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

ladybg81

I will have to disagree just a little. When I am doing normal house cleaning, like vaccuuming or laundry or mopping (normal everyday things to keep my house tidy) I will NOT log. However, if I am doing my twice a year deep cleaning and am sweating my butt off because I am crawling around on the floor, pulling out stoves and fridges, etc, I will log that. HOWEVER, I will only log half the time or less.

irishrose22

I am a stay at home mom and i own a home daycare. I do not count daily chores in my exercise, however if I deep clean for a day here and there I would log some of it, not all of it. Deep cleaning is alot of work and I sweat. Its not something that is slow. I make a list and see how fast i can get everything done (scrubbing floors, tubs, toilets, windows, walls, etc) and I always wear my HRM.

mandapanda001

I don't even see why this is an issue? There are so many other things to worry about in the world other than what someone logs as exercise, just sayin' :-)

feliciapeters

I agree a quick floor mop & dusting, probably shouldnt be counted.

and cleaning YOUR house may not be exercise, but I have 4 kids, 3 dogs & a husband and after I've spent 3 hours, vacumning, (which includes moving EVERY piece of furniture in the house) steam cleaning carpets, dusting, scrubbing bathrooms, washing floors on my hands & knees, scrubbing tile as well as about 20 other things that I could probably add...........and that is my NORMAL Saturday cleaning, after a full 40-50 hr work week, and no, I DO NOT COUNT, regular daily stuff, like picking up stray shoes, folding laundry & cooking dinner, giving the kitchen a quick sweep after dinner.

DO NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES tell me that it's not exercise. Come over one day and do it FOR me..............THAT'LL change your attitude.

BTW I do this AFTER an hour at the gym, and frankly, why do you care what ANYONE does as exercise?

nisijam5

I am still wondering why nobodies kids are helping with all these chores??? I think that should be the hot topic of conversation...

baisleac

I am still wondering why nobodies kids are helping with all these chores??? I think that should be the hot topic of conversation...

Mine's 20 months old. Sometime she "helps" Daddy put her toys in the toybox, but I don't know if HE considers it actual help. :bigsmile: She will, however, have chores at an appropriate age.

nisijam5

I am still wondering why nobodies kids are helping with all these chores??? I think that should be the hot topic of conversation...

Mine's 20 months old. Sometime she "helps" Daddy put her toys in the toybox, but I don't know if HE considers it actual help. :bigsmile: She will, however, have chores at an appropriate age.

hmmm, that is the source of all the housework right there...if we eliminate the children, we won't have to argue over housework being exercise or not...problem solved

nisijam5

oops, double post

feliciapeters

I am still wondering why nobodies kids are helping with all these chores??? I think that should be the hot topic of conversation...

My kids do help.
The 8yr old empties the dishwasher nightly & sets the table for dinner,

the 10yr old loads & clears,

the 17yr old (who has a job as well as school) cleans the "kids" bathroom & will wash any pots the 10yr old cant fix in th washer,

and until last week the 20yr old (who also has a job) & who just moved out to her own apt, would sweep & hose down the patio area (weather permitting) and take apart the dog crates & clean them, which i think I MAY try to pawn off on the 17yr olds BF - hell I feed him 4 nites a week) and any other little thing I needed at any particular time.


But on Saturday cleaning day, I'd rather they all just left the house and got the heck outta my way

DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo

you all need to join flylady.net

StevLL

It was interesting reading this thread. I don't know that it really matters as we are all our own keepers. I can tell you for me and my wife it helps us determine our level of activity and adjust to get ourselves moving. While we haven't been logging house cleaning it helps to look it up and see overall calories burned against the BMR (which is the caloric needs to lay there and breathe for a day). I adjusted my activity level to compensate and put my goals back to my goals not the goal the site has, because I do need to have a calorie deficit as I really want this weight off.
That being said,.....There is a kickin training routine for increasing your vertical jump used by NBA atheletes. It does kinda make sense to put condiments up high and have to work for them cause they tend to be the hidden calories we forget about. (with the exception of Mustard which is nil calories) Happy posting to all and if I thought posting would increase my calorie output I would learn to type with more than twop fingers. It would be worth it. Kinda like circut training for your hands! :ohwell:

Becky1971

I havent used that site in years, I didn't need it after my kids got old enough to do their share of chores, bedrooms and their own laundry.

you all need to join flylady.net

baisleac

you all need to join flylady.net

Great idea! When I was doing the cleaning my Control Journal was my bible... I just got my husband started on the 30 day starter baby steps. He finally realized that it's more efficient.

