Earning activity points on the Weight Watchers Points Plus system is as easy as being active. This can be from exercising, fun activities or even household chores.
If you are a member, then you know that the foods you eat are assigned a certain value based on the nutritional content. You also know that based on your age, gender and current weight, you are given a certain amount of points for your daily allowance.
But did you know you can get extra points to use towards food for the exercises you do? These extra points are what you earn on Weight Watchers for being active.
If you want to see how many points you earned, go the the activity points calculator page. If you want to learn how it's calculated, stay here and keep reading.
Note: Activity Points are only used on the Points Plus Plan or the original method. These are not for the SmartPoints program. If you have switched over to the new Smart Points, then you will be using Fit Points.
There is no standard calculation for Fit Points. Instead, it is personalized and based on certain information such as gender, age, weight, height and current activity level.
So you plugged in your details using the activity points calculator and got the results. You may be wondering how it's determined. The formula is simple. It takes your weight (in lbs) multiplied by the duration (in minutes) times the intensity factor.
Basically, on the original points system you would earn 1 point for approximately every 100 calories you burned. Also, on the original method, food points values were 1 point for approximately every 50 calories.
So exercising to get the activity points still creates a deficit in calories consumed versus calories burned.
On the points plus system food points values in many cases went up. Good news is the activity points you earn in many cases also goes up. With the original method you had to burn approximately 100 calories to earn a point.
However, with the points plus system, you need to burn approximately 75 - 80 calories to earn 1 activity point. So even though the food points values went up, you can add more activity points quicker.
All in all, the results are approximately the same on both systems. You earn points for your activities to use for extra food. Since the food points values are different for the two points systems, the activity points calculator factor was also adjusted accordingly.
The formula used to calculate the activity points is the same for both the points plus and the original WW points system. The only difference is the intensity factor used for the two methods. This is how the plus system gives you more points for your activity.
Below outlines the basic calculation for the original and points plus method.
Another thing you may be asking yourself is what counts towards activities to earn points? Some activities are obvious such as a brisk walk, 30 minutes on the elliptical, riding a bike and running around the track.
While these are obvious other activities may not be as obvious. For instance, many people may forget to count their strength training or ab crunches.
Because you may not sweat as much or feel like it is an intense workout, these structured exercises will burn calories and earn you some activity points. Other items that can earn points are a lot more fun than the aerobics and weight lifting.
Things like dancing, a round of golf, bowling and even playing a friendly game of touch football at the family picnic will get you some extra points to swap for food if needed.
Additional activities, which may not be as fun, can also earn you points. These include housecleaning, gardening, yardwork and more. Basically, any physical activity above and beyond your normal daily routine will earn you some extra points for these activities.
So get up and get moving and earn some extra points by exercising. Be sure to figure out how many extra points you earned by using the activity points calculator.
Points Tracker Spreadsheet
Download this free spreadsheet to track the points you earn from your activities. Record the foods points and the spreadsheet will automatically adjust
the allowances as needed.
Food Points Calculators
Check out the WW points calculators on this site. You will find one for the plus system and one for the original method.
Exercise Tips
If you are not sure where to start with exercising, then check out this article. Adding exercise to any diet plan can help you lose the weight faster.