Cleaning...Light or Heavy??

onefortyone

I don't log cleaning, but I'd say light is vacuuming, laundry, general tidying that you have to do at least weekly. Heavy would be if you're moving out and want your deposit back and the landlord is coming in an hour.

libbydoodle11

I don't understand this site...

I asked a simple question which I thought would have a simple answer. Hmm I guess not, as everyone decides to add their opinion on if i should log it or not - which I did not ask for.

If is ultimately up to you. You decide what your definition of light or heavy cleaning is. Everyone has an opinion, it is clear that you have yours as well.

jacklis

Light cleaning:



Heavy Cleaning:

This is also what I thought this post was going to be about.
It's not- so I've got nothing.

George_Baileys_Ghost

Light cleaning:



Heavy Cleaning:

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

keeem25

This thread is interesting. I have always been a walker, walking several miles per day. Since starting MFP two weeks ago, I log that walking as exercise. Apparently, since I was walking before starting MFP, I should not be logging this?

I don't understand the logic of this.

FitOldMomma

Perhaps no one can answer your question on what is light cleaning vs. heavy cleaning because no one logs it.... because you shouldn't.

Really?
I clean houses and I can tell you I get a great workout. I work up a drenching sweat after 3 or 4 hours of working.

KayleighIsGoingFatToFit

I understand all that but I did not ask if everyone logs it...all I asked was the difference between them.

Unknown

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alska

I had no idea there was an option to ignore people. Thank you.

Light - daily things like dusting, vacuuming, dishes.

Heavy - Spring Cleaning, washing the shower

I don't log any cleaning, but that's my take on it.

No, people shouldn't be rude. You did nothing to deserve being mocked. Next to every name is an arrow. If you click on it, you get the option to ignore all future posts from that person. Some people literally log in JUST to spread nastiness around, lol. Make good use of that Ignore thing and the forums become a happier and more supportive place.

vismal

Light cleaning:



Heavy Cleaning:

Loved it!

I wouldn't log things like cleaning, or daily chores. If you do these things a lot I'd just up your activity level 1 category. If you have it at sedentary, move it to lightly active. Much easier then logging stuff you do around the house every day.

alska

I answered but I guess mine wasn't good enough ... you'd rather answer to drama .....

I understand all that but I did not ask if everyone logs it...all I asked was the difference between them.

AskTracyAnnK28

I don't understand this site...

I asked a simple question which I thought would have a simple answer. Hmm I guess not, as everyone decides to add their opinion on if i should log it or not - which I did not ask for.

whoa...well alright then.

I would think heavy cleaning would be something along the lines of a big job - like cleaning out the garage or moving furniture.

And I would not dare tell you not to log it in if it was something you've been doing every weekend for a long time. Nope. Not saying a word. Keeping my mouth shut.

merisaOct3

I answered but I guess mine wasn't good enough ... you'd rather answer to drama .....

I understand all that but I did not ask if everyone logs it...all I asked was the difference between them.

+1

Cliffslosinit

I understand all that but I did not ask if everyone logs it...all I asked was the difference between them.

For me....Starting the laundry and washing dishes, cleaning the toilet are just simple easy things.(light) The (heavy) would be for me moving the furniture around, flipping the mattress, extracting the carpet, using a scrub brush to clean edges on tile and hard flooring, etc.

Hornsby

I wear my heart rate monitor when I clean ... that way I know how many calories I burned.

n I created a new exercising calling it "Cleaning with HRM"...

I agree with whoever said if you are moving around n not sweating then I would say light n if you are sweating then I would say heavy.

HRMs are designed to track steady state cardio. Whatever number your HRM spits out when you wear it cleaning is bound to be inaccurate since it's not made to track activities like cleaning.

KayleighIsGoingFatToFit

I answered but I guess mine wasn't good enough ... you'd rather answer to drama .....

I understand all that but I did not ask if everyone logs it...all I asked was the difference between them.

I didn't mean everyone on here sorry. It's just the rude just to get a kick out of being rude comments

George_Baileys_Ghost

OP to answer your question, from a calorie-burning, weight-loss-affecting perspective there is little to no difference between the two. One could come up with a vague definition of either, but unless you're doing something that makes you break a serious sweat, over a sustained period of time, the difference to your calorie burn and intake is so small that it's not going to make much of a difference.

This is why so many are advising you not to log it. If you decide to do so, and adhere strictly to the principle of eating back your exercise calories, you run the risk of decreasing your deficit, and preventing yourself from losing weight at the rate you've chosen. If it makes you feel better to do so though, vaya con Dios.

bohemian124

I wear my heart rate monitor when I clean ... that way I know how many calories I burned.


I agree with whoever said if you are moving around n not sweating then I would say light n if you are sweating then I would say heavy.

Agree with this helpful suggestion. When I do a good heavy cleaning, it takes me about 2 hours and I work up a sweat - I also live in Phoenix, so I work up a sweat easily this time of year! I've been wearing my heart rate monitor while I clean lately. I think last time I cleaned (which included moving furniture, vacuuming, and steam cleaning floors, toilets, mirrors, and sinks), I burned about 300 calories. Not a huge burn, but enough to make me feel better about the 2 glasses of wine I had that night!

