How much exercise do you count?

MissVCI
MissVCI Posts: 277 Member
edited November 11 in Fitness and Exercise
How much exercise do you count as actual exercise. I try to input only my gym work outs, where I'm sweating bullets and really feeling the burn.
But I bike and/or walk daily as a means of transportation. I never count my walking and only put my bike riding in when i go close to going over on my calories.

And i've read some threads where people include cleaning the house and folding laundry.
So I was just wondering what some MFP count as exercise calories?
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Replies

  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    I count walking and biking if go specifically for exercise, not if it's part of my daily routine. I count jogging/running,strength training etc. I don't count cleaning or work( my job is pretty physical) as those are routine and not extra activities. I do count jumping rope with my daughter, I do it fairly often but I get a good workout from it.
  • KristinLeAnn252
    KristinLeAnn252 Posts: 136 Member
    I don't count the extra walking I do at work because I do it on a regular basis but if I were to go on a walk, or walk on the treadmill, that's extra and I'll count that. Otherwise, I count something as in "i'm going to go work out" regardless of what I do in that time.
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I count only elliptical and real gym stuff. The FitBit adjusts for my general activity which is walking the dog, cleaning the house and such
  • Tiffa0909
    Tiffa0909 Posts: 191 Member
    I think it depends on what you put on your normal daily activity , if you put sedentary then it would count as work out. But if you put active or lightly active then it would be just part of your normal daily activity.
  • kriggs1976
    kriggs1976 Posts: 117
    I count two things:

    When I walk my dog [because we go on long walks]
    When I am at the gym
  • knl124
    knl124 Posts: 44
    I only count gym workouts.
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
    I think it depends on what you put on your normal daily activity , if you put sedentary then it would count as work out. But if you put active or lightly active then it would be just part of your normal daily activity.
    ^^^^ This!
  • NatashaK29
    NatashaK29 Posts: 137
    I agree with Mina.
  • k0nfyo0zed
    k0nfyo0zed Posts: 313 Member
    i count gym visits and workout videos... i only count cleaning the house if i've got crazy upbeat music playing and i'm dancing around and getting my heart rate up in the process.
  • ensoleille
    ensoleille Posts: 56
    I count when I take my dog out for a walk or go swimming because I do that in a specific time period and for exercise.
    I don't count any other walking I do in the day because I think it's just normal activity and not strenuous.
    :)
  • chedges9090
    chedges9090 Posts: 208 Member
    have to agree with Mina :) Don't count anything that you have always done daily... You count anything extra. Remember, the goal is to burn extra calories so that your weight goes down (or you maintain. .. not sure where you are.. :) ) ...
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    I count the cardio, whether jazzercise or walking or elliptical, (stuff I wear my HRM for). I also count Tai Chi, but I only give myself 15 calories for it as a placeholder so i can track how often I practice.
    I don't count weight training, walks at lunch, or swimming.
    I don't count house cleaning or walking at work.
  • tinajoe628
    tinajoe628 Posts: 31 Member
    Agreed. only count the activities that you do that are not part of your daily routine, and you do for calorie burn.
  • mSquared77
    mSquared77 Posts: 47 Member
    I count exercise as exercise!
  • MissVCI
    MissVCI Posts: 277 Member
    thanks for all the input, i appreciate it.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    I count any extensive, fairly high speed walking I do whether it's in a store, doing errands in general, or when I'm doing it solely for the workout. I also count the weights I do (in the strength category, so I guess technically on here they're not counting) and in-place jogging I do while watching TV. I don't have a gym membership (and can't have one due to a disorder) so I try to move as much as I can in as many ways I can for the sole purpose of exercise. I don't count cleaning, chores, or if I'm walking very slow around a store looking.
  • mom2mozart
    mom2mozart Posts: 307 Member
    I occassionally count housework, but only if I've done more than normal - like tackle a big job (re-arranging stuff) / spring cleaning type of housework, change seasons, or scrub my car - which is not in my normal realm of cleaning.
  • janeite1990
    janeite1990 Posts: 671 Member
    I think it depends on what you put on your normal daily activity , if you put sedentary then it would count as work out. But if you put active or lightly active then it would be just part of your normal daily activity.
    ^^^^ This!

