Should i log "walking to work" as exercise??

hunny73
hunny73 Posts: 112 Member
edited October 2 in Fitness and Exercise
I have set my MFP lifestyle as "lightly active". Although I work 3 days at a desk job the other 4 days i'm hardly off my feet with house chores and kids duties. In addition to my gym exercises i have also been logging my 20 min x 2 moderate walk to and from work as exercise. I have done the same walk for the last 5 years at least and was wondering whether i should be logging it because my body is already used to it?

Replies

  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
    My opinion:

    Because your body is already used to it, I wouldn't log it. If you were to change it up - speed up your pace, do it with hand weights or something - then it might be something to log.

    I walk my dog every day, but I walked him 30 pounds ago, too - so I don't log it.
  • Jemmuno
    Jemmuno Posts: 413 Member
    I don't I consider it part of my daily activity
  • TopazCarey
    TopazCarey Posts: 263
    My opinion:

    Because your body is already used to it, I wouldn't log it. If you were to change it up - speed up your pace, do it with hand weights or something - then it might be something to log.

    I walk my dog every day, but I walked him 30 pounds ago, too - so I don't log it.

    I agree. I walk to work too, but I never log it.
  • moushtie
    moushtie Posts: 371 Member
    If you were set to sedentary, then I would have logged it. But because you're set as lightly active, I think that it would be included in your daily allowance already, and you'd be logging it twice.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I have set my MFP lifestyle as "lightly active". Although I work 3 days at a desk job the other 4 days i'm hardly off my feet with house chores and kids duties. In addition to my gym exercises i have also been logging my 20 min x 2 moderate walk to and from work as exercise. I have done the same walk for the last 5 years at least and was wondering whether i should be logging it because my body is already used to it?

    Since you are listed as light active and not sedentary, I would not log the walk as it should be included in the activity level.
  • SeasideOasis
    SeasideOasis Posts: 1,057 Member
    I'm agree with many of the people above. Since you are set to "lightly active", the little common walks like that probably shouldn't be logged, as your calorie amount on here already takes things like that into consideration.
  • CountryDevil
    CountryDevil Posts: 819 Member
    If this is a change from your normal activity, say ride the bus to work or car pool, then I would count it, But if you have been doing it fro quite some time, then no.
  • lcarter25
    lcarter25 Posts: 286 Member
    I add my walk to work because I am down as sedentary. i mean i did zumba before i joined mfp i was still log that even if my body is used to it
  • hazeleyez2010
    hazeleyez2010 Posts: 4 Member
    I was taught all movement counts towards your exercise. I log all of my exercise but some people do what they want and if they want. So I say it's should be up to the individual person.

    I had a gastric bypass done a little over a year ago and that's what we were told to do.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I recently changed jobs. I used to be on my feet quite a bit with the former job so I set myself at lightly active. Now I'm at the desk a lot more but I started walking during my breaks so I left it at lightly active. But suddenly I wasn't losing so I set it to sedentary, subsequently decreased my cals, and logging my break walks as exercise and I'm losing again. I think activity levels are tricky. I mean if you think about it, inevitably we all increase our activity levels. Does that mean we should change our activity levels during the course of our weight loss?
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    I have set my MFP lifestyle as "lightly active". Although I work 3 days at a desk job the other 4 days i'm hardly off my feet with house chores and kids duties. In addition to my gym exercises i have also been logging my 20 min x 2 moderate walk to and from work as exercise. I have done the same walk for the last 5 years at least and was wondering whether i should be logging it because my body is already used to it?

    No, you shouldn't. It's like people who log cleaning the house. I'm sorry, that's not exercise.
  • hunny73
    hunny73 Posts: 112 Member
    Thank you for your quick replies. I thought that might be the case. Oh well, i better find something to replace the walk that will fit in somewhere in my already busy schedule.
  • lcarter25
    lcarter25 Posts: 286 Member
    I have set my MFP lifestyle as "lightly active". Although I work 3 days at a desk job the other 4 days i'm hardly off my feet with house chores and kids duties. In addition to my gym exercises i have also been logging my 20 min x 2 moderate walk to and from work as exercise. I have done the same walk for the last 5 years at least and was wondering whether i should be logging it because my body is already used to it?

    No, you shouldn't. It's like people who log cleaning the house. I'm sorry, that's not exercise.

    I lost over 35lbs by walking and if you sweat from walking why is it not exercise?

