How do You Track Cals Burned When Playing with Your Kids..

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  • beeny83
    beeny83 Posts: 61
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    I don't log playing with the kids but if I was to walk to the park I would log that walk but not once i got there. I log my shopping simply because I only do it once every couple of weeks (I don't log my weekly food shopping) I log some cleaning only if its something I don't do everyday like spring cleaning or cleaning walls and things like that because everything else is already in my daily activity.
    I have 3 kids 5 and under so they keep me busy but don't log it because I wouldn't know where to start lol not that it makes any difference to me if I did because I don't eat back my burnt calories anyway.
  • 1WorkoutAtATime
    1WorkoutAtATime Posts: 719
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    I only track actual cardiac exercise……treadmill, bike, running, workout video etc. I am not one to track cleaning my house or shopping. To me those are normal daily living activities. To me playing with the kids is the same. The only extra thing I track is yard work or shoveling.

    totally agree
  • 1WorkoutAtATime
    1WorkoutAtATime Posts: 719
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    I consider such things mere items that contribute to your general activity setting.

    Don't track it.
    You'll find people trying to track every single thing, and such wishful thinkers are usually those who over state calories burned and under report food intake, then complain when they make little progress.

    It's the very tomfoolery typical of the professional dieter.



    That sounds exactly right!



    I totally agree with this. I see it all the time, if I logged playing with kids, doing laundry, washing dishes then I would have calories galore.... I did those things while obese and it didn't help any then... why would it help now?



    well said!
  • mekikya
    mekikya Posts: 19 Member
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    I dunno how you guys "play" with your kids, but when i do, im running over the jungle gym and crawling around on my hands and knees, and chasing my boys around, "helping" them climb up the slides, doing that for an hour or 2 definitely outta be worth something...the other day we danced around the living room for a half hour to some songs the kids love, I would log that, and I count the playing walking at 2 mile/hr even though most of the time I know i'm going faster then that. we don't go to the park everyday, so of course I'm going to log it...standing there putting dishes in a dish washer isnt much work, but working up a sweat chasing 2 little boys definitely is...

    I know I'm one of the few parents that actually climbs up into the toys with their kids, so maybe the parents that just hang out talking to other parents, shouldn't log that...
  • spacecase76
    spacecase76 Posts: 673 Member
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    I consider it part of my daily life and consider it built into my BMR.

    In other words, I wouldn't log / track it.
  • babygurl48
    babygurl48 Posts: 1,236 Member
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    I only track actual cardiac exercise……treadmill, bike, running, workout video etc. I am not one to track cleaning my house or shopping. To me those are normal daily living activities. To me playing with the kids is the same. The only extra thing I track is yard work or shoveling.
    me too
  • phillips529
    phillips529 Posts: 195 Member
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    I dunno how you guys "play" with your kids, but when i do, im running over the jungle gym and crawling around on my hands and knees, and chasing my boys around, "helping" them climb up the slides, doing that for an hour or 2 definitely outta be worth something...the other day we danced around the living room for a half hour to some songs the kids love, I would log that, and I count the playing walking at 2 mile/hr even though most of the time I know i'm going faster then that. we don't go to the park everyday, so of course I'm going to log it...standing there putting dishes in a dish washer isnt much work, but working up a sweat chasing 2 little boys definitely is...

    I know I'm one of the few parents that actually climbs up into the toys with their kids, so maybe the parents that just hang out talking to other parents, shouldn't log that...

    Yes indeed I would track it. I never really thought about it until now....damn good idea. I have 5 children and all under the age of 13 and I'm active with them. I use to consider that daily activities and not track it, but after playing soccer, racing, or dance contest in our living room and let's not forget jungle gym days yes I sure work up a sweat. I do log in my bike ride with a trailer, but now as I think about it....the next time at jungle gym I'm strapping on a HRM.
  • jennkess
    jennkess Posts: 86
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    Look under care of primates/wild or wild animal care in the exercise database.

    :laugh: loved this!
    I don't track it, same as i don't track household chores. it's a personal choice- if you track it to see the calories burned one thing if you track it so you can feel better eating a large dinner~~~I'd suggest not
  • LorieJ35
    LorieJ35 Posts: 16 Member
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    I am in agreement with those that say it counts. I think your crazy if you say it doesn't, but then again it depends on how you play with your kids. When I play at the park with my kids I get a much better workout tban walking.
    But when they run somewhere I run too. I chase them up the slide and have to run nack down to catch them. And have you ever played freeze tag? That's comparable to sprinting. I found a site that gave it a 270 calorie burn per hour for a 150 pound woman. Come on people, working out doesn't have to be boring. Have some fun with it and include your kids!
  • RenewedRunner
    RenewedRunner Posts: 423 Member
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    Did you do that stuff BEFORE you started your weight loss journey? IMO, I was fat because I ate too much and didnt work out. I still had 2 kids then too.

    Oh and I am not one of "those" parents that just hangs out. I play ball with my kids as I coach their soccer team. I dont count that though in my exercise. Being a parent isnt exercise.
  • flechero
    flechero Posts: 260 Member
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    I don't bother tracking play time with my son... it's a blessing and a bonus so any extra cals I burn are just extra to any deficit. I work out hard enough and track the workouts that, those few extra cals won't change much.
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
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    For myself, I don't log activities that I do on a daily basis. Playing with the l.o. in the house or at "normal" or everyday type of activity levels is one of those things...UNLESS I take him with me to exercise...long brisk walk on the trail, running, a game of ball with the older children, roller skating etc... Those are all things that I definitely do track for m.f.p.! Same thing for housework...regular daily activity is a no no...but if I'm scrubbing walls and floors and the like sure!
  • Amabuela
    Amabuela Posts: 24
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    If you wear a Fitbit, it will track all your calories for the day, no matter what you're doing. Then you don't have to separately log your exercise - it will automatically be factored in for you.
  • emydoo
    emydoo Posts: 2
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    If I take my kids to the park, that is my workout for the day. I climb, run, jump, do pull ups and squats and lunges. Playing IS exercise; why do you think animals do it so much? Conventional exercise is ok and yes it burns calories but you will burn more playing as if you were still a child than you will at the gym because you are having fun. If you are taking you kids out to play, why waste your time at the gym too when you could be working every muscle while having fun and spending quality time with them? I added playing kids games to the data base; it really only tracks the cardio part of the play but it is something. Why wouldn't you count exercise just because your kids are there?

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