Advice please on recording exercise/activity levels

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SuffolkSally
SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Any help please? I''ve rated my general lifestyle activity level as sedentary. However, just now I'm working part time and temporarily as a painter and decorator. It's only about 5 hours a day, 3 days a week, and will maybe last 3-4 weeks. It's not cardio activity, but I am doing things that I wouldn't usually do, standing for that length of time, up and down stepladder, using blowtorch and sander, wielding paintbrush etc.

It sounds pathetic but I can sure feel it! Achy and tired, and hungrier than usual. And clearly I'm more active than usual.

Any ideas on how to log this? It doesn't seem right to change my lifestyle setting as it's only a few days a week and not for long. I looked at the database of exercises for either this activity or one that I thought might be equivalent - I might have missed something but I couldn't see anything...

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  • josery1630
    josery1630 Posts: 205 Member
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    Log it as housecleaning maybe?
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    housework maybe... do you have an HRM - that would def help you determine how many calories you are burning. and you could also create your own exercise based on the number given by the HRM...
  • tabngillysmom
    tabngillysmom Posts: 24 Member
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    I agree with the above post. I would log it as "cleaning, light to moderate effort" you should be safe with the amount of "extra" calories it gives you for whatever amount of time you log.

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  • rhuecker
    rhuecker Posts: 3
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    I've done some painting recently that I logged as "Housecleaning, light/moderate effort". I figured it was work that I don't do on a regular basis but I definitely felt it in my muscles, etc.
  • azwildcatfan94
    azwildcatfan94 Posts: 314 Member
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    what about yard work or mowing lawn? Not to diss on housework, but doing yard work tires me out more and I would think with carrying equipment around it would be a little more strenuous than housework (which I see as more of a pure cardio thing)
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    If you are going to keep this job for a couple weeks, I would adjust MFP activity to "Lightly Active". My Home > Goals. Plus this type of thing is going to be really difficult to get an accurate cal count, even WITH a HRM.

    Yeah it "has only been a few days" but it IS a day to day battle. Don't be too hard on your body!
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Thanks for your thoughts! It's an odd one isn't it - both gardening and housework are cardio, This is the same sort of effort level but more or less stationary! And I don't feel too sure about adjusting my lifestyle activity level because this job isn't even half time... unfortunately I don't have an HRM. I was a bit surprised it isn't in the database already, it's a common enough activity. Maybe someone with an HRM would like to decorate their bedroom or something to help me out, LOL
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    And I don't feel too sure about adjusting my lifestyle activity level because this job isn't even half time

    MFP's explanation of activity levels is a little misleading. I think this one is more relevant:
    Sedentary - desk job and little to no exercise
    Lightly Active - light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk
    Moderately Active - moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk
    Very Active - hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk
    Extremely Active - hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or training
    unfortunately I don't have an HRM. I was a bit surprised it isn't in the database already, it's a common enough activity. Maybe someone with an HRM would like to decorate their bedroom or something to help me out, LOL

    The thing about calories burned is it is VERY personal and is different for everyone...if a 120 lb marathon runner ran for 15 minutes and then a 250 lb couch potatoe ran for 15 minutes, their calories burned would be VERY different. And that's for something that is fairly linear and measurable (distance, speed, etc). Something like painting is impossible to have an average for because there are SO many variables (did you rest for a few seconds? was it a ceiling or wall? what kind of paint was it? :wink: ) . That is why it is so tough to get a good read without a HRM. But if you don't have one that's ok, ideally your activity level should take your exercise into consideration and then you shouldn't have to eat back your cals burned. Which is why I suggest you adjust that and not worry about logging/eating back cals burned.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    I would stay at "sedentary" for the time being. If you find that this setting doesn't provide enough calories and you are losing weight too fast, move up to "moderate."

    People tend to overestimate the number of calories they're burning through exercise. You can always eat more if you can't keep weight on because of the work on the house (unlikely).
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Thanks Janspirrizzi - that's really helpful and I think I'll do just that

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