Becky1971

I always wonder that too when I see people talking about cleaning their kids rooms, doing their laundry especially. They can do these, and help with the chores.
We have six bedrooms,two baths, entry way, laundry room, two halls, a walk in closet, and kitchen... No way could I do it on my own. In fact I have been in a bit of a state of panic, as I have a 20 yr old who has left home, an 18 yr old leaving in five months, a 17 yr old and 16 yr old. I told my husband we have got to sell this house, so I have a one story, and 2 or 3 bedroom house to clean on my own... And by then, maybe I can afford a house cleaner. lol.

My kids definitely know how to do all the chores necessary to live, my oldest has even thanked me for making him clean, after seeing how dirty some people keep their houses. and ours is not spotless, just everyone chipping in.

I am still wondering why nobodies kids are helping with all these chores??? I think that should be the hot topic of conversation...

vale131

I DEFINITELY log it because I sweat, walk, bend and carry...so you get your cardio and strength training in.

DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo

there are days I sweat standing still.... swooshing lysol in the toilet aint adding burned calories for me....

I break out in a sweat if my cat's litterbox goes an extra day between cleaning....but I dont even count bringing 50 lb bag of litter from the car as strength training....

thats my personal accountability... if counting works for YOU, so be it.... If you cleaned like my mother, who religiously got on her knees with a dust rag to clean & wax our hardwood floors) you probably burned a lot more calories than I now do with my swiffer

tinalina81

I have never logged it and never will.I see it this way. I got fat and was still cleaning so I must have not burned that many calories or else I wouldn't have gotten fat LOL

alexbowser

I do dishes everyday and clean the kitchen, and I wouldn't count it. However, when I scrub down my basement and pack for my move I'll probably count a few hours, because I probably won't get to exercise on the days I work on that.

amfmmama

I don't count it. The reason I don't is because, I was told by a doctor that if you are talking about something that is in your regular routine, that it is not exercise. I had mentioned that I walked a lot and was on my feet a lot for work and he said that would not count as exercise in a weight loss program. Having said that, that is me and it works for ME.

I love MFP, sometimes I just wish it could be judge free zone!

JohnnyNull

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?

The truth hurts. Rock on!

Nelski

I am still wondering why nobodies kids are helping with all these chores??? I think that should be the hot topic of conversation...

:laugh: :laugh:

DebbieMc3

I agree! I see so many people counting things like cleaning or shopping. I don't get it. I would be concerned about eating back those calories.

PamDW

My points in this discussion:

1. I log it into my exercise log, but it is never the end all total. I am always over my exercise goals.
2. I think that if people log it in and it is working for them, that is ALL that matters.
3. My kids and husband help me clean, doesn't mean there isnt still alot of scrub in the matter.
4. For me, I have lost 31 pounds in 71 days. So whatever I am doing is working.
5. Judgement free zone would be nice, but a little debate is healthy and it can help give you some different perspectives.
6. I think however that tactful responses might be more helpful for people that are more sensitive. Remember, typically when people are trying to lose weight there is an emotional rollercoaster going on anyway and we all need to be cognizant of this. I have had my share of not being tactful at times.
7. And last, don't worry about what other people think. Use comments as 'food' for thought (pun intended) ideas, but not a judgement against you. I have taken alot of things people have said and used them to my advantage... might have even tried something new.
ok, off my soap box.
You all have a great day! Do what YOU need to do!

meggiemaye

So basically people who don't agree with what you have to say are defensive and have low self-confidence? :laugh: That's a bizarre leap to make. But I like it! From now on, every time someone disagrees with me, I'm going to vehemently insist it's only because they have low self-confidence (clearly people with high self-confidence would think I was brilliant and witty and agree with every word I say). Then I will log "wasting my breath" as cardio and "clinging to delusions" as strength training. Oh the lbs I will lose!

This is hilarious! I'm going to use this!! Because after all it makes total sense. When I feel like I'm being attacked, I will immediately turn it around on the other person. Example:

Boyfriend: Did you do the dishes like I asked you to this morning?
Me: STOP BEING DEFENSIVE!!

I am super satisfied now that I feel I have gained something from this thread.

FearAnLoathing

So basically people who don't agree with what you have to say are defensive and have low self-confidence? :laugh: That's a bizarre leap to make. But I like it! From now on, every time someone disagrees with me, I'm going to vehemently insist it's only because they have low self-confidence (clearly people with high self-confidence would think I was brilliant and witty and agree with every word I say). Then I will log "wasting my breath" as cardio and "clinging to delusions" as strength training. Oh the lbs I will lose!

