do you track small amounts of exercise

thinbride0004
thinbride0004 Posts: 11 Member
edited October 30 in Fitness and Exercise
So quick info on me:
Starting weight 192
Goal Weight 155
Height 5 10
Current weight 188

Is it correct to log in exercise that does not get your heart rate up? For example I walk my dogs everyday at least once for a minimum of 15 minutes around our neighborhood or the park (most often it is 20-25 minutes,usually not longer due to the fact that it is freezing outside!!!). Should I log this in for extra calories if it is part of my everyday schedule?

Currently I only log occasional walks that are over 45 minutes because I feel like that actually gets my heart rate up. Is this correct?

Thanks!
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Replies

  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    No.
  • kbeller88
    kbeller88 Posts: 139
    Most definately!!! Its just the fact your getting up and moving...if you don't move fast enough to break a sweat its okay just log it in as Walking 2.0 but if you start sweating log it in at 3.0 and honestly even if you dont' feel your heart rate go up it doesn't mean that its not...
  • watergirl626
    watergirl626 Posts: 249 Member
    If you set your activity level at sedentary you should log it all.
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    Yes - you're better off only logging things that elevate your heart rate. Unless you are morbidly obese and 15 minute walks are new exercise to you.
  • naseak
    naseak Posts: 98 Member
    If you check the exercise area it gives you options for walking speed (even mentions walking the dog) I think it is good to log everything to get a good picture of what you are really doing.
  • lorac321
    lorac321 Posts: 614 Member
    You said it was part of your everyday schedule. No, I wouldn't include it.
  • DenisePenland
    DenisePenland Posts: 21
    I log everything! If i clean for 10 minutes i log it, it all counts!
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
    I set my activity for sedentary and log all exercise. It's a nice way to be motivated to exercise. Instead of failing if I don't meet exercise goals, I'm instantly rewarded with more calories to eat what I like. I've never been so faithful at using the treadmill in my life :)
  • kennethmgreen
    kennethmgreen Posts: 1,759 Member
    If you set your activity level at sedentary you should log it all.
    This. What you should track depends on what you set your activity level to. If you are set to sedentary, then most exercise outside your "norm" (which should be little activity - you know, sedentary) should be logged.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    I log everything! If i clean for 10 minutes i log it, it all counts!

    :huh:
  • kennethmgreen
    kennethmgreen Posts: 1,759 Member
    I log everything! If i clean for 10 minutes i log it, it all counts!
    This probably makes sense if your starting point calories for the day is at a level that your body requires to lie on the floor. So almost any activity at all is a change from that calorie requirement.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    I wouldn't because it's part of your lifestyle. You walk your dogs because you have dogs. Especially if you did it before you were trying to lose weight. I typically think of "small" amounts of exercise as a bonus. Such as ... say I spend four hours cleaning. It didn't get my heart rate up, so it's just extra. I don't log it. Unless I'm really breathing heavy, I'll wear my HRM and log it.
  • yummy♥
    yummy♥ Posts: 612 Member
    I log everything! If i clean for 10 minutes i log it, it all counts!

    but does this strategy help you with your Steve Perry?

    it's important to be realistic about your calorie expenditures during routine activity, overestimating can derail your plan.
  • Justjoshin
    Justjoshin Posts: 999 Member
    If you set your activity level at sedentary you should log it all.
    I disagree. Sedentary would assume that MOST of your day is sedentary, not all.
    By your logic, I should log walking from my house to the car, from the car to the store, etc.

    Log your EXERCISE, not the daily activities that your life requires.
  • thinbride0004
    thinbride0004 Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks guys! :wink:
  • a_stronger_steph
    a_stronger_steph Posts: 434 Member
    My activity level is set to sedentary, so I log my walk to/from work every day. It's about a 15-20 minute walk each way, and my natural pace is 3.5 mph, but I log it as 15 minutes each way (30 total) at 2.5 mph so as not to overestimate the calories. I've been doing that since I started on MFP, and it gives me ~100 calories more per day to work with (I eat my exercise calories back). I don't log my walk to/from the coffee shop at work, walking around the building, etc., but I do allow myself that half hour commute walk... because it's a departure from sedentary activity. If my activity level were set to "lightly active," I wouldn't log it.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    So quick info on me:
    Starting weight 192
    Goal Weight 155
    Height 5 10
    Current weight 188

    Is it correct to log in exercise that does not get your heart rate up? For example I walk my dogs everyday at least once for a minimum of 15 minutes around our neighborhood or the park (most often it is 20-25 minutes,usually not longer due to the fact that it is freezing outside!!!). Should I log this in for extra calories if it is part of my everyday schedule?

    Currently I only log occasional walks that are over 45 minutes because I feel like that actually gets my heart rate up. Is this correct?

