Need a bowling opinion. Warning: might include math! :)

creeperlegume
creeperlegume Posts: 171 Member
edited October 4 in Fitness and Exercise
I need some help figuring out if I'm guesstimating correctly when logging my weekly bowling adventure. Adventure because while I enjoy it, I'm not very good. I bowl on a league once a week, and we bowl three games. Though it takes a couple of hours to finish, obviously I'm not bowling that entire time, nor am I willing to use a stopwatch. I've been guessing 3 games x 10 frames @ approximately one minute per frame = 30 minutes of bowling...and that's IF I bowl a strike each frame. Clearly, I don't, but I still only give myself credit for 30 minutes of activity.

Does this sound completely ridiculous and off-base? If so, other suggestions for calculating this? (thanks!)

Replies

  • michedarnd
    michedarnd Posts: 207 Member
    For bowling, I wouldn't even bother counting it except as a few shoulder-swings. I wouldn't bother putting it into my exercise diary, personally. There simply isn't enough sustained activity, and the amount of effort expended to bowl a strike is about 10 seconds, or less. If you keep using heavier and heavier balls, you can count it as strength activity, but I would not bother putting it in as cardio. You are likely to badly overestimate and then, you'll upset your weight-loss goals by reducing your deficit.
  • AromaticTie0
    AromaticTie0 Posts: 8 Member
    That's a tough call. Do you know that in the average 3 hour MLB baseball game, the ball is only in motion 2 mins 30 seconds?

    A minute per frame seems like a high estimate. Most of that time seems like aiming. I take five steps in my swing. So the actual motion couldn't count more than ten seconds.

    However: I think this falls more into the strength training regime, rather than the cardio. I would think it fair to estimate that you're probably burning 250-300 calories in that time frame. Just remember to stay away from lane food and drinks. It adds up quickly.

    A heart rate monitor would be a good indicator. Some have calorie counters in them. You could be surprised.

    Good Luck!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,985 Member
    I wouldn't count bowling as an exercise unless you were bowling consecutive balls in a row by yourself. The wait time in a league is long and there's not enough sustained action.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I wear a BodyMedia Fit and when I went bowling recently I burned less calories than my normal Friday nights which are typically spent running errands to three different stores after work and then cooking dinner. So I wouldn't log it as anything.
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    one game of bowling equals 10 minutes of actuall bowling.

    i used to bowl in quite a few leagues and in teams of 4 it would usually take 40 minutes per game to finish.

    obviously the better bowler you are, the less exercise you will get.

    i remember 2 occasions when i only bowled 12 times for a game (yes im bragging that i hit 12 strikes in a row for a 300 game) :D

    people that are saying that its not cardio activity have obviously not bowled competatively on a regular basis. you can use up a fair bit of energy bowling.

    in a social setting not so much as there is a fair bit of mucking around, but a lot of effort went into my bowling action. 10 mins per game is fair.
  • creeperlegume
    creeperlegume Posts: 171 Member
    Thanks, everyone! All points considered. However, I wonder-- if we shouldn't be counting bowling as exercise, then why does MFP list bowling as an activity under Cardiovascular in their database? Seems that if it should'nt be counted, they wouldn't pre-load that activity, no?
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    MFP also has user loaded entries. And some people count dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, shopping, sex and other things like that, doesn't mean they should be counted though. ;) Heck, there's an entry in the database for standing, so just because it's in the database, doesn't mean it's something that should be put towards exercise calories. :)
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