Let's make a pact: Cleaning house IS NOT AN EXERCISE

zeeeb

i don't add cleaning as an exercise, except when i have to scrub floors and walls at work, and that's because i'm literally on my hands and knees scrubbing and I do actually work up a sweat...

msrjmcp

I just want to know why Azuleelan, you feel entitled to criticize others on what they are choosing to call exercise? If someone wants to claim they burned 600 calories cleaning house then so be it... Does it affect you? Does it impact how many calories you have burned throughout your day? What does it matter to you? In the end, if they log it and they really didn't burn those calories, it only cheats themselves and affects their weight loss achievements... So I say to each his/her own... as long as it doesn't hurt or affect me then what does it matter what someone else logs? I suggest you stop policing others and worry about yourself.

Aylilth

I only add when it's a good clean hard type of house clean. I don't count my everyday mum cleaning/washing etc that I do.

I don't even add everywhere I walk. I mean i don't drive so if I go somewhere it's on foot. Could easly add up exercise cals that way.

PoleBoy

but I thought we all were in sync here to force us to do MORE, to do that extra effort and PUSH ourselves.

No, some of us are here to be HONEST about what we're doing and eating, to avoid the disordered "that doesn't count because ..." mindset\.

suzycreamcheese

but I thought we all were in sync here to force us to do MORE, to do that extra effort and PUSH ourselves.

No, some of us are here to be HONEST about what we're doing and eating, to avoid the disordered "that doesn't count because ..." mindset\.

exactly. We're not all here for the same reasons

Nelski

I think it's funny that so many people get so upset with what others are doing. Some cleaning can be a great calorie burner so if they want to log it, then let them. I would agree that evertyday light cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc probably isn't much of calorie burn beyond your daily activity. But, some serious scrubbing, floor cleaning and things you work on for a while definitley burn a ton of calories. I have seen this topic come up a lot lately and don't know why it's such a big deal.
To each their own.

Natalie0506

I guess if my house was 4000+ square feet, I'd add cleaning. But living where I do, cleaning is a daily thing. I don't add it. That's like adding calories for washing dishes or folding laundry. For me, it's part of my daily activity. Even when I do deep clean, I don't log it. I only log actual workouts.

Mairgheal

So people are reaching 600 calorie "workouts" in part because they "cleaned the house"... wtf??? Should I add "Run to catch the bus" or "jump to reach the mustard"?? We are tryin to lose weight here, let's be honest! Who's in?

:laugh:

I do have to agree. I admit that once of twice I added 20 mins of "light cleaning" to my exercise diary, to avoid going over my cals - but it did feel like I was cheating myself. Those 20 mins cleaning once a week (!) should be part of my normal daily activity level (well, for me anyway)

backinthenines

HAHAHAHA... excellent thread...

That old can of worms... :laugh:

On another site I saw "personal grooming" (i.e. shower, toilet stuff, cleaning your teeth, brushing your hair...) as a legitimate calorie-earning acivity to be added to your "exercise" log....

It's just fantastic!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I do wonder how many people have lost significant amounts of weight by brushing their teeth... perhaps if you do it often enough and for long enough, there is less time to pack in the biscuits!!??

backinthenines

agreed.

if I don't sweat, i don't count it.

do you account for the weather in this? :P

I can increase my resting heart rate and break out in a sweat when I'm shoe shopping provided I'm in the right shop!! Excellent... and extra 200 cals for me!! :bigsmile:

michelletyler38

Then do it. You are an adult and we are all responsible for our own weight loss/gain. We all don't have to agree on what is considered exercise but I know when I'm burning calories and when I'm not.

I completely agree. There are people on my friends list who log cleaning everyday & I wonder if their house is THAT dirty but who knows maybe they're a maid!! I only log cleaning maybe 1-2x a month if that & if I have it's because I have spent the majority of the day busting my *kitten* & felt I deserved to log it!! I clean everyday & don't log that. Only when I do a big deep clean.

ejohndrow

*Only we can know, personally, if the cleaning we do should truly be called exercise.
*For something to truly be considered exercise it should get the person's heartrate from the resting heartrate to their target heartrate which is the optimal heartrate at which to burn calories. So, what is considered exercise for one person may not be considered exercise for another.
*A larger person's exercise needs are different than that of a smaller person. Everyone's metabolism is different. For one person walking for 10 min. can be a major source of calorie expenditure, whereas a smaller and more fit person may see this as a daily activity.
*Overall it's a case by case basis. Personally I wouldn't count it because A.) I figure it's already figured in for my daily calorie expenditure, and B.) It doesn't seem to have made much of a difference until now so, personally, I need to do higher intensity workouts.
*I may sound redundant, but overall, it's relative to the person. It comes back only you know if you should log house cleaning as exercise or not.

