could eat) 10 chocolate kisses even though I am a little over my calories for the day.

Your BMR figures how many calories you need to just live - if you laid in bed and did nothing all day. Mine is currently 1229. Absolutely ANYTHING I do that includes moving is going to burn a calorie, if not two. If I mopped the floor and needed a few more calories to justify eating something I don't normally eat - I log mopping.

I lost my first 10# merely walking. I never broke a sweat (EVER). You don't have to break a sweat to burn calories, you just have to move. Cleaning gets you moving - whatever works and however someone wants to rack up their exercise calories is none of my business.

I have logged it, and in addition to losing calories I gain a cleaner house.

:flowerforyou:

The way I look at it, I got fat cleaning and preparing food, so obviously it didn't burn enough! I don't count it either. Stupid in my eyes, but to each their own I guess!

For some people, getting up and making dinner or cleaning their house is exercise. As an RN, I once attended an extreme weight-loss class for morbidly obese people (the people that if wanting life-changing surgery needed to lose 50+ lbs in 3months) for work and learned that just walking in 5 minute bursts up their stairs was more exercise than they've probably done in a long time. The class made let you know calories in, calories out. At my house, there are 3 levels so doing laundry for everyone and putting it away can give me a few miles on my pedometer with all of the stairs I'm walking. Not everyone has the same fitness level and if cleaning house, standing to make dinner or walking to the mail box if their exercise for the day, then congrats to them for making some type of movement besides picking up a fork or remotes.

and THIS too!

Which *may* have occurred to you, OP, if you could take a moment to step outside of your self-absorbed, near-sighted conceit for a moment. You know, like: "Don't judge my journey until you've walked a mile in my body."

AND.... why the freak are so many people feeling obligated to respond to this by justifying why they do or don't log this or that??? It's NONE of her business!

And I think we have a winner! Zing!!

Some people need all they can get to stay motivated and once they are there and we do comment on that we are urging them to do more!! At least that is how I take it!! It's kinda like no question is a stupid question....a calorie burned is a calorie burned no matter how you got it!! And yes some are desperate so lets be there to encourage them and help them to push themselves more! Not everyone can dedicate 40-60 minutes on a good workout, lets give them a high five when they could be sitting on their "bums"!

Boy this sure did stir up a lot of negativity. Personally, I only care about my weight loss and what works for me. If people are logging every breath they take and losing weight, good for them. I say don't sweat the small stuff unless of course the small stuff helps you lose weight.

Have a good day one and all!