Counting cleaning as exercise

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  • workshardplaysharder
    workshardplaysharder Posts: 44
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    It depends on what kind of cleaning I am doing. Last week I spent a total of about 9 hours on Thursday and another 2 or so hours Friday cleaning the house. This included dusting, straightening up, climbing up and down two flights of stairs to put things away in the attic, vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing the front porch. I was dripping with sweat. I did not count that as exercise but I could have based on the amount of effort I put in.
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
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    Cleaning? Count it!
    power-clean-techniques.jpg

    Off topic, but what is the next move after the squat....does he stand up? Seriously....does he? I'm saving this picture.

    Drive hard up to the heavens in a front squat of glory.

    LOLOL Can you narrate all my gym sessions? hahaha Can you do a Morgan Freeman voice??? :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Activity? Yes...Exercise? No. Personally I would just include that in your activity level if it's something you do regularly. I would think it would be difficult to determine with any kind of accuracy how much you're actually burning in order to log it and eat back "exercise" calories.

    I have a desk job, but I spend quite a bit of time at home up and on my feet cooking, cleaning, fixing this or that, doing random yard work, etc...I just included that in my activity level for light active and only ever logged deliberate exercise. If I happened to have a particularly big day working on landscaping or whatever, I'd pretty much just chalk that up to a couple of extra beers when I was done.
  • momma2azoo
    momma2azoo Posts: 50 Member
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    I am a crazy cleaner, I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning while baby is sleeping. I do feel hot and like I am about to sweat by the time I sit down.

    I found cleaning is in the exercises.

    Any one actually use this??? My husband questioned me about it when I told home he helped me clean and rearrand a room that he should input 2 hours in his MFP for cleaning. He could not be leave it was considered a exercise

    No. I don't. Are you trying to loose weight? Have you always cleaned house? If so, cleaning house isn't enough exercise to have helped with your weight. It's a daily activity. It is active, but it is not exercise.

    You can count what ever you want, but if your goal is to get in shape and loose weight then you need to count exercise that is actually exercise. I have 5 kids and a small farm. I don't count house keeping or regular yard work. The only time I count yard work is if it's something I don't normally do, like when we clear brush by hand or take care of a downed tree. Something major and hard.
  • mandimahoney5
    mandimahoney5 Posts: 93
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    Oh yah if I am just doing dishes after dinner I don't count it. I am talking about like just now I spent an hour cleaning 2 rooms. This included whipping off all surfaces, including baby toys, walls, doors, windows, vacuuming my living room and dining room.

    When I am done feeding my LO lunch I am going to put her to nap. I am then going to spend her nap time doing the same to 2 restrooms, kitchen, and bedroom.

    I will finish baby's room, guest room, basement and laundry for tomorrow.
    I count it when I do my weekly whole-house cleaning (2-4 hours). but not the daily "oh, I did dished for ten minutes" stuff.
  • mandimahoney5
    mandimahoney5 Posts: 93
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    90% of the time I don't use my extra calories given by exercise.
    You can count it, but I think you're working against yourself, especially if you eat according to the calorie adjustments in MFP. Including it in daily activity is probably more accurate.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    90% of the time I don't use my extra calories given by exercise.
    You can count it, but I think you're working against yourself, especially if you eat according to the calorie adjustments in MFP. Including it in daily activity is probably more accurate.

    then it makes no difference whatsoever if you count these or not. the purpose of logging exercise and activity in MFP is so that you may account for activity that otherwise is not included in your activity level for an appropriate calorie intake. if you're not eating back calories from exercise, whether you log cleaning or not is completely irrelevant because you aren't utilizing the tool as designed in the first place.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Uh.

    No.

    I would never consider cleaning, or yard work, or even last week patching my asphalt driveway where I wielded a 25lb tamper hundreds of times as exercise.

    Some do, and more power to them. Seems like they want to count it to go towards the exercise notion but to me that is just normal every day life. Just because you sweat doesnt mean squat. I was sweating last weekend trying to go to sleep!


    I dont want this to sound bad, but from my personal experience it seems like many of the people who really want to count these things as exercise want to point to it as true exercise and should be the same as actually exercising.

    I just dont see it. Even when I was working my *kitten* off on the driveway that doesnt seem like exercise nor would I count or log it as such. That is just BONUS burns if you ask me. That is up and beyond actual exercising.

    In the end it really is just used to make them feel good, feel them like they actually exercised.

    Want to count it? More power to you, but I wouldnt expect a lot of people who religiously exercise to jump on board 100%.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
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    Cleaning? Count it!
    power-clean-techniques.jpg

    Off topic, but what is the next move after the squat....does he stand up? Seriously....does he? I'm saving this picture.

    Drive hard up to the heavens in a front squat of glory.

    LOLOL Can you narrate all my gym sessions? hahaha Can you do a Morgan Freeman voice??? :)

    Wow, I found another pic where the move is completed. Amazing. He looks like he's going to go backwards but he doesn't
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
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    Uh.

    No.

    I would never consider cleaning, or yard work, or even last week patching my asphalt driveway where I wielded a 25lb tamper hundreds of times as exercise.

    Some do, and more power to them. Seems like they want to count it to go towards the exercise notion but to me that is just normal every day life. Just because you sweat doesnt mean squat. I was sweating last weekend trying to go to sleep!


    I dont want this to sound bad, but from my personal experience it seems like many of the people who really want to count these things as exercise want to point to it as true exercise and should be the same as actually exercising.