    Thanks!

    I only log specific training sessions. All other stuff, I don't bother with.
  • CalJur
    CalJur Posts: 627 Member
    No.

    not sure why no. walking is definitely an exercise regardless of how high your rate is?
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Your body becomes accustomed to your routine and doesn't burn as much as someone new to that activity. If something is part of your lifestyle and not done specifically for fitness purposes, then I would NOT log it. You aren't doing yourself any favors by logging something that really didn't give you extra calories.
  • getfit618
    getfit618 Posts: 41 Member
    I log any excercise which was intended to be....well excercise. Any activities of daily life such as cleaning, walking a dog, playing with kids, walking around town i do not think should be logged as exercise calories. This is your life- you will be doing that everyday no matter if you were working towards a healthier lifestyle or not. Excercise should be when you move around with the INTENTION of excercising. Not dong things that are normal for your lifestyle.
  • cℓaire1185
    cℓaire1185 Posts: 6
    I would not ask questions if I were you, everybody disagrees with EVERYTHING.
  • enigrebua
    enigrebua Posts: 113 Member
    I tend to track anything 30 minutes or more...or if it's more intense exercise such as running instead of walking, I'll always track it. I lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle on the whole so I find tracking activity helps motivate me to keep turning it up a notch as my fitness gradually improves. Whatever you find more useful, I'd say. If you do a lot of exercise it might prove hard to remember what small amounts of exercise you've done.
  • branflake5
    branflake5 Posts: 332
    My lifestyle is also set at sedentary and I do not log every move I make. I don't log cleaning because I have been cleaning an entire house and up after kids and a man for 17 yrs and I still managed to gain 30 lbs. So unless it is extreme cleaning such as moving furniture etc I don't log it. I don't log shopping or my daily neighborhood walk which is like 20 min because again these are things I have done for years. When I 1st started MFP I logged everything because it gave me some encouragement but now I only log my actual scheduled exercise such as my zumba, p90x, etc I log a walk if it is out of the ordinary sometimes my kids and I will walk to the park which is about 2 miles away and we walk back so I log that because it is not the norm. Or if we play basketball or race each other. But I think it is up to you really what you consider to be working out. If you walked you dog this distance everyday before you decided on your lifestyle change then I wouldn't count it, but if you started doing that afterwards then count it. Good luck either way!!!!!
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
    I would not ask questions if I were you, everybody disagrees with EVERYTHING.

    As a rebuttal, people often disagree with statements. Questions are open to yes or no answers.

    IE:

    Statement - "I log daily routines as exercise."

    Response - "You shouldn't since it's a routine."

    Question - "Should I log daily routines as exercise?"

    Response - "No."
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    I'm sure "sedentary" does not take into account 30 minute walks with the dog. It's exercise -- even if you do it every day.
  • addisondisease
    addisondisease Posts: 664 Member
    Wait what if my dog runs out the front door and i spend 5 min chasing him around should i log that, cause i really want to cheat more on my diet.

    Seriously people?
  • pinkribbons4hope
    pinkribbons4hope Posts: 56
    @kennethmgreen - that is the most adorable pic ever! Just had to tell you :)
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    Hey, the great thing about MFP is that you can always make changes if what you're doing isn't working. Log it, and if you don't see results, make adjustments.

    Yet again, people, there's no one formula that works for everyone. Maybe the sedentary-setting calorie allotment is too low for some, maybe it's too high for others. It's all trial and error.
  • Rachiepie6
    Rachiepie6 Posts: 423 Member
    Yes! Unless you've incorporated that activity into your activity level. I have mine set on sedentry so I log all exercise. If I changed it to light, I wouldn't log the small everyday stuff.
  • cjpg
    cjpg Posts: 433 Member
    There are a lot of haters posting on this thread (and many others) about logging what they deem as insignificant.

    People need to understand that we are constantly burning calories. When you run for 30 mins your burn more. When you walk for 10 mins you burn significantly less, but you still burn.

    It's just what would you rather? Run for 30 mins or walk for three hours?

    Don't discount the small accomplishments. But as a rule of thumb I wouldn't log anything that you are not able to find in MFP's database, for example:

    When I run I can't see any pace slower than 2.5 mph (leisurely pace), so I wouldn't log any exercise that is slower than that where walking exercising is concerned.
    Wait what if my dog runs out the front door and i spend 5 min chasing him around should i log that, cause i really want to cheat more on my diet.

    Sorry, this really is bugging me. It's not cheating on your diet to log ACTUAL ACTIVITY. And even if they had the mindset to 'cheat' on their diet, they would only be able to 'cheat' the exercise calories of the 'very small' exercise. So what exactly do they gain?? Another slice of tomato? Stop whining.
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