Hmmmm. My heart rate get's up there when I mop my floors. I even breath heavier. I think it would be unfair to remove house work as counting since it was okay last week. JMO, but I think housework & Yard work should count if your heart rate is up & you are sweating. Maybe it should just be a personal preference if one wants to count it or not.

But wouldn't you do that type of thing even if you weren't trying to exercise/lose weight? I think that's where my hangup is, so even if I sweat, I won't count it because it's just part of my lifestyle, not intentional exercise.

But I suppose I agree that it's a personal decision. I won't count it for myself because it seems like a stretch since it's a normal part of life, but I won't cry about it if others decide count it, either :shrug: And maybe I'll even feel better knowing I'm working so hard to make sure all my exercise is intentional :carrot:

Yard work can be heavy work or light work, depending on what you're doing. I tend to count sweaty yard work in my FitDay, but I don't decrease my planned minutes. I've worn my heart rate monitor during my 'leisure swim' and I burn about half of what I would for doing laps. I suppose I'm just reacting to week two being 777 mins, which if I only count the activities I normally wear the heart rate monitor for, I won't make. It feels like less of an accomplishment to add in light chores to me. I didn't count those activities last week, but if the 777 from this week continues to go higher I might as well bow out now.

I suspect the real question is: Would Bob and Jillian consider it exercise. :D

(On that matter I'm sure even my sweat running into my eyes digging work wouldn't really count!)

Michelle is in the process of changing our destination so I think it'll be ok. :) We live in a very small place so I don't have to clean it up everyday, unless my animals or guys are being extra messy. I usually only do a deep cleaning twice a week, so it's really not a daily thing for me, which is why I said I think it should be a personal choice, yanno? IMO ANY activity is better than none. :)

You do deep cleaning twice a week?! haha, I think I do it about once a month :p It's definitely not a daily thing, but it's still just lifestyle stuff I would have to do regardless.

I feel like such a slob when I talk to people who clean often. I usually don't worry about it unless we're having guests. How awful is that?! I remember talking to a friend at my last job who was pregnant, and she was complaining that the floors on got vacuumed once a week because she was so tired from the pregnancy. I didn't tell her that we only vacuum once every other week, IF that :dizzy:

Wow, Jill, digress much? :D

How about playing outside with your kids. Although that probably is exercise anyway.

OMG< I vacuum my living room everyday. I think I have a problem, lol!
I have cleaning OCD, LOL! I've had this problem for years. I am getting it with my times on the treadmill too. I have to have my numbers exactly right or I feel all unsettled. I'm a weird one. :)

I suppose it depends on what you're doing. IMO, if your heart rate is up, you're sweating and get a lil' short of breath, it counts! :)

I'd count it if it were me.

Here's my take on what counts as exercise or not. If anyone cares! :lol:

If it gets your heart rate up and you break a sweat, then you are doing cardio type of exercise. That is where you get into the fat burning mode.

However, if you're doing vacuuming, cleaning, yard work, etc. it is using your muscles - stretching and toning. And it all helps the body to burn calories.

Intentional exercise is just that - intentionally getting up off the couch and moving more than otherwise you would have. Maybe that means you're doing more lifestyle work than you would before.

If we're saying that to count, it has to make you break a sweat, then any kind of stretching or toning exercise class or DVD wouldn't count either.

IMHO, it isn't the sweating or heartrate factor, its the intentional moving beyond what you used to do factor.

Ok so some changes to the Exercise Challenge...

Instead of flying out from DC to every location, we are reverting back to the way we used to do it which was flying from location to location.

So Week 1 was a flight to Ocracoke or Ocean City... all the people that went to Ocean City got a free flight to Ocracoke so we can all start from the same place.

If you didn't make the minimum for either city, its ok. We are all starting from Ocracoke Island, NC this week.

Instead of Panama City Beach, we are flying to The Hamptons in NY. It's 455 miles which averages out to 65 mins a day... thats probably the lowest I can go.

In the future, there are going to be longer flights I will probably make adjustments for. Such as connecting flights being free or something to that nature. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

As far as what can be included and what can't...

Things like deep cleaning and heavy yardwork can be included, but its optional meaning you don't have to if you don't want to. Please don't give people a ration if they do... for some people this is their exercise.

