Do you count mowing lawn, edging etc as part of exercise?

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nighthawk584
nighthawk584 Posts: 2,007 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm 218 lbs and have self propelled push mower and it says I burned 545 calories for mowing for 60 min. I also edge and didn't even include that in the time. This just seems very high even though I am sweating at a pretty good clip and it gets my heart rate up, it is still not as hard as even 30 min on exercise bike which is only burning 351 calories for 30 min. Should I even bother counting mowing lawn? or just count it as moderate to slow walking?

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  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,007 Member
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    nighthawk584 wrote: »
    I'm 218 lbs and have self propelled push mower and it says I burned 545 calories for mowing for 60 min. I also edge and didn't even include that in the time. This just seems very high even though I am sweating at a pretty good clip and it gets my heart rate up, it is still not as hard as even 30 min on exercise bike which is only burning 351 calories for 30 min. Should I even bother counting mowing lawn? or just count it as moderate to slow walking?

    BTW, I rarely eat back exercise calories but just asking about how accurate these figures are?
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    edited August 2019
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    I absolutely log lawn mowing. I use an old fashioned reel mower. I know it came in at lower calorie burn.

    ETA I just checked and it came in at 245 calories for half hour. So, I guess you're close?
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,007 Member
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    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    I absolutely log lawn mowing. I use an old fashioned reel mower. I know it came in at lower calorie burn.

    maybe since mine is self propelled, I will just log it as normal walking....thanks Linda
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    I also have a self-propelled mower, and I log it as walking, as you mentioned.
  • Beka3695
    Beka3695 Posts: 4,126 Member
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    nighthawk584 wrote: »
    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    I absolutely log lawn mowing. I use an old fashioned reel mower. I know it came in at lower calorie burn.

    maybe since mine is self propelled, I will just log it as normal walking....thanks Linda

    This is what I would do, but it is DEF exercise :)
  • Churby7
    Churby7 Posts: 5 Member
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    I've lost 75 pounds and counted every bit of yard work I did. Based on what you are saying, I would probably count it as walking, but I would definitely count it.
  • hmrambling
    hmrambling Posts: 321 Member
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    Fitbit usually thinks when I'm mowing with my self propelled mower that I'm cycling. Perhaps holding the handle of the mower resembles the motion of holding handlebars. I usually take the cycling activity that Fitbit gives me, which is less calories than walking.
  • tuddy315
    tuddy315 Posts: 11,389 Member
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    I have a regular gas mower and do all the trim mowing on our acre lot which is also kinda hilly. This week it took me 45 min and spent 385 cals. I log it as mowing lawn, general.
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
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    I would. If I'm doing vigorous yard work, I log it.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,688 Member
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    I do. I once GPSed it and I walked 3.5 miles doing our yard. Since I have to push the heavy machine uphill and prevent it from running away with me downhill, it is definitely more exercise than just walking.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    giantrobot_powerlifting wrote: »
    If the physical activity doesn't elicit a specific adaptation such as strength, speed, recovery, or fat loss, then I wouldn’t log it.

    So it only counts if you are in a deficit, but you are only in a deficit if you count it....
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    Yes, I count it, but I think it is too high, so I log less time than actual time.
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
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    I mow an entire half acre with a push mower so yep, I’m logging that
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Change activity level to Lightly-Active (which you probably are anyway without the lawn mowing) - and leave it at that.

    Enjoy a bit extra that day, make the deficit smaller, knowing it's actually bigger in all likelihood.

    That being said, I always let the tracker estimate it based on the distance and time it saw - which is still an underestimating for the pushing going on at that slow pace.
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,034 Member
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    wear a heart rate monitor and see how it affects your heart rate.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    I don't count it as exercise, BUT if I'm extra hungry after cutting the grass (with a pushmower up a hill for half an hour), I usually just drink a beer or 3 after and call it a wash.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    zebasschick wrote: »
    wear a heart rate monitor and see how it affects your heart rate.

    It will likely kick the HR just barely into the exercise zone - the lower end of it - the end where HR-based calorie burn has the best potential for being inflated.

    While there is a good correlation between HR and calorie burn if you remove the gotchas for elevated HR (meds, dehydrated, stressed, a long workout, non-steady-state aerobic, ect) - the straight line formula loses on the lower end right above daily activity level, and the upper end right before anaerobic kicks in.

    But it would be interesting to compare avgHR mowing to same HR at a steady level walk.

    Now there's a likely good way to get calorie burn - since formula walking can easily beat HR-based estimate.

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