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?