So, is housework considered exercise or is it not?

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  • vickiessecret
    vickiessecret Posts: 119 Member
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    I count if sometimes, I have 3 levels to my house, so it's a lot of running up & down 3 flights of stairs. & my heart rate does get up there, I also have my activity level set to Sedentary, so activities I do I count. & I'm also losing weight doing it...so I'm happy :)
  • Melaney1
    Melaney1 Posts: 44 Member
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    For me, I don't count regular daily cleaning as exercise but I would count Spring cleaning. When you wash down the whole house inside and out that's hard work but, do what ever works for you.
  • RachyLovesRattys
    RachyLovesRattys Posts: 143 Member
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    I clean 6 rat cages, take out all the bedding and put it two floors down in the garbage, put all the accessories in the tub to soak and scrub, vacuum afterwards, and usually that's also laundry day and litterbox clean day. Yes, I count it. But I also sweat my butt off and have myself marked as "sendentary" so I can.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
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    Depends. If housework is your line of work (ie housekeeper, nanny, etc) then bump your activity level up to light. If not, it's factored into your target numbers already.
  • 1fitnessplanner
    1fitnessplanner Posts: 63 Member
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    yes i log it i log everything but i don't eat back my exercise calories so what's the problem? it's my diary and as such it says what i did for the day :) works for me
  • morticia16
    morticia16 Posts: 230 Member
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    If it's part of your normal routine, I wouldn't count it. I don't.
  • chantels1
    chantels1 Posts: 391 Member
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    Only if you are using the sedentary lifestyle, and it is an extraordinary cleaning. If you are doing average daily chores, they don't count. But if you mow the lawn once or twice a month, that is not part of your regular routine and should be counted as extra.

    But if you consider yourself active or fairly active, I would not add the chores in, as you probably already considered them when you considered your lifestyle.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
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    Personal preference, same as I personally prefer to use the search function before posting topics that have already been flogged to death :flowerforyou:
  • Sonj1973
    Sonj1973 Posts: 188 Member
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    I dont include everyday cleaning....but If I was to do a mega big spring clean then hell yeah why not......It's a work out and half lol :)
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    I personally don't count housework but I do count gardening (I log half the time I was out there). I was pulling these huge weeds yesterday, it was an incredible workout! lol
  • DaLuvJones
    DaLuvJones Posts: 1
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    The usual daily housework I would not count. If you are doing some out of the ordinary housework that requires abnormal activity then count it. I sync my fitness pal with my fit bit and it helps to account for the activity. I would definitely suggest getting one.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I logged mowing the lawn once...but I also didn't plan to "eat" back anything regarding it....I think those that log silly things like "carrying the baby around town, washing dishes, doing laundry and even mowing" are probably the ones that are NOT wearing a HRM and plan to eat every one of those logged calories back......I don't think its a proper workout..but on the same note I don't know if their life is sedentary and hey maybe mowing is really all they can muster up.....I would be curious to know if those people that do log odd chores ...what is the purpose?
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I don't log housework, gardening, laundry, cooking/preparing food, etc. as exercise. What other people choose to do is their business, but I don't log those things because when I do them my heart rate doesn't increase much and I don't break a sweat.
  • ice1200s
    ice1200s Posts: 237 Member
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    I'd say it's all optional. No matter what you do, you are burning calories. I let my Fitbit and MFP work that all out for me. Before I got it, I used to count mowing, because it is a big yard and takes about 3 hours to mow and trim.
  • chad_phillips1123
    chad_phillips1123 Posts: 229 Member
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    Generally I wouldn't suggest it (depending on how dirty your house is:smile: ) cause exercise should be something that gets your heart rate up for a measurable/determined period of time, and unless you have some remarkably consistent-intense housework routine, counting it would probably just trick yourself into eating more net carbs. Exceptions might be gardening, mowing, building something, painting, etc., but not week to week stuff.

    Now that's not to say you couldn't add or do week to week housework in a way that might burn some more calories or help build a little muscle (e.g. stand/jog in place with doing laundry, do some squats every time you put some dishes in the dishwasher, etc.). But, even then, I wouldn't suggest factoring that in to anything; just as good traits to do.
  • pbrahan
    pbrahan Posts: 107 Member
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    Only on MyFitnessPal have I seen people consider cleaning and food preparation to be "exercise."

    Here Here!
    It might be okay to log it, but it's not okay to then eat those calories back.
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
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    can i log BM's? i will guarantee you that i have used more effort with some than housecleaning or preparing food

    and if so, do i create an infinity loop by eating back the calories?
  • JessicaRobin67
    JessicaRobin67 Posts: 275 Member
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    No, I do not log housework. That is what I do for a living and I work, mostly, 9 hours a day doing it... and I still gained weight. So, I have to only log intentional exercise... my body is just used to the normal housework. I am talking, vacuuming, laundry, mopping, moving furniture...etc.
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member
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    I don't count anything other than 'intentional exercise' as activity. I've been cleaning my house for years, yet I'm still overweight, so now suddenly saying it's cardio work is a leap bigger than my short legs can take. Especially if you eat back your exercise calories. (I'm an adult of normal health who is generally active in life. If I'd been bound to a bed for the last year my answer would probably be different!)

    I will sometimes get a few extra calories added because of the number of steps I took when my FitBit syncs if I burned more than my base - which could have been from cleaning, or walking all over airports, or whatever. But that logs automatically. Great if it's there - I just aim to not have negative calories from my FitBit.

    I have a friend who gave herself 500 calories yesterday for knitting / sewing. I laughed (to myself) when I saw that in my timeline.
  • crystalmoore83
    crystalmoore83 Posts: 103 Member
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    I don't log everyday light cleaning like dishes, wiping counter and dusting, etc, but if I do log if It is something that takes a lot more effort, like when I move all my furniture from the living room and spend 2 hours pushing a heavy shampooer over it then ya I will log it as moderate house work, but ordinary basic cleaning I don't think really counts

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