Should You Really Log Housework?

HonkyTonks

I don't because I see it as normal daily activity. I am pretty sure the calculator factors in your BMR + your activity level. Even a sedentary person has some activity in their daily life (including housework and walking to and from shops etc.) I only count exercise if I break a sweat and I get my heart rate up or I'm doing lifting. Even just having a busy day where I walk around a lot I wouldn't count. That's just me though, everybody is different.

Pebble321

NO WAY! :mad: this does anoy me! :mad: :mad: :mad:
the only exersice i log is when i phisically get off my @ss and do some exersice! :drinker:

Not sure why it annoys you so much - no one is forcing you to add it to your diary!

I think it depends on your activity level settings. If you have been very sedentary and never get off the couch, then doing a full hour of house cleaning would be pretty significant activity, and you should probably log it.
I have my activity level set at lightly active to cover short walks, carrying stuff around at my work etc so I wouldnt log housework - unless I was doing something major like a full house move out cleane or similar.

reedee94

In days past I can see myself saying how ridiculous to log housework, however having been diagnosed with MS your whole life changes and doing anything strenuous for me is a real milestone. Having an oH who cycles 30+ miles and gains numerous calories can bring you down. I love the fact that I can log movement of any kind. It makes life more bearable to know that even if I can no longer run or cycle there are things I do which use energy and i enjoy logging. This MFP is not only for athletes we can all make a contribution to our own health but for some of us housework is as much of a milestone as a marathon..:yawn:

ninerbuff

I see a lot of people logging housework as exercise. I'm not exactly sure why but I'd feel very odd logging this. I have worn my HRM during my housework time the last 2-3 days and on average I'd burn about 100cals for an hour of housework. That's pretty significant for me (considering it would take be about 30-40 mins to burn 100cals doing any other exercise). Should I log it or not? I'm thinking not but just looking for opinions.

If it's part of your regular routine, then no. I do house work everyday and don't log it.





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ElizabethRoad

I got fat doing housework, didn't I? It's not suddenly going to make me skinny just because I'm logging it. It's part of your normal routine. The only way you should log this kind of thing, in my opinion, is if you set your daily burn as zero and also log exercises such as breathing and digesting.

Sweet_Potato

I log things like mopping floors and sweeping leaves, since they get my heart rate up a little and I can actually feel it in my muscles afterward. And since they take away an hour or two of my time I usually don't end up doing formal exercise on those days. I would not log something like cleaning the bathroom, which only takes about 10 minutes and is not much physical effort.

Of course, I'm also someone who logs walking the dogs, wandering around museums, and my leisurely bike ride to work, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask.

kastiltner

I only log it if I am doing some serious cleaning, like cleaning the house from the ceiling to the floors and everything in between and often times I will even shorten the time entered. Say I did some hard cleaning for 60 minutes, I would shorten that in my log to 30 minutes. I sit down at my work all day long so I get no exercise, and I do not deep clean my house everyday either, I wipe down a few things but I do not get down deep and dirty doing my housework on a regular basis. If you break a sweat cleaning your house then it's definitely safe to say you've burned some calories. At the end of the day, it's your decisions, you know what your body has and has not done, if you feel like it was a workout then you should count it. I spend countless hours chasing after a toddler everyday and I know for a fact that I burn tons of calories doing that, but since it is something I do everyday and would do whether or not I was trying to lose weight, I don't count it. It's your choice and your choice alone, I personally don't think that anyone should judge what you log in your diary becuase they do not know what you are capable of and to what extent you have done anything.

Barneystinson

I don't log any activity here but if that's your thing housework is one of those "normal routine" things. No different than what you consider normal activity at a day at work - be it picking up boxes, walking around, climbing telephone poles, what have you.

So if you're someone who does A LOT of housework on a weekly basis - let's say you're cleaning up after several kids, etc, then factor it in as a higher activity level as a base calorie intake. Instead of being sedentary, you're lightly active, so on and so forth. If you clean houses for a living, your activity level is higher than your average desk jockey or sedentary individual.