Wii sports can be included if you play it for a continuous period...

Anything outside of your normal daily routine (read: playing with kids for lengthy periods if its not normal) thats physical activity can be included.

All the deadlines and stuff are still the same.

I'm hoping this can ease some of the tension/wanting to quits/worries. Please know that I can not please every single person in this challenge, nor can I cater the exercise challenge to every person. If you feel that this edit is unfair or you need to discuss any portion of the exercise challenge you feel is unjust, please feel free to pm me... I'm available and ready to take a tongue lashing. :D

You rock Michelle! And there should be no tongue lashing from anyone because where would we be without all the hard work that you put into this?

Thanks!

Glad you mentioned the Wii, because I am getting the Wii Fit as a belated Bday present soon! :D I can't wait! Okay, off to the GYM I go.........

I'll be doing physical therapy for my right knee. Can that be counted towards the exercise challenge?

That's an iffy one... are you on like a treadmill or just walking with a doctor? I need more specific information for that to make a decision.

I just learned about the beach hopping challenge. Can I join in even though I didn't do last week? I'm on the red team.

Thanks!

I do treadmill as part of my regular exercise which I did last week for my exercise challenge.
Knee physical therapy is just bunch of strengthening exercises, which my therapist gave me to do them at home for my knee to build up my surrounding muscles. It takes about 1/2 hour to do them all.
-hope this helps :) No biggie if I can't I just wanted to make sure.

Will do. :D

How about coaching? I coached a total of four basketball games this weekend averaging 60-70 minutes each during which I was jumping, walking, jogging up and down the side lines (I'm a very energetic coach). My feet hurt so bad by last night because I didn't sit once during any of our games. My girls are very young (10, 11, & 12) and need a lot of instruction throughout the game and I like to bounce around and cheer everytime they complete something successfully (so they feel good about what they're doing) and just ignore mistakes (with exception to the really big ones, like shooting at the wrong basket)... Could I at least count some of the minutes as I always break a sweat when I'm coaching?

This is for all teams. you just need to make a post for your badges in the badge log thread.

Stretching = exercise.... its like yoga so it counts

If you can keep track of about how much you run, jump and cheer... go for it! ;)

When do we get the badges? I noticed some people had them and some didn't.

chellez i could kiss you :) ty so much for making this achievable.. :)

By the way... I see lots and lots of badges posted but mine hasn't shown up yet... and was just wondering...if I'm the only one or if Michell's not done yet.

Michelle is still working on the badges. I think she left a note that she did not have the black team all done yet.

I made a post in each teams thread earlier but it must have been overlooked...

Thank you!! and good luck with the test!!!

:beach: I made it to the second beach today. Anyone else there yet?

:beach: I am on the beach, now I want a 2nd Cabana Boy (you know one to look at :drool: while the other is my beck and call boy, I mean at my beck and call).

i just need 75 minutes workout time tomorrow (which should be easy) and i will be on that beach by lunchtime tomorrow :D

Mandey - How in the world do you fit all this w/o time into a day?

You don't see me out there? :swim:

Yeah, you and your callboy, Kelly. Thought I saw the 2 of you when I hit the beach this morning!

lol...well i am a stay at home mom ;) my neighbor gets the elementary kids to school (my daughter included) then when she gets back we all gather under our carport (we live on post and they're duplexs, so we share a double carport where we have all our equipment)....and we do our workout on a crossbow (like a bowflex) and watp dvds and other things...depending on what day it is. usually my son (age 2 ) is still asleep, but when he wakes up i just take him outta the crib and put him in his room to play and lock the gate (to keep him in his room since its upstairs), and my other neighbors (2) each have boys at home too (one is 3 and one is 4) and they are usually asleep, but are old enough to come down the stairs alone, so when they wake up they just come outside and play together and watch us ;) we usually work out for 1-2 hours depending on that days routine. :) and then shower in time for lunch ;) and then hang out till 3pm when its time to get the kids from school....
we've decided to make it a priority to take care of us each morning and get fit and watch calories. one neighbor is trying to quit smoking, and i am quiting (since last tues a.m. i have had one - and that was an hour ago when my nerves were shot, but i dont like her brand and it was nasty...so no worries about me wanting more) :) LOL