It's not the same but I think it is similar and valid: at work I had my yearly physical, we got on the topic of exercise which I didn't do nearly enough of at the time. I mentioned that for 30-45 minutes at a time sometimes I would just walk from wingtip to wingtip of the aircraft I guard, while I wear about 20lbs of gear. The Dr. asked if I get my heartrate above the resting heartrate and into the target zone for me which is optimal to burn calories. I said I doubted it. He informed me that while walking around and being active is better than just sitting for 12 hours, it is not really going to help me burn a lot of excess calories.

Long story short, house cleaning is similar.

michelletyler38

I think it's funny that so many people get so upset with what others are doing. Some cleaning can be a great calorie burner so if they want to log it, then let them. I would agree that evertyday light cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc probably isn't much of calorie burn beyond your daily activity. But, some serious scrubbing, floor cleaning and things you work on for a while definitley burn a ton of calories. I have seen this topic come up a lot lately and don't know why it's such a big deal.
To each their own.

Exactly. Now if those same people come on here & ***** about how they're not losing weight let's start a thread about it.. lol. But I've lost almost 30 lbs & I log cleaning!! Clearly it's not stopping my weight loss!

michelletyler38

I clean houses for a living, 3 to 4 hours at each house 2 houses a day. I sweat, I work hard and I don't clean one room then sit on the couch and watch a 30 min program on tv. But even if I didn't clean houses as a job I would still count it if I got my heart rate up for more than 30 min at a time. More people should count this and make it a priority in life. I started out doing this to make mad money but after seeing how filthy some people lived it became a profession.

EXACTLY!!!

pyro13g

You can count it if you use sedentary for your daily needs calculation. One of those "depends" things. Vacuuming my house is 141 calories.

Lexie71

It really doesn't matter if a person counts it or not. Typing a number or activity into a computer might burn an extra calorie.... but what really matters is does your body count it? Logging information is for your mind. Movement is for body and mind. Your body will decide if cleaning counts or not.

waldospt

By definition house cleaning is a physical activity not exercise. Do I think you can put it down to help you calculate calories? Yes. Do I count it? No. It's not a strenuous enough activity. Example: I cleaned out my garage the other day. Did I sweat? Yes, it was hot out. Does it mean I burn calories? Yes, but I don't count it as a day of exercise. I still put in my time lifting weights.

Azuleelan

HAHAHAHA... excellent thread...

That old can of worms... :laugh:

On another site I saw "personal grooming" (i.e. shower, toilet stuff, cleaning your teeth, brushing your hair...) as a legitimate calorie-earning acivity to be added to your "exercise" log....

It's just fantastic!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I do wonder how many people have lost significant amounts of weight by brushing their teeth... perhaps if you do it often enough and for long enough, there is less time to pack in the biscuits!!??

Lol! Awesome post!! I never thought about that but I guess it's possible... and I do kind of huff when I have to reach my toes (to clean my feet)!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

MakingAChoice

So people are reaching 600 calorie "workouts" in part because they "cleaned the house"... wtf??? Should I add "Run to catch the bus" or "jump to reach the mustard"?? We are tryin to lose weight here, let's be honest! Who's in?

Clearly you have never tried to clean MY house. :laugh: My light/moderate involves the same music I use to workout and an increase heart rate. Next time I spend hours recovering my house from my wife and kids destruction I will have to toss on my HRM.

Azuleelan

By definition house cleaning is a physical activity not exercise. Do I think you can put it down to help you calculate calories? Yes. Do I count it? No. It's not a strenuous enough activity. Example: I cleaned out my garage the other day. Did I sweat? Yes, it was hot out. Does it mean I burn calories? Yes, but I don't count it as a day of exercise. I still put in my time lifting weights.

Great post, I wish you were my voice, people tend to get offended with my comments even though they make sense... Like I'm threatening their way of life or something...
Lift away my friend!:drinker: