What do you count as exercise vs. daily activities?

Whitneylol
Whitneylol Posts: 244
edited October 3 in Fitness and Exercise
I see people counting 'cleaning' and such, and that's fine, not bashing it at all- but I personally don't do that. To me, my exercise is when I set out to do something in the gym. OR- if I break a sweat.

For example, at work I walk around a ton but I don't count it- should I be?? Just wanting to see what you all do!

Thanks :)
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Replies

  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    Counting workout and walks I usually don't do. When I started on MFP, I was taking the bus to work. Now, I'm walking there and counting it as exercise. (I put my activity level on sedentary)
  • elmsallmissile
    elmsallmissile Posts: 86
    I see people counting 'cleaning' and such, and that's fine, not bashing it at all- but I personally don't do that. To me, my exercise is when I set out to do something in the gym. OR- if I break a sweat.

    For example, at work I walk around a ton but I don't count it- should I be?? Just wanting to see what you all do!

    Thanks :)

    Depends what you have your activity level set at
  • healthy_KT
    healthy_KT Posts: 57 Member
    I guess it depends. I worked at Disney for 8 months mostly working the glow carts. I had to push the cart up and down hills sometimes all the way to the other side of the park but I never thought about how much exercise I was getting. That paired with the fact I barely had enough time to eat made me lose 20 pounds while I was there. I'm like you. I only count it when I go out of my way to do it.
  • millionsofpeaches
    millionsofpeaches Posts: 372
    Well, since I only clean twice a year... I log it.

    Haha. Just kidding... I clean once a week and I do not log it unless it is crazy OCD down on the floors cleaning all of the base boards with a tooth brush kind of stuff.
  • ameyc2002
    ameyc2002 Posts: 247 Member
    well im a stay at home mom and i spend at least 2 hours a day cleaning doing laundry and all that home stuff. i do not add that in.. i only add excercise i set out to do like going for a walk, a workout video or swimming something i dont do on a regular basis
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    If I don't normally do it as part of my sedentary lifestyle I log it. For example my wife usually mows the lawn because she likes doing so, occasionally I will mow it when I know she has a lot of other things to do. In that case I log it.
  • maura5880
    maura5880 Posts: 346 Member
    Definitely only log stuff that I intend as exercise..
  • jerryboydjr
    jerryboydjr Posts: 2
    I believe exercise si only soemthing that you generally DO NOT do on an average day and raises your heart rate at least 20 beats per hour abvoe you restign rate for an extended priod of time (at least 10 minutes)
  • sandy2006
    sandy2006 Posts: 483 Member
    well im a stay at home mom and i spend at least 2 hours a day cleaning doing laundry and all that home stuff. i do not add that in.. i only add excercise i set out to do like going for a walk, a workout video or swimming something i dont do on a regular basis
    Same here!
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 778 Member
    I only count it if I have to wear cycling or running attire.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I too only log actual exercise. But if I were shoveling a lot of snow, or digging lots of weeds, then I might consider logging it as exercise.

    Yes - I do walk to the copy machine, vacuum, and shop, .... big whoop .... I don't really see those activites as exercise. Those are just part of daily life. If I did log them, I might be tempted to say ...... Oh I don't need to exercise because I vacuumed the house!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I only log things I do specifically for exercise.
  • alaliberte
    alaliberte Posts: 205
    i count dog walks and lunch break walks but others I don't. cleaning should absolutely count, but I don't count it.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    i don't log cleaning, yard work, washing the car, walking around doing errands, or any of that.
  • 27strange
    27strange Posts: 837 Member
    My rule is two-fold. I ask myself:

    1) Do I do this activity regularly, is it a normal part of my lifestyle, y or n?

    If yes, then its normal activity. For example, mowing the lawn - I did it before and after I joined MFP and worked toward a healthier lifestyle, so no it doesn't count as exercise. Same with cleaning.

    However, something like chopping/splitting firewood I would log. Because its only done a couple weekends a year and its a killer workout - not normal activity.