    Just because you do not feel its exercise doesn't mean its not
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
    Thank you for your quick replies. I thought that might be the case. Oh well, i better find something to replace the walk that will fit in somewhere in my already busy schedule.

    You don't necessily need to replace the walk - is there a way to change it up a little? Take a longer route, walk faster on the same route, walk w/ hand weights, etc? That would burn a few more calories and not really take up too much more time.
  • hunny73
    hunny73 Posts: 112 Member
    I definately break a sweat with this walk. I even have to change my top and put the fan on when i get into work!! But i don't want to kid myself especially as i'm eating back my exercise calories.
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
    I definately break a sweat with this walk. I even have to change my top and put the fan on when i get into work!! But i don't want to kid myself especially as i'm eating back my exercise calories.

    Do you have a heart rate monitor? I don't use one at all, but maybe it would be helpful in this case...?

    (Just throwing things out here...if you're breaking a sweat I would think it *is* worth logging - would be interested to see what a HRM says you're burning.)

    I dunno. Obviously everyone's got a different opinion! :laugh:
  • lcarter25
    lcarter25 Posts: 286 Member
    Well I am down as sedentary and log walks that are over 20minutes

    I don't buy this rule that of you did it before you don't log it - I was going to the gym before does that mean that also doesn't count.

    Maybe stay lightly active and try and change make your walking longer or like jmruef said add weights!

    gd luck x
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    I suggest logging the things that you normally don't do everyday especially if you already set your profile as lightly active. Mine is set to lightly active too & unless I do a heavy household chore, I only log the formal exercises that I do but I don't log my normal activities that I do everyday such as moderate house cleaning, grocery, walking & lifting inside the office, walking from office to bus station (even if the distance is more than 2 miles) or from office to restaurants during lunch break, etc.
  • hunny73
    hunny73 Posts: 112 Member
    i have neither a HRM or weights. I could try and pick up the speed and walk for a bit longer......but would that be loggable?

    Maybe it's time i invested in a HRM. I've been thinking of buying the Polar FT4 or FT7 g for a while now.

    Thanks for the tips icarter and jmreuf. :smile:
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    If you are set to lightly active, I wouldnt.

    I log all my walking as 2.0 or 3.0 depending on my speed but I'm also set at sedentary and I workout daily as well so I never fully eat back all exercise cals, I stick to 1200-1400 a day and eat 2000 1 day a week.
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    I suggest logging the things that you normally don't do everyday especially if you already set your profile as lightly active. Mine is set to lightly active too & unless I do a heavy household chore, I only log the formal exercises that I do but I don't log my normal activities that I do everyday such as moderate house cleaning, grocery, walking & lifting inside the office, walking from office to bus station or from office to restaurants during lunch break, etc.

    As you shouldn't, because those are not exercise.
  • nsimportant
    nsimportant Posts: 170 Member
    I recommend fasted 30-40 minutes fast walks that will burn off your fat.
    I never log my normal walks like from home to work and to the shopping malls and bazaar where I actually carry at least 6kg of stuff with me I think thats just normal daily activity but I never eat my exercise calories back I do eat more on the days I feel that i need to but only now when I hit my goal weight.
    I did use a pedometer for those walks and it usually gets up to 10000 steps but I dont log that.
    I consider walks a that little bonus extra.
  • AakifahSiebert
    AakifahSiebert Posts: 65
    I think it should be logged. I walk on campus to and from class and a lot of back and forth, and I log it.

    Someone made the point that your body is already used to it, so don't log it....I disagree with that reasoning though, personally. My body is used to me going to the gym and using the elliptical now 2-3 times a week...so, should I stop logging that now that my body's used to it? That's just ridiculous. *shrugging shoulders* That's jmo.
  • fxdl2k2
    fxdl2k2 Posts: 250 Member
    Log it! No one says you have to eat those calories back every day, but knowing how far you have walked each day is a good thing.
  • hunny73
    hunny73 Posts: 112 Member
    i've decided to go with the general consensus against logging the calories..........for now. I'm going to give it a go and monitor how it effects my weight. Although i read someone elses views today on not logging exercise calories at all !?!
  • hunny73
    hunny73 Posts: 112 Member
    i've decided to go with the general consensus against logging the calories..........for now. I'm going to give it a go and monitor how it effects my weight. Although i read someone elses views today on not logging exercise calories at all !?! thanks again for your views guys.
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