So, is housework considered exercise or is it not?

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  • TallGlassOfQuirky
    TallGlassOfQuirky Posts: 282 Member
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    90% of my extremely successful and intelligent friends on here will say that counting housework calories is stupid.

    Personally, I think that if you are very sedentary (and that's how your goals are calculated) and are doing housework that has you working up a sweat (not just doing a load of dishes), you are, in fact, burning calories. Not a lot, but some. I wouldn't recommend that you add them just to "round out" your numbers, but if you spend two hours scrubbing the house from top to bottom, you earned a few extra calories in my opinion.

    If you have your activity level set anything above sedentary, though, it's a part of your normal daily activity and already taken into account when setting your calorie goals.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,655 Member
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    You know what, for some people getting off the couch is a change. Not for me, but I applaud anyone's efforts to become more active. If it not enough,they'll find out soon enough
    QFT, in all seriousness. I don't log stuff like that (although housework IS all too unusual in my case :embarassed:), but not gonna judge what other people consider a boost in their activity level.
  • Leeann1979
    Leeann1979 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Just in case you weren't aware of this feature, when you go to the message boards section, there is a button called search and you can type in a keyword/phrase (ex: cleaning exercise) and you can see the threads that have already been created on the topic. Good luck! :flowerforyou:


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1041514-lots-of-anti-clean-eating-sentiment-on-the-boards-today?hl=cleaning#posts-15986965

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/702245-house-cleaning-exercise?hl=cleaning+exercise#posts-10298910

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1032915-does-house-cleaning-count-as-exercise?hl=cleaning+exercise&page=1#posts-15843048

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1032915-does-house-cleaning-count-as-exercise?hl=cleaning+exercise&page=2#posts-15905777

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1033292-does-house-work-count-as-exercise?hl=cleaning+exercise#posts-15848154

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1028251-legit-question-housework-exercise-or-no?hl=cleaning+exercise&page=6#posts-15781174

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1025696-confused-about-what-counts-as-exercise?hl=cleaning+exercise#posts-15744129

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1025992-house-work-cleaning?hl=cleaning+exercise#posts-15736716

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/319326-does-grocery-shopping-count-as-exercise?hl=cleaning+exercise&page=4#posts-15722407

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/966255-do-you-count-house-yard-work-or-shopping-as-exercising?hl=cleaning+exercise&page=6#posts-15685009

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1020622-logging-cleaning?hl=cleaning+exercise&page=2#posts-15646395

    Really? You actually took the time to do this. Who gives a giant rats *kitten* if people re-post topics??? There are millions of users on here. Perhaps you should just ignore the title instead of taking the time to read it.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Housework is not really exercise - but it IS activity so it should be factored into your modifier (so, not sedentary)

    Sedentary does already more than cover most housework - FitBit users can verify this!!

    I use the BodyMedia Link and it is not true for it. It sets your baseline (mine was just about my estimated BMR) and adjusts based on our activity for the day.

    For example, MFP sets my calories for 1 pound loss per week at sedentary as 1200. By the time I am finished with everyday activities (cleaning, kids, running errands, cooking, etc) my calorie target jumps up to about 1700 - 1800 and still retains the 500 calorie deficit. Only when I actually exercise does it jump to over 2000.
  • harleygroomer
    harleygroomer Posts: 373 Member
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    I don't but I have seen "several" people add it to theirs. Kinda don't see the point.
  • cherio256
    cherio256 Posts: 219
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    I never count housework. And I do lots of it :) I do however count mowing. That's a workout! I see people count it and find it kinda funny, but that's their business.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    Not if you're eating the calories back.
  • jfl5
    jfl5 Posts: 37
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    What if it's outside the house work? Say, cutting with a pushmower for an hour in 95 degree heat and 90% humidity?
  • deb_137
    deb_137 Posts: 38 Member
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    Hey, if it includes major lifting, the use of a shovel, or violence against those that caused the mess - then I say yes, most definitely!
  • pushyourself14
    pushyourself14 Posts: 275 Member
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    I never log housework.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
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    If it's something that I don't ordinarily do, like weed gardens in the heat from sun up to sun down then I will definitely add calories to my day, because I'm not sitting at a desk or doing laundry or tidying up the house. I don't count vacuuming or anything like that. Yard work makes you hungry for a reason, you're using a lot of energy to make it happen!
  • QueenWino
    QueenWino Posts: 106
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    I wear my polar hrm when I know I am doing a huge cleaning & then I subtract at least 3/4 of the time from the chart. I put my lifestyle as sedentary on purpose. To me, if I know what I am doing is hard work, janitorial, and I am spending a nonstop two hours doing it, I will take at least 15-20 mins for it. I verify w/my hrm that I burned a ton of cals first. There is some crazy judgment going on in this thread but for an obese person, doing strenuous housework IS exercise. If I was a well oiled 135 lb machine I doubt I'd ever log it.
  • roughneckswife
    roughneckswife Posts: 341 Member
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    Only on MyFitnessPal have I seen people consider cleaning and food preparation to be "exercise."