Fedup23

My walk to the bathroom was heavy walking, my walk back was light walking.

KayleighIsGoingFatToFit

Kind of sounds like you might be hoping you earned some extra calories.

Nope...I was just asking a simple question

daw0518

I got a Fitbit to help me make these types of distinctions. Obviously it's not an exact science and it can overestimate as well, but I always feel better about something actually on my body tracking my movement. On a typical day of 'light cleaning' including loading the dishwasher & tidying up my apartment, it doesn't make much of a difference to my Fitbit, but when I spend a day doing 'heavy cleaning' where I move furniture, vacuum, dust, etc., I usually earn a few calories by the end because it knows that's not normal for me. If it matters that much to you, invest in a device that will help you track your daily body movements. It might be easier, and I'll bet the estimates are a little closer than whatever MFP gives you for cleaning.

Hornsby

I wear my heart rate monitor when I clean ... that way I know how many calories I burned.


I agree with whoever said if you are moving around n not sweating then I would say light n if you are sweating then I would say heavy.

Agree with this helpful suggestion. When I do a good heavy cleaning, it takes me about 2 hours and I work up a sweat - I also live in Phoenix, so I work up a sweat easily this time of year! I've been wearing my heart rate monitor while I clean lately. I think last time I cleaned (which included moving furniture, vacuuming, and steam cleaning floors, toilets, mirrors, and sinks), I burned about 300 calories. Not a huge burn, but enough to make me feel better about the 2 glasses of wine I had that night!

Again, HRMs are not designed to estimate calories burned unless you are doing steady state cardio. Wearing them while cleaning is rather pointless.

srslybritt

This thread is interesting. I have always been a walker, walking several miles per day. Since starting MFP two weeks ago, I log that walking as exercise. Apparently, since I was walking before starting MFP, I should not be logging this?

I don't understand the logic of this.

Did you set your activity level to reflect that you walked that regularly? Another poster here said she's set herself as "sedentary" but logs anything longer than 15 minutes.

That just seems like a lot more work to me than it needs to be, but if that's your method, then that's your method. I just think it would be easier and slightly less tedious to just set yourself as lightly or moderately active and have the cushion already built in.

GBrady43068

Eh, but cleaning doesn't matter. If you did it when you gained your weight and still do it while trying to lose weight. I wouldn't log it.

Unless you are a cleaner by trait. If so increase your activity level. Cleaning is not exercise.

With that said to me light cleaning is picking stuff up around the house, doing dishes, wiping stuff down.

Heavy would be vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing down tubs, floors...stuff that requires more work.

+1

I don't count cleaning...unless it's something unusual "scrub down the siding with bleach" type stuff. Sweeping/dishes etc. never find their way to my log.

Kalikel

I had no idea there was an option to ignore people. Thank you.

No problem! Someone told me, too.

When I got told about it, someone said, "If you use it, you miss good advice!" You won't. You'll just miss childish name-calling, the constant mocking, some bragging and a lot of general rudeness and nastiness.

Someone else will post good advice in a way worth reading.

ladyrhodes2

I usually just let my fitbit calculate how many I burned in steps while cleaning Fitbit and go with that. :flowerforyou:

perfekta

I don't understand this site...

I asked a simple question which I thought would have a simple answer. Hmm I guess not, as everyone decides to add their opinion on if i should log it or not - which I did not ask for.

pretty much, they cease to exist if they don't put their two cents in

christashay

^^This!! You'll end up with a gross miscalculation of expended calories, which you'll try to eat back and end up screwing yourself. Activities of Daily living are generally NOT exercise- you do them everyday! Exercise is pushing your heart rate up for an extended time to burn calories and create a deficit to lose weight. If you want to be successful don't short change yourself- do real work!
Perhaps no one can answer your question on what is light cleaning vs. heavy cleaning because no one logs it.... because you shouldn't.

Who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn't log? Surely its my choice if I want to or not.
[/quote]

I think you're taking this a bit too personally. Look around at tickers and post counts here. Do you think we're telling you this to be mean? No. We're telling you this because logging bogus exercise calories is lying to yourself and it won't help you in the long run.
[/quote]

FemWeight

Eh, but cleaning doesn't matter. If you did it when you gained your weight and still do it while trying to lose weight. I wouldn't log it.

Unless you are a cleaner by trait. If so increase your activity level. Cleaning is not exercise.

Well it matters to me...hence why I asked.
I do a big clean every week and I am still moving. Just because it's not the traditional 'exercise' doesn't mean I shouldn't log it, if I am cleaning for 3 hours - thats 3 hours of moving.

Amen!

KayleighIsGoingFatToFit

I had no idea there was an option to ignore people. Thank you.

No problem! Someone told me, too.

When I got told about it, someone said, "If you use it, you miss good advice!" You won't. You'll just miss childish name-calling, the constant mocking, some bragging and a lot of general rudeness and nastiness.

Someone else will post good advice in a way worth reading.

Well that's something I could do without
I may have to start "ignoring" a few people