    I just dont see it. Even when I was working my *kitten* off on the driveway that doesnt seem like exercise nor would I count or log it as such. That is just BONUS burns if you ask me. That is up and beyond actual exercising.

    In the end it really is just used to make them feel good, feel them like they actually exercised.

    Want to count it? More power to you, but I wouldnt expect a lot of people who religiously exercise to jump on board 100%.

    I'm just assuming but I don't think she was counting it so as to eliminiate bonafide exercise. I personally counted my own mopping session cuz i wanted to. Just like every calorie consumed counts, then I think every calorie burned counts.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Uh.

    No.

    I would never consider cleaning, or yard work, or even last week patching my asphalt driveway where I wielded a 25lb tamper hundreds of times as exercise.

    Some do, and more power to them. Seems like they want to count it to go towards the exercise notion but to me that is just normal every day life. Just because you sweat doesnt mean squat. I was sweating last weekend trying to go to sleep!


    I dont want this to sound bad, but from my personal experience it seems like many of the people who really want to count these things as exercise want to point to it as true exercise and should be the same as actually exercising.

    I just dont see it. Even when I was working my *kitten* off on the driveway that doesnt seem like exercise nor would I count or log it as such. That is just BONUS burns if you ask me. That is up and beyond actual exercising.

    In the end it really is just used to make them feel good, feel them like they actually exercised.

    Want to count it? More power to you, but I wouldnt expect a lot of people who religiously exercise to jump on board 100%.

    I'm just assuming but I don't think she was counting it so as to eliminiate bonafide exercise. I personally counted my own mopping session cuz i wanted to. Just like every calorie consumed counts, then I think every calorie burned counts.
    [/quote

    ]I have seen many people on here and other sites, and in real life, complain about not losing or losing fast enough, or gaining, and point to the calories they burned doing housework and yard work.
    My statement may or may not ring true about her case in particular, but there are many people out there who are guilty of thinking the calories burned by every day routine things = legit calorie burning exercise.
  • MrTolerable
    MrTolerable Posts: 1,593 Member
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    I am a crazy cleaner, I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning while baby is sleeping. I do feel hot and like I am about to sweat by the time I sit down.

    I found cleaning is in the exercises.

    Any one actually use this??? My husband questioned me about it when I told home he helped me clean and rearrand a room that he should input 2 hours in his MFP for cleaning. He could not be leave it was considered a exercise
    it is an exercise sure... I count it - but only as light walking and use a walking app - typically 45-65 calories.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Cleaning? Count it!
    power-clean-techniques.jpg

    Off topic, but what is the next move after the squat....does he stand up? Seriously....does he? I'm saving this picture.

    Drive hard up to the heavens in a front squat of glory.

    LOLOL Can you narrate all my gym sessions? hahaha Can you do a Morgan Freeman voice??? :)

    Yes, and while I can try for a pathetic Morgan Freeman, I think I could do a crackerjack drunk russian/ imperious putin.
  • DymonNdaRgh40
    DymonNdaRgh40 Posts: 661 Member
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    I'd say if you're going to go down that road you'd be best off getting a FitBit and just counting the steps you take cleaning so you have a better idea of what your activity really is during that time period. Otherwise don't count it.

    This is what I do. I know I'm getting a workout when I clean my floors because the entire house is covered in tile. I so miss having a carpet. It takes me just close to two hours to do the entire house because I sweep first, then mop, and sweep again. I'm sweaty and my abs are on fire when I'm done. However, I don't log it as exercise, I just let my Fitbit sync my activity.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Cleaning? Count it!
    power-clean-techniques.jpg

    Off topic, but what is the next move after the squat....does he stand up? Seriously....does he? I'm saving this picture.

    Drive hard up to the heavens in a front squat of glory.

    LOLOL Can you narrate all my gym sessions? hahaha Can you do a Morgan Freeman voice??? :)

    Wow, I found another pic where the move is completed. Amazing. He looks like he's going to go backwards but he doesn't
    It is a potentially awkward looking lift, but I haven't seen many folks do it with a lot of weight.

    I can do it, but I'm holding off until I really nail my squat form, as I'm having some knee problems as of late from a climbing injury.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 764 Member
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    I count them and eat them. I work the program how it is designed. Two hours of cleaning, I would absolutely count it. Ten minutes, not so much.
  • zcb94
    zcb94 Posts: 3,679 Member
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    I am a crazy cleaner, I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning while baby is sleeping. I do feel hot and like I am about to sweat by the time I sit down.

    I found cleaning is in the exercises.

    Any one actually use this??? My husband questioned me about it when I told home he helped me clean and rearrand a room that he should input 2 hours in his MFP for cleaning. He could not be leave it was considered a exercise

    I do, with my vigorous activity with family laundry. I find it burns quite a few cals.
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
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    I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning


    Sounds like you have a dirty house.

    No it sounds like she has a family. Houses suddenly get much messier when there are kids involved.:smile:
  • mandimahoney5
    mandimahoney5 Posts: 93
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    .
  • mandimahoney5
    mandimahoney5 Posts: 93
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    I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning


    Sounds like you have a dirty house.

    No it sounds like she has a family. Houses suddenly get much messier when there are kids involved.:smile:

    Exactly, dishes, making beds, laundry, picking up toys, cleaning up the paint the kid put on the wall, vacuuming, cleaning the spilled food the toddler dropped On the floor, then vacuum again, dust, mop, ect.....

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