housework counting as legitimate exercise

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Replies

  • SkinnyMozza
    SkinnyMozza Posts: 66 Member
    Dishes -> I don't log
    Pool cleaning -> log
    Toilet cleaning -> I don't log
    scrubbing like there is no tomorrow for 60 minutes, breaking a sweat, hating my life ->log

    Agreed!! :flowerforyou:
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    Hello everyone (: Just wondering today I put on my polar monitor while I worked around the house, ironed, etc and was surprised that after 2 1/2 hours I burned 615 CALORIES! Can I count these as calories burned eventhough it wasnt from a regime structured exercise ? It was done without even thinking and I feel like because I wasnt burning a sweat it wasnt REAL exercise. Please advise:huh:

    I don't count any of my non-exercise activities like housework or gardening, because I count those as a more active lifestyle.
    I do however count a stint ( 6:30 am to 6:00pm ) in a soup kitchen where I volunteer every Sunday and where I am in charge of 450 meals and carry sacks of produce, heavy pots, big heavy trays etc and often do not get more than two 15 minute breaks, which means I am on my feet almost all the time. I look at that as " compound " exercise, but don't count daily stuff.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    I painted last night, up and down, up and down, up and down the ladder for 3.5 hours. Reaching, stretching, climbing, etc. I didn't record that as exercise
    If you are sore the next day, I figure it's excercise. Log or don't log, you still burned calories and I doubt you're doing that kind of activity every day, fit or not.

    I think where logging gets problematic is if you are logging random stuff just so you can eat more. If you are logging just to keep good records that might help you figure out why you lost one week and not another.

    I like the idea about putting stuff in notes, though. I may have to do that.
  • grandma0561
    grandma0561 Posts: 16 Member
    Thanks everyone! I knew it was too good to be true :laugh:
  • grandma0561
    grandma0561 Posts: 16 Member
    Thats a good idea! I'm gonna try it!
  • Being that I am sitting all day at work, I do count calories burned doing chores. If I am up and moving thats different then my day to day of sitting!
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,544 Member
    Is housework exercise? Probably not. Is it activity? Sure is! I get a little tired of exercise snobs who insist that exercise only counts if it is something insanely diffifult. For some people, that is not practical.

    Years ago, people didn't "exercise," they worked. That included housework and gardening. I love the fact that on the rare occasions that I do some real housework, I can eat a few more calories. I also count food prep when I'm really busy in the kitchen, batch cooking or preparing Thanksgiving dinner. My weightloss didn't stall. My house didn't suffer from me being too exhausted from my workout to clean it.
  • I say yes. it is in this app under exercise. I enter it and am losing weight! :)
  • Sandytoes71
    Sandytoes71 Posts: 463 Member
    If you want to log it, put your HRM on while you sit and watch tv or read a book for 2.5 hours and see what it reads. Subtract that number from your active number and add that amount!

    excellent idea!!!
  • phyllisgehrke
    phyllisgehrke Posts: 238 Member
    I disagree with the posts above.

    Why do they have light cleaning as exercise, if it does not count.
    I would definitely count it as your exercise.