Do you count every day stuff?

Blackthorne99

I noticed a few of my friends do count things like cleaning the house or doing gardening work. I always feel like I'm not 100% sold that calories burned are accurate for that stuff or if it even counts as additional exercise.

What do you guys think? Do you log things like that?

(Today I logged in my cleaning because I've been feeling particularly down in the dumps)

The way I look at it is that the system only calculates your basal metabolism by a normal sedentary day. If there is an activity that you do for 20 minutes or more, count it. Besides which - your body is going to know how to properly track it, whether you write it down or not - so why not write it down?

For example - I count "playing pool" because I am on a Billiards team, and I play twice a week. This is NOT a "normal daily activity" because I don't do it every day. What I would normally be doing at that time would be MORE sedentary (sitting in front of the computer) so for me - it counts.

eates

I don't log every day stuff. Stuff that is out of the norm (like today I raked the backyard because we didn't get it mowed last weekend) I count, but if I don't wear my HRM then I only log it for 1/2 the amount of time.

megankayden

I log it if I am doing it for more than an hour, I have lot's of stairs so if I am lugging 4 or 5 loads of laundry up and down the stairs, vacuum the whole house, scrub the floors etc then I log it. It makes me work harder if I know I am going to log it and work up a sweat. I crank the tunes and really move!! (I have a 7 month old baby so I have to clean like Speedy Gonzales anyway to do as much as possible before he get's tired of watching me! LOL
(If I am doing dishes or tidying then no)

ShellyLee

I totally count mowing the yard with the push mower, took me two freaking hours last week because it was so thick that I had to push really slowly or else bog down the mower and have it shut off. It sucks and I sweat buckets lol. I don't log things like laundry, dishes, vacuuming though...

shydaisi

Basically, if I break a sweat, I count the activity. I don't always re-eat my exercise calories, so if they didn't *count*, it isn't really hurting me anyway. Of course, I have a desk job and rarely move during the day, so I have my caloric level set on sedentary; if my activity level for the day is not sedentary, I feel I should log the extra activity - but only if I break a sweat!

momandboys4

I don't count any of that stuff..... To me that is all standard stuff you do on a daily or weekly basis..... To me it is the above and beyond scope of your usual day..............

LisaMariaCallow

If I've busted a sweat cleaning or done something like washing the car I count that. I broke my foot last month & haven't been able to "work out" so I wear my pedometer to make sure I get in at least 10000 steps...those steps/miles/calories add up!!

Oishii

I counted EVERYTHING when I was on 1200, including time spent cooking or washing up, and I still lost faster than mfp thought I should. Now that I'm maintaining it makes more sense, as I've found my maintenance calories are round about 2250, so what mfp thought was a 3,500 a week deficit was in fact more like 7,000.

Now I'm counting things like walking, even if I do it every day, because it motivates me to go faster or further, and hopefully get fitter in the process.

IMHO, as long as you are fairly consistent and keep an eye on your results, it should work.

knowmydestiny

until today i logged only actual exercise. today i did hours of yard work at someone else's house. i only logged 1 hour though