So I am feeling a bit guilty. I had been getting out daily - when weather permitting - and walking. Usually it'd be a mile or so. But lately I have been spending most of my day working on a gardening project. I live in apts, but we are allowed to garden here, and the other renters haven't been using the big flower bed or the two smaller ones on either side of our walk way. Well, an older lady that used to live here accumulated LOADS of rocks in the bed. Every year after rains and snows, rocks would sink several inches down, so she'd load more on. No-one has taken care of the beds, either. I've dug up candy wrappers, old nails, bobby pins, marbles, toothpicks, laundry lint, and much more. So I have been spending most of my day raking, digging, carrying pots and bags of rocks and trash (5 bags and 8 big pots full) to the trash and the rock/gravel road near by, weeding, leveling the ground, digging out over-grown roots and old roots from dead plants, and planting. I have been going out an hour or so after waking, take about one break (an hour), then I usually carry on until the sun starts going down. Am I burning much? I have no idea if it'd be the equivalence of. Anyone have any idea if I'd be atleast burning what I was when walking?

Gardening does burn calories as well

This link may help you figure out how much you are burning while gardening:

http://caloriecount.about.com/activi...awn-garden-ac8

Thanks for that. That's kinda neat.

Anytime you're moving you're burning more calories than sitting. Last week I hauled up several loads of ceramic tile to our 3rd level. My heart rate jumped up immediately--I was sweating profusely--and my arms and legs got a real work-out. And I am still a little sore from that ha.ha.

I could believe it. I was a little torn on what to think, though. I came in feeling drained, stiff and hurting pretty significantly. But I wasn't sure how much of that was due to the my body being worked good by the gardening, and how much due to my fibromyalgia and sitting on the hard surfaces off and on, etc. I'm guessing I can count it as exercise now.

My Fitness pal puts gardening - general at 470 calories for 1 hour. For some things (just weeding) I think that's probably high, but gardening/yardwork is real work and I would think burns more calories than walking.

Thanks for that. I will have to check My Fitness Pal out.

I think it's easier to do "regular" exercise than gardening! Gardening is hard work so you are definitely burning more than average calories!!