housework as exercise

madz0007

I have looked a few times and housework such as hoovering hasn't been included for calories burned

Now today I vacuumed my whole house 30 minutes minimum and boy I was sweating buckets. I brisk walk for an hour a day.

So is it cheating to put you calories on from housework, what do you think?


Activity Calories burnt in 1 hour*
Walking at a moderate pace 287
Hoovering 193.7
Dusting 173.6
Painting, Inside Projects 66
Gardening, Weeding 287.8
Mopping Floors 193.7
Car Washing 234
Cleaning Windows 180.3
Ironing 113.1
Wallpapering 133.2
Chopping Wood 415.5
Walking up & down stairs, moderate 516.3
* Values are based on a 37yr old female, 5ft 5, weighing 12 stone.Those who weigh more than this will burn more calories; those who weigh less will burn fewer calories.

michikade

I personally don't add housework, but then again the house isn't huge, there's only one rug and a hallway to vacuum, and even sweeping and dusting isn't a huge deal in this house. I don't have a problem with someone adding housework to their calorie counts if they have a larger area or have more going on to deal with. I definitely see the appeal of adding stuff like mowing the lawn / weed eating so I don't see why vacuuming couldn't be added - especially if the vacuum is a heavier one.

I suppose it's your choice. It also makes more sense if you are set up as 'sedentary' on your diary. Just so long as you don't start tracking silly stuff. A long, long time ago someone suggested to me to track *driving* of all things - I do drive standard but the amount of calories I burn shifting gears isn't much different than me sitting on the couch and tapping my toe every so often, LOL

ponycyndi

Things I do regularly, ie. once a week or more often, are counted into my activity level. So that includes everything from running errands, cooking, child care, cleaning, some gardening.

Anything done rarely like raking leaves, cleaning the garage, trips to the park, are counted as exercise.

AlliSteff

I usually don't, but this weekend we did a top to bottom scrub fest, and I totally counted those. Scrubbing floors on my hands and knees for an hour totally counts!

lemurcat12

It also makes more sense if you are set up as 'sedentary' on your diary.

This. A better approach, IMO, is to include that stuff in your activity level. MFP's sedentary is really sedentary, so most people should be at lightly active anyway, and that would include regular walking around, cleaning, etc.

Ready2Rock206

No one got skinny cleaning their house. I personally wouldn't count it.

Liftng4Lis

I only add housecleaning or gardening on non-workout days. I do NOT eat back my exercise calories, this is strictly psychological!
LMAO

pjb58

At times I count housework when I am really cleaning; moving furniture, moping etc. I found it on the cardio part of exercise. It lists light and heavy cleaning.
Sometimes I want it all to count!

Serah87

I cleaned my house when I was fat, it did nothing, even spring cleaning.

I rather do real exercises.

GothyFaery

I normally don't count housework except when I shampoo my carpets. It's 4+ hours of lugging the shampooer around, carrying buckets of water back and forth, and crawling on my hands and knees doing the stairs. It's hard work and I do count that. I would say if it's more than your normal routine and it worked you hard, count it.

CoachJen71

I count it as movement for my 10K steps, but I don't count it as exercise. I only count true aerobic workouts, and I can't get up to that speed cleaning.

williams969

Nope, I don't count it, other than getting in my 10,000 steps. For the 12 weeks I've been tracking on MFP, I was "excited" to see that my actual TDEE (all activity included) averages out to about 200 calories above all the online calculators. Finally figured out why--CLEANING and general child-rearing (stay at home mom). **Sorry, self--you are not a Wonder Woman, lol!

Upped my activity level from sedentary to lightly active, which, coincidentally, gives me an extra 200 calories a day. BOOM! As long as my 10,000+ steps are in for the day (before workouts), I don't have to log any household activities--which, generally, day-to-day stuff shouldn't (up your activity level instead).

Long story short, if you cook, clean, and possibly care for children on a daily basis, you're probably not "sedentary" (even if you THINK you are, like I did).

h7463

No one got skinny cleaning their house. I personally wouldn't count it.

Hahahahah.....there's some truth in that statement..... I'd be skin and bones, if this would work.....lol
I will, however, add things like loading/unloading/stacking fire wood, heavy yard work involving hours at a time with the weed eater, working on the hay field, and such... I'm usually wearing my heart rate monitor to get an idea of how much I burn.
Unless I'm actually curling the vacuum canister a few sets, I'm keeping those house work calories in the back of my head for peace of mind.....and a piece of dark chocolate.....

meshashesha2012

i wouldnt count it because it wouldnt be exercise for me.

jkal1979

It might not be cheating but I think you are doing yourself a disservice if you are calling this exercise, especially if you are eating the calories back.

The only thing I count is cutting the grass, but I wear a Fitbit and log about 9,000-10,000 steps while doing it.

willrun4bagels

I cleaned my house when I was fat, it did nothing, even spring cleaning.

I rather do real exercises.

This.