    HaHa! Really.
    I have to!
    Super annoying when they whine about not losing after working out so much...hmmm
  • peeaanuut
    peeaanuut Posts: 359 Member
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    for that sort of stuff I just have the fitbit in the pocket, so whatever it logs. The steps, stairs, activity etc. I dont specifically log time or anything, just whatever the fitbit logs.I usually only gain about 100 calories throughout the day from it as both fitbit and MFP are both set to sedentary.
  • NaughtyForties
    NaughtyForties Posts: 69
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    Ahh a question dear to my heart.

    Well I see it this way, I live in a home that needs cleaning periodically. When I put on a few pounds I still lived in the same home and still cleaned periodically. Therefore I can not add this as a burn, cleaning didn't help when I was a few pounds heavier, so how can it help in reverse.

    In fact it annoys me when I see someone post cleaning as an exercise. Simply put, I know how hard it is to motivate yourself to run a distance, lift weights, skip (jump rope), sandbag train, biking etc. So I find it insulting that some MFPers log cleaning as an exercise.

    I guess it's a case of 'to each, to their own' so on that note, I wish the housework exercises brigade well, it'll be a very long weight loss process washing dishes, (good luck with that).
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    If you're heart rate is nice and high and you're sweating then..... maybe but I never count that as exercise.

    I sweat in my sleep.... and if I have a bad dream my heart is racing ..... does not mean I'm exercising. Please don't be one of those that decide that sweating means you are exercising hard.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    I dont but to each their own
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    Ahh a question dear to my heart.

    Well I see it this way, I live in a home that needs cleaning periodically. When I put on a few pounds I still lived in the same home and still cleaned periodically. Therefore I can not add this as a burn, cleaning didn't help when I was a few pounds heavier, so how can it help in reverse.

    In fact it annoys me when I see someone post cleaning as an exercise. Simply put, I know how hard it is to motivate yourself to run a distance, lift weights, skip (jump rope), sandbag train, biking etc. So I find it insulting that some MFPers log cleaning as an exercise.

    I guess it's a case of 'to each, to their own' so on that note, I wish the housework exercises brigade well, it'll be a very long weight loss process washing dishes, (good luck with that).

    Its really not healthy to let this bother you so much. Let others live and learn thier own life lessons. They will find what isnt working without you. We are all pretty small in the grand scheme.
  • Angel4ever44
    Angel4ever44 Posts: 26 Member
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    I don't log it do to it being in my regular schedule. (everyday things like brushing my teeth, getting dressed, letting the dog out to pee etc). But to each's own
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,630 Member
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    I wear my polar hrm when I know I am doing a huge cleaning & then I subtract at least 3/4 of the time from the chart. I put my lifestyle as sedentary on purpose. To me, if I know what I am doing is hard work, janitorial, and I am spending a nonstop two hours doing it, I will take at least 15-20 mins for it. I verify w/my hrm that I burned a ton of cals first. There is some crazy judgment going on in this thread but for an obese person, doing strenuous housework IS exercise. If I was a well oiled 135 lb machine I doubt I'd ever log it.

    Only problem is, that HRM won't give you an accurate reading as it is meant for elevated heart-rates during cardio sessions. I think a Bodybugg can be worn all day to give accurate readings though, but not an HRM.

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