Counting work as exercize?

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  • OneDimSim
    OneDimSim Posts: 188 Member
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    I clean houses for a living and it's long hard work. It takes 2-5 hours a house (1-2 houses a day) of sweating, scrubbing and carrying a 30 lbs vacuum up and down stairs. I've been counting this towards exercise (under the light to moderate cleaning) mostly because I am too tired to run on days I work and I feel like I need the extra calories. Do you guys think I am cheating? Anybody else count their job as exercise?

    i think you can count it :)
  • oncearound
    oncearound Posts: 31 Member
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    I don't count the stuff I do at work and cleaning the house as exercise as I got fat doing those things before, so it didn't help my weight loss efforts. I count only the time set aside to do something I don't do in my daily activities as exercise (running, lifting weights, etc).
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    Change your setting from sedentary to moderately or very active, this will increase your daily calorie allowance without you having to input it.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    If you are set at sedentary, count your work as exercise. If you are set at active, then no.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    If you told MFP you were sedentary, it would be appropriate to log this as exercise. I don't recommend this, because MFP estimates for calories burned can very significantly from what your body actually burns. It is better just to tell MFP that you are active or very active, and it will give you the calories you need.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    "annakoral has deactivated their account."

    dedication at its finest...
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
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    I count my work activity as part of my lifestyle. If I were you I'd change my lifestyle to active or very active and then count running when you get to it as exercise. That's just me though. If what you've been doing is working go with it. :)

    This ^^^ The MFP (and BMR/TDEE in general) calculations are based on your activity level, sometimes exclusive of exercise, others not. I would set your activity level to active (same as it would be for anyone who is on their feet working all day). Then add exercise on top of that when you do get a chance to run. One of the reasons I am here is that I switched from a very active job to a sedentary one about 15 years ago but my eating habits did not change with the times :embarassed:

    Ps. Took a second look at MFP's settings, which provides:

    Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)

    Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesman)

    Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman)

    Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)

    Seems that the now gone Anna would be active or potentially very active if using the guided settings.

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