    ^^^^^^
    Yes, this.
    If it was something you were doing before you started to make life changes, don't count it. You were doing it before and not getting the results you wanted. That means you've got to add more to it. If you count what you were already doing, you'll fool yourself into thinking you should be losing, when you body was already adjusted to that activity.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I only count exercise when I work out and break a sweat.
  • lumina0o0
    lumina0o0 Posts: 498 Member
    I think it depends on what you put on your normal daily activity , if you put sedentary then it would count as work out. But if you put active or lightly active then it would be just part of your normal daily activity.
    this^^^ i Mainly only count my exercise dvds, walks where i'm walking for a work out, and when I go to a club and dance.
  • betholiver
    betholiver Posts: 70
    I count only when I go to gym
  • Ianultrarunner
    Ianultrarunner Posts: 184 Member
    I only count Cardio and running outside using my Garmin HRM.
    I was counting Weight Lifting but my Fitbit gives me enough adjustment I don't really worry too much about it since Strength Training is really a fuzzy area calorie burn wise.
  • lewandt
    lewandt Posts: 566 Member
    I count all my workouts and my walks. (i walk as fast as i can to get the best workout in and it is really hilly by me, and i go about 3 or more miles).

    I don't count cleaning or anything else.
  • teagin2002
    teagin2002 Posts: 1,900 Member
    I do count my entire morning walks, I count 1/2 to 3/4 of my weight lifting because of the rests between sets and sometimes I get interrupted, also keep in mind the cals burned are only an estimate and I would rather under estimate than over.
    As for cleaning and stuff unless I am moving heavy boxes I don't count it at all. I used to when I was much bigger and didn't have the energy for a regular workout, but now that I am in much better shape I just can't justify it even if it is extra and out of the ordinary.
  • sherrybaby81
    sherrybaby81 Posts: 257 Member
    I only count my gym workouts and bike riding. I think it is silly to count house cleaning and stuff. I don't feel much of a burn when I clean my house lol!
  • CallmeSbo
    CallmeSbo Posts: 611 Member
    I count exercise as exercise. If i walk to the store, i dont count it. Its a walk to the store not exercise. If i wake up in the morning to take a walk, then i will count it.
  • spinqueen72
    spinqueen72 Posts: 406 Member
    Exercise is exercise...whether it's daily routine or not! Your body naturally burns a certain number of calories, no matter what you're doing. If you are breaking a sweat, and exerting yourself, then it is considered exercise.
    I personally calculate ALL my exercise....even housecleaning. I know that I am using MORE energy when I'm walking, cleaning, biking...even if it's something I do every day.
  • spinqueen72
    spinqueen72 Posts: 406 Member
    I count the cardio, whether jazzercise or walking or elliptical, (stuff I wear my HRM for). I also count Tai Chi, but I only give myself 15 calories for it as a placeholder so i can track how often I practice.
    I don't count weight training, walks at lunch, or swimming.
    I don't count house cleaning or walking at work.

    Why on earth wouldn't you count swimming? I know when I swim for an hour or more...I'm exhausted afterwards!! Swimming IS exercise. ....you SHOULD count it!!
    Also.....your body actually burns calories more from weight training than cardio. You will keep burning calories 2-3 hours AFTER you are done with your workout. You only burn for an hour after cardio. So you SHOULD be counting weights.
    Anything that you are putting more energy into to accomplish (weights/walks/swimming/etc) is considered exercise!
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    i dont count any...as its already accounted for when you choose your activity level in calculating your EER
  • xMsAlly
    xMsAlly Posts: 164 Member
    I count every time I do a workout DVD. Or when I walk for more than 20 minutes
This discussion has been closed.

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