Things that SHOULD be logged are those that go outside of the scope of your normal daily activity level. Chopping wood, for example. Painting your house, etc. Stuff that happens on an infrequent basis and would be out of the norm or require much greater than average effort.

ECA67

If you turn up the music and dance doing your housework, maybe even adding weights to ankles and wrists. If I work up a lot of sweat , I count it. Think " miss Doubtfire" lol.

skylark94

If it's not an intentional workout, I don't log it. House cleaning is just life.

Gee45

Every one or two weeks I"ll skip working out to do a few hours of more thorough housecleaning and I log it. It feels great to forego the intense exercise for a day of cleaning. I do a half hour or an hour of some sort of cleaning a day and I don't log that.

StaciO

I don't usually log it as it is just part of life. However, last Friday I was off work and cleaned for 4 hours. I mean the good stuff, moving furniture, vaccuming, shampooing carpets, on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor (because sometimes mopping just isn't good enough). I did wear my HRM and I counted it because it was way out of the norm for me as I usually would be sitting at a desk in front of a computer at work.

Tree72

It depends on how you have your account set. Since I have a desk job and enjoy many sedentary activities at home, I have my profile set for sedentary. That does not account for anything I'd consider housework. (I'm not talking about something like a couple minutes spend loading the dishwasher, but something like sweeping the downstairs.)

I used to be a bit skeptical about logging such things. But now that I have a Bodybugg it shows me how much I actually burn doing things like housework. It can really add up. My biggest burn day ever, TDEE of 2800 calories, did not include any deliberate exercise. I spent a few hours sweeping, mopping, and cooking for a party. If I hadn't logged any of those calories and only eaten my base of 1280, I'd have had a deficit of nearly 1500 calories. That's way too much since I only need to lose 15 to 20 more pounds. At the stage I'm at now it's important to not have too big of a deficit on a regular basis. So now I log such things more often to keep me on track with a 500 calorie deficit per day.

FITnFIRM4LIFE

I don't log my own housework. However, my 2nd job is a 3 day a week very physical cleaning etc,I add a portion of that 3 days a week, only the part that's non-stop movement 30 mins.I am there longer, but that timeframe is continous,so I log it:-)

shelby623

I got fat doing housework, didn't I? It's not suddenly going to make me skinny just because I'm logging it. It's part of your normal routine. The only way you should log this kind of thing, in my opinion, is if you set your daily burn as zero and also log exercises such as breathing and digesting.

Wow! This post hits the nail right on the head as to why I don't log housework or other activities. I only log an activity if it requires me to put on a sports bra lol. If you look up fishing while sitting on a boat, it calculates me at 600 calories burned for 3 hours of sitting on my duff fishing...um my bf does this every weekend and his belly says otherwise.

tmm01

I think it depends on your activity level logged. if you have put sedentary, then any activity above normal should be logged. I also think it very much depends on the physical level of the housework, washing a few dishes, shouldn't necessarily be logged, where as heavy lifting etc could be. Until recently I had a calorie intake of 1000 per day, so I used to log a lot, now I have upped by calories to 1200, I don't tend to log as much, as I feel it could take me over. it's very much a personal thing and of course judgement. However if you're losing and it's working for you - it's your mfp use it as you feel fit.

Hellbent_Heidi

I think if you want to track it with a HRM just to see what it burns or something, that's fine, but to log it with the plan to eat the calories back, it seems like you'd be cheating yourself. As others said, its part of your normal routine, and something you'd be doing all along.

I only count exercise where I'm specifically doing something I consider a real work out! Did some heavy duty yardwork (trimming trees and dragging huge heavy branches across about an acre of yard to our fire pit) earlier this year, and I didn't even count that. I just thought of it as a bonus!

chevy88grl

When you sign up, you're supposed to choose your daily activity level. In my opinion, if you choose sedentary - then you log EVERYTHING you do because you aren't getting a calorie allowance for your daily stuff and you need those calories.

I have my activity level set as "active". I don't count my normal housework, but I DO count anything that I might outside of my normal stuff. For example, if I am scrubbing floors on my hands and knees, steam cleaning or moving furniture I will count it. I may or may not eat the calories back, but I will count it. If my heart is pumping and sweat is pouring off me