Should you log walking each day if you walk several miles a day

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Privatesandbank
Privatesandbank Posts: 41 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have my settings set to sedentary. I walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day (~5 miles) in my daily commute. I’m big and so this equates to a huge burn for me. Most calculators say approximately 400-500 calories for this, a conservative estimate is around 250-300 burned. My average walking pace is 4mph (I’m 6’) and I walk carrying heavy bags and wearing tons of sweaters. It seems to me this is definitely exercise but I’m still hesitant to log it since I’m not “actively” trying to workout. It’s just part of my routine. I’ve given myself bare bone calories and do not eat exercise calories back as I do not do any intentional exercise besides weights right now. Would you log anything for this? Should I just pretend I didn’t do any activity?

Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    edited February 2020
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    If your activity level is set to sedentary I'd say log it but be careful to log the "net" calories (ie additional calories expended). The formula for net calories burned walking is .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles) so, for example a 200lb person walking 5 miles a day would burn (approximately) an additional 300 cal.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Privatesandbank wrote: »
    Should I just pretend I didn’t do any activity?

    No!
    Answer the goal set up questions honestly and accurately if you want the calculator to spit out the right number.

    If it's routine (sounds like it is) then that's what your activity setting is for.
  • MySlimGoals
    MySlimGoals Posts: 750 Member
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    You either need to up your lifestyle settings from sedentary to active or you need to get an activity tracker (fitbit, garmin or apple watch are the most popular) to do the calculations for you.
  • geraldaltman
    geraldaltman Posts: 1,739 Member
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    You will discover what you need and want to do to adjust you lifestyle. I still have elements of sedentary to mine (after all I AM a retiree 😉). However, in my post hip replacements life, I have taken to finding parkings places distant from where I go or taking longer routes around park lot at home to my car and logging those walks. It can't hurt! Best of luck!
  • noelkro80
    noelkro80 Posts: 248 Member
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    I walk 60 minutes a day to & from work & always log mine in my diary
  • Privatesandbank
    Privatesandbank Posts: 41 Member
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    noelkro80 wrote: »
    I walk 60 minutes a day to & from work & always log mine in my diary

    Just curious but do you find this helps you with any sort of goals you might have in any type of way?
  • GummiMundi
    GummiMundi Posts: 396 Member
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    I walk daily (11k steps in average) but I'm set as sedentary because I, indeed, have a sedentary desk job. That's why I log my walks and treat them as exercise. I don't have an activity tracker linked to MFP, but I know the distance I walked and the time I did it in, so I can log it in a somewhat accurate way.

    I've been logging both my food and my exercise as accurately as I can for the last 15 months, and the rate of loss has been consistent with the plan.

    I guess, in the end, it doesn't matter if you adjust your activity setting and not log the walks, or you do it the other way around. For me, it's easier the way I do it. Others may prefer it a different way. As long as it works as intended, that's all that matters.
  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,105 Member
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    Privatesandbank wrote: »
    noelkro80 wrote: »
    I walk 60 minutes a day to & from work & always log mine in my diary

    Just curious but do you find this helps you with any sort of goals you might have in any type of way?

    I don't walk every day but I log it too, I have a desk job so this is my exercise and mfp adjusts my calories accordingly. Also because I use mapmywalk it gives me my times and pace and I can see an improvement over the last 18mths.
  • jhanleybrown
    jhanleybrown Posts: 240 Member
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    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    If your activity level is set to sedentary I'd say log it but be careful to log the "net" calories (ie additional calories expended). The formula for net calories burned walking is .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles) so, for example a 200lb person walking 5 miles a day would burn (approximately) an additional 300 cal.

    ^This^.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    Privatesandbank wrote: »
    I have my settings set to sedentary. I walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day (~5 miles) in my daily commute. I’m big and so this equates to a huge burn for me. Most calculators say approximately 400-500 calories for this, a conservative estimate is around 250-300 burned. My average walking pace is 4mph (I’m 6’) and I walk carrying heavy bags and wearing tons of sweaters. It seems to me this is definitely exercise but I’m still hesitant to log it since I’m not “actively” trying to workout. It’s just part of my routine. I’ve given myself bare bone calories and do not eat exercise calories back as I do not do any intentional exercise besides weights right now. Would you log anything for this? Should I just pretend I didn’t do any activity?

    Since this is a part of your day to day, I would adjust the activity level to reflect your actual activity level going about your day to day.
  • dhfitness1969
    dhfitness1969 Posts: 9 Member
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    I use Strava for cycling and Map my Walk for walking. I have them linked and synced to MFP. Once the workout shows in MFP, I then access the workout and change the calories by using .3 x weight x distance. For Cycling I cut the calories in half. I do this since the tracking apps are not accurate.

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