Exercise search FAIL

4ajguthrie
4ajguthrie Posts: 43 Member
in Getting Started
New to the App. and just started 'the journey to fitness'

I am not doing weights or sets for the exercises I do.

The exercises I do are either recommended by my chiropractor or Yoga derivatives. The rest are mostly from Youtube. Example squats, calf rises, belly crunches, planks and push up. the App search seems only to recognise weight or machine based squats for example. In fact ALL strength exercise seem to be weight based only.

Also, I live on an 11 acre property in the bush. My 'gardening' is so far removed from the 'pottering around in the garden image' that it seems pointless trying to search anything that will match to give me a sensible energy burn value.

Am I missing something?

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,103 Member
    On the strength side, if you're doing a sequence of reps/sets with rest between, use "Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)" (under cardiovascular). If you're doing something more like circuits (strength sets alternated with cardio intervals, or low-weight reps at cardio speeds), use "Circuit training, general". For yoga/stretching or similar easy intensity physical therapy stuff, use "Stretching, hatha yoga". Close enough.

    The MFP METS-base "gardening" option ("Gardening, general") is actually pretty high octane. I'd only consider using it if digging new beds, or something similarly intense. Otherwise, I just log routine stuff (weeding, planting) as something low-level, like "Walking, 2.0 mph, slow pace".

    You could get a fitness tracker or heart rate monitor, but that just estimates and has accuracy pitfalls, too.

    Make your best guess, maybe lowball it a little if you're not sure (note that you can change the calorie estimate for a cardiovascular exercise when you log it), but be consistent (log the same activity with the same methodology over time). With experience, over a couple/three months, you can figure out whether your scale weight behaves as expected, and adjust your logging (intake or exercise estimates) if it doesn't.

    Usually, approximation is close enough, in a context where you're consistent and adjust based on experience.

    Best wishes!
  • 4ajguthrie
    4ajguthrie Posts: 43 Member
    Thank you for that comprehensive response. Much appreciated. Confirms my suspicion that the 'freebie' app is a bit lighter than the premium (to be expected) and requires a fair bit of best guessing.
    What you are saying corresponds with my experience so far. I'm finding that the free App does actually help a person get a 'handle' on the key points. Knowing the implied limitations gives me more confidence to continue using it, so you have indeed helped me out thank you.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    4ajguthrie wrote: »
    Thank you for that comprehensive response. Much appreciated. Confirms my suspicion that the 'freebie' app is a bit lighter than the premium (to be expected) and requires a fair bit of best guessing.
    What you are saying corresponds with my experience so far. I'm finding that the free App does actually help a person get a 'handle' on the key points. Knowing the implied limitations gives me more confidence to continue using it, so you have indeed helped me out thank you.

    The exercise database and calorie calculations are the same for everyone -- for that specific thing, there is no difference between the free and premium versions.
  • 4ajguthrie
    4ajguthrie Posts: 43 Member
    My 'DAY' in winter comprises an hour plus on a magnum chain saw several times a week, followed by lifting and loading several hundred kg of cut wood into a wheel barrow pushing that up the property then on alternate days splitting and stacking it. I guess we could use a trailer for this task but its not as much fun. This is ongoing as we have two wood heaters for warmth and both of us are home full time now.
    When that is done I help my wife with her chosen chore that is, clearing fallen branches, bark and leaf, stacking and burning off. This bit does get the trailer treatment :D

    We have a treed property and our Gumtrees are known for dropping limbs and oil laden leaves, we have 27 x 80'+ trees just in our front yard and groves of giants spread park like around the area.

    Our property is in a high fire danger area so fire safe activity is a 24/7 endeavor. Don't know how we managed whilst working, luck was with us I guess. So we do a good solid six hours of digging plus type activity. Summers are a bit different in that grass and understory management becomes the priority, but then there seems to be no end to the TO DO list ahead of us, its just not quite as intense.

    So as you say given time and keeping track of my statistics will guide me to the most appropriate definitions I guess
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    You can also set up an exercise in mfp and choose what you have worked out is a reasonable calorie burn. I found the ballet calories all ridiculously high for what I do, for instance, so set up a "beginners ballet bar" that I use. Same with my workouts: I used the energy estimation sites to guessimate what I am using and set one up just for me. At present I am losing faster than I expected, so I don't think I can have been too far off.
  • 4ajguthrie
    4ajguthrie Posts: 43 Member
    charmmeth wrote: »
    You can also set up an exercise in mfp and choose what you have worked out is a reasonable calorie burn. I found the ballet calories all ridiculously high for what I do, for instance, so set up a "beginners ballet bar" that I use. Same with my workouts: I used the energy estimation sites to guessimate what I am using and set one up just for me. At present I am losing faster than I expected, so I don't think I can have been too far off.

    Awesome thanks, I will have a look at that feature as it makes sense to tailor to the specifics of your own metabolism. Good work on your loss burn :D
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    4ajguthrie wrote: »
    Thank you for that comprehensive response. Much appreciated. Confirms my suspicion that the 'freebie' app is a bit lighter than the premium (to be expected) and requires a fair bit of best guessing.
    What you are saying corresponds with my experience so far. I'm finding that the free App does actually help a person get a 'handle' on the key points. Knowing the implied limitations gives me more confidence to continue using it, so you have indeed helped me out thank you.

    The exercise database and calorie calculations are the same for everyone -- for that specific thing, there is no difference between the free and premium versions.

    ^^ This.

    Also, there's nothing stopping you from adding the exercises you do to the strength exercise database.

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