driving as an exercise?

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Replies

  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Now I am never going to personally count it as exercise, but I do a lot of PC simulated auto racing. The fact that I am racing alone increases my heart rate. Muscle groups in the arms and lower legs are obviously used a lot. I would dare say that I am burning more calories that I would sitting watching TV.

    NASCAR drivers burn a ton of calories from their adrenaline going, heart rate up, and arms control so long and their fires suits being on so long. It gets hot in there (over 100 degrees) and they lose a lot of water weight each race and have to stay hydrated.

    However, we are not all NASCAR drivers...lol. :tongue:

    I think the actual calorie burn has more to do with the G Forces exerted on the body, and the muscles contracting over and over again to keep said driver up-right and paying attention. Just being hot and having an increase HR does NOT burn additional calories.

    However, I'd bet 99% of people on MFP don't even get close to that type of driving. Here's a scientific test you can do. Go to a truck stop, observe actual truckers...and then tell me if you think driving burns calories?

    That being said, I don't get too worked up over what people log. They'll either be successful...or they won't.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    was it a flintstones car?

    ^^^LOL :laugh:
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    There are several factors here to regarding driving as an exercise.

    -What if your car doesn't have an air conditioner that works. You are gonna sweat so therefore you must be exercising.
    -If you drive an car with a manual transmission that is twice the foot work, and think about how much a transmission weighs. You are moving a lot of parts around in that thing.
    -Does every car have power windows and seats? The average window takes 8.2 cranks to go from closed to completely open. And if you are sitting in the seat when you adjust it you just pushed your body weight and the weight of the seat at least a few inches.
    -Reaching through the window to both pay and grab your food at the drive-thru. I am short (5'6") so that is a pretty good stretch for me.
    -And of course the steering wheel. Unless you drive and absolute straight line to work every day, you are turning that wheel quite often. If you do not have power steering, even better for the workout.

    There is of course the mental workout of driving as well. And as we all know the organ that consumes the most energy is the brain. Think about ho wlong and hard you search to find the closest parking spot to the door, and the split second reaction time you must have to keep the jerk in the other car from stealing it.

    I think I will stop riding my bike as clearly, I will get more of a burn from this.

    ^^^LOL good one!
  • Rosa1455
    Rosa1455 Posts: 38
    That sounds crazy!!!!!!! I have seen where some people put down calories burned for cooking and preparing a meal, lol
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
    maybe that is their "safe word" for sex.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Seriously has it come down to every time you take a poop you log it!??!?! poop....log....there's a joke in there somewhere.

    I'm thinking maybe he's a delivery driver? That would make sense...I guess. Although you would just have your settings set to active then?!!??!
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    Maybe if they were a Nascar driver... but not if they are just making a commute home... even if other drivers raise your blood pressure...
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    I log my time spent driving on my FitBit account (which syncs with MFP). If I don't log it as "driving" I can't be sure that my FitBit won't award me extra steps or stairs climbed.
    *Edit for typo

    That makes sense... I would do it too, in this instance.
  • jodi8785
    jodi8785 Posts: 29 Member
    maybe that is their "safe word" for sex.


    that's awesome! haha! and I didn't mean to offend anyone, I was really wondering if I am missing something. I think I am going to continue NOT logging driving since it is a part of my normal everyday routine that I have been doing for years, I don't drive a manual, I have automatic windows so really, my big toe and my brain are doing all the work.
  • AliciaNorris81
    AliciaNorris81 Posts: 185 Member
    That sounds crazy!!!!!!! I have seen where some people put down calories burned for cooking and preparing a meal, lol

    I have a few times. However, I have an immediate family of 24 that comes over for cookouts often. Preparing a meal for that many people is a workout. I like to do it about once every few months though. I wouldn't trade them for anything! :heart:
  • carolemack
    carolemack Posts: 1,276 Member
    However, we are not all NASCAR drivers...lol. :tongue:


    Some of us just think we are. :laugh:
  • b0t23
    b0t23 Posts: 260 Member
    I personally feel that "normal" activities like this should not be logged.

    They typically do not burn more calories than you would burn in that same time without driving.

    If you are wearing some sort of heart rate monitor during this period, make sure to subtract the amount of calories you would normally burn in this same time, and then you might get a more accurate view of what you burned while driving.

    If you are a driver for a living and operate a large truck or other vehicle that requires a lot of physical manipulation to drive, then I would simply bump up my activity level on MFP but still not actually log the calories. Seems like the calories burned would fluctuate with every trip you took.

    To me it would be like logging hours for taking a shower, walking to the living room, sitting on the toilet, or talking on the phone. These are normal everyday activities and should not be logged.
  • CrystalDreams
    CrystalDreams Posts: 418 Member
    This post is about me. If i am going to log every vegetable I eat, event the ones that use up more calories to digest than the are worth, then I am going to list driving as a CALORIES BURNED! Simmer down people. For the record I have already lost 80 pound before I joined here, so I must be doing something right. I joined here to get support because I was losing focus.

    I feel judged and hurt by all of your comments, but that is just my reaction to all of your opinions. I am sorry to find out that MFP is not as wonderful or supportive as I thought it was. And I am sorry that you all think I am crazy.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    This post is about me. If i am going to log every vegetable I eat, event the ones that use up more calories to digest than the are worth, then I am going to list driving as a CALORIES BURNED! Simmer down people. For the record I have already lost 80 pound before I joined here, so I must be doing something right. I joined here to get support because I was losing focus.

    I feel judged and hurt by all of your comments, but that is just my reaction to all of your opinions. I am sorry to find out that MFP is not as wonderful or supportive as I thought it was. And I am sorry that you all think I am crazy.

    Eh... don't worry about the "haters".... Do what works for you... if logging everything is what works for you then by all means keep at it... because at the end of the day the only thing that counts is your health.
  • kimimila86
    kimimila86 Posts: 399 Member
    I saw someone posted they burned so may calories by driving. does this sound crazy to anyone else? if so then I should be logging it because I drive 2 hours a day!

    its not that serious.

    Agreed... how about you send a message to this person to express your concern instead of making fun of them on the forum? Be a decent human being, please!
  • ginaquinn2
    ginaquinn2 Posts: 136 Member
    Oh I think this is very sad. We know we get what put into this. Hopefully this person will learn too before they get discouraged and leave. It does sound crazy to me too but mostly it just makes me feel sad for this person.

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