    2) Do I break a sweat or get my heart rate elevated for a measurable period of time, y or n?
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
    well im a stay at home mom and i spend at least 2 hours a day cleaning doing laundry and all that home stuff. i do not add that in.. i only add excercise i set out to do like going for a walk, a workout video or swimming something i dont do on a regular basis

    Yup same here!
  • magicmama
    magicmama Posts: 19
    I only log it if the purpose is for exercise. If I'm doing something active for another purpose, I just consider it a bonus.
  • Shawn_Marie
    Shawn_Marie Posts: 307 Member
    My daily is on sedentary because I have a job that requires me to sit 90% of the time so when I walk, go to the gym or do heavy cleaning and garening I log it
  • cfreema
    cfreema Posts: 30 Member
    I don't log normal everyday cleaning or cooking. But whenever I borrowed the carpet shampooer and broke a sweat for an hour I thought that counted!
  • kathyhaf1
    kathyhaf1 Posts: 80
    I'm a nurse and sometimes I'm on my feet for my whole 8hr shift, without sitting down, running around non-stop. In that case, I do count it as walking/exercise but not the whole 8 hrs. It is different than going to the gym, but I am still walking up and down the halls for hours at a time.
  • dawnludlum
    dawnludlum Posts: 5
    I wouldn't count housework as exercise. Usually exercise is something either cardio or strength training. Cardio exercise brings your heart rate up to 60-80% of your maximum heart rate, which is 220-your age. So, for example if you are 30 years old, your maximum heart rate is 190. Your target heart rate during "exercise" is 60-80% of 190 or between 114bpm - 152bpm. Keep it up for 20-60 minutes and that is exercise. :) A nice brisk walk would probably keep you at the lower range and heavy cardio, like jumping rope, running or kickboxing would get you to the upper range. Hope this helps. :)
  • moushtie
    moushtie Posts: 371 Member
    I count the stuff most people do, gym and exercise I wouldn't normally do. I include mowing the lawn in this, as it wears me out, and my arms are aching for a couple of days afterwards.. I'd call that a workout, no? I also include the kind of cleaning that I have to do in shifts, because I get worn out or in pain.

    Then again, I'm probably heavier than a lot of the people that have posted, so this stuff gets my heart rate up and warms me up nicely!
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
    I believe exercise si only soemthing that you generally DO NOT do on an average day and raises your heart rate at least 20 beats per hour abvoe you restign rate for an extended priod of time (at least 10 minutes)

    Agreed! For me lugging the laundry baskets up and down all the stairs and outside to hang and back in and up and down the stairs totally gets my HR up by more that 20 bpm. It totally counts. AND I wear my HRM when I do it.
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
    My rule is two-fold. I ask myself:

    1) Do I do this activity regularly, is it a normal part of my lifestyle, y or n?

    If yes, then its normal activity. For example, mowing the lawn - I did it before and after I joined MFP and worked toward a healthier lifestyle, so no it doesn't count as exercise. Same with cleaning.

    However, something like chopping/splitting firewood I would log. Because its only done a couple weekends a year and its a killer workout - not normal activity.

    2) Do I break a sweat or get my heart rate elevated for a measurable period of time, y or n?

    A doctor once said this to me almost word for word. I agree!
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
    Well, since I only clean twice a year... I log it.


    LOVE THIS!
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
    It depends. If I am do a major clean where I am scrubbing on my hands and knees or something I might count it as exercise but majority of the time I only count things where my heart rate is up.

    Swimming, the gym, work out DVDs etc.
  • armymil
    armymil Posts: 163 Member
    It seems the majority of people don't record it. Sedentary means you burn about less than 590 calories a day. So that would include, standing, walking, picking up items, sitting all day, etc. (Sitting burns calories) So, I don't include the normal daily things. I will include dog walks, a walk meant for exercise, or actual exercise. If I go walking in a mall type setting or something, I won't include it because you are stopping frequently unless you are mall power walking I suppose.
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    Haha, wonder where you got this post inspiration from.... :-/

    (I just posted cleaning as exercise earlier cuz I was workin hard and sweatin my face off, but yeah...)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I don't log things I do regularly.

    I only do yardwork every two or three weeks, so I log that. Ditto for shoveling snow in the winter, although sometimes that's a lot more often than every two to three weeks. It's a corner lot, so there's a lot of sidewalk.

    I don't log normal housework, but when I'm doing a massive clean, like before the in-laws visit from out of state, I'll log some of that.
  • swimmermama
    swimmermama Posts: 526 Member
    Like everyone else has said, it depends on what your activity level is. Mine is set at active, so I only count "real" exercise. I try to take my family on a leisurely walk every evening, for example, and I don't count that.

    I am not kidding when I say that I sometimes think I should count grocery shopping. Carrying my daughter to the car, pushing her in the cart or carrying her through the store, carrying her AND bags of grocery back into the house, and chasing after her while trying to put the groceries away is NOT easy. I'm usually tired and starving afterwards.
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