This is hilarious! I'm going to use this!! Because after all it makes total sense. When I feel like I'm being attacked, I will immediately turn it around on the other person. Example:

Boyfriend: Did you do the dishes like I asked you to this morning?
Me: STOP BEING DEFENSIVE!!

I am super satisfied now that I feel I have gained something from this thread.

:laugh: :laugh:

Azuleelan

I have to say that it is relative. Right now house cleaning is not something I would record because I am very fit and do two-a-days of running, cycling, and P90X. But for less fit people with lower activity levels house cleaning is probably exercise worth recording. I'm not just voicing a middle of the road "let's all get along" thought; this is science. Covert Bailey explains in his books that from a fitness perspective its all a matter of stressing the body causing physiological reactions. An out of shape person walking uphill may cause the same reactions within their body as an Olympic level athlete does with an all out 100 yard sprint. Bailey is a nutritionist who has a degree in biochemistry from MIT, so I think he knows what he is talking about. So it is an individual thing. For some people housecleaning is true exercise but the same activity for another (like myself) is not exercise.

This was great. I guess there are a lot more people who have been true coach potatoes and they need to add as an exercise something as light as cleaning a house. For some reason I had trouble believing there are real people that don't move, but seeing the amount of hate around here, now I'm convinced there are a whole lot...

Azuleelan

I have never logged it and never will.I see it this way. I got fat and was still cleaning so I must have not burned that many calories or else I wouldn't have gotten fat LOL

This is awesome!! I did kind of wondered... so people who got really fat weren't doing any cleaning? I would think we all got fatty DESPITE our cleanings and jumping for mustard, lol!

You have a great sense of humor :flowerforyou:

Azuleelan

My points in this discussion:

1. I log it into my exercise log, but it is never the end all total. I am always over my exercise goals.
2. I think that if people log it in and it is working for them, that is ALL that matters.
3. My kids and husband help me clean, doesn't mean there isnt still alot of scrub in the matter.
4. For me, I have lost 31 pounds in 71 days. So whatever I am doing is working.
5. Judgement free zone would be nice, but a little debate is healthy and it can help give you some different perspectives.
6. I think however that tactful responses might be more helpful for people that are more sensitive. Remember, typically when people are trying to lose weight there is an emotional rollercoaster going on anyway and we all need to be cognizant of this. I have had my share of not being tactful at times.
7. And last, don't worry about what other people think. Use comments as 'food' for thought (pun intended) ideas, but not a judgement against you. I have taken alot of things people have said and used them to my advantage... might have even tried something new.
ok, off my soap box.
You all have a great day! Do what YOU need to do!

Great points... My biggestfail is #6, I'm no babysitter

meggiemaye

I guess there are a lot more people who have been true coach potatoes and they need to add as an exercise something as light as cleaning a house. For some reason I had trouble believing there are real people that don't move, but seeing the amount of hate around here, now I'm convinced there are a whole lot...

:laugh: Every time I think you've said the worst thing you could you shock me! Although I still feel like there are deeper explanations than you seem capable of, I have to give you tons of kudos...this has really been one of the funniest threads I've ever read on this site.

Hopefully though people won't let the ignorance of others affect their opinions of themselves. Many people have debilitating illnesses and other extenuating circumstances, be they physical or emotional, that lead to weight gain.

I personally have ovarian cancer. I was diagnosed with Stage IV at age 16. Lots of people think that makes you thin as you waste away on chemo...not necessarily true. I gained over eighty pounds in less than a year due to doctor-enforced bed-rest, hormone therapy, and medications that trick one's body into conservation. It was bad at first and then spread to my uterus and finally to life-sustaining organs, at which point they finally told me, "Fine, go ahead and exercise if you want to...it can't possibly hurt you at this point."

It's entirely possible to be a successful athlete who gains a sudden and massive amount of weight even without being a "couch potato." Overweight is not synonymous with lazy, disgusting, having a low self-esteem, being defensive, or any of the other cruel and inaccurate comments that have been thrown out in this thread.

Everyone is here because they want to make a positive change in their lives. They don't have to do it your way, and they don't all fit into your stereotypes. We're all people here, and we're all here because we need positive support from others. Why is that so difficult to understand?

mamagooskie

I don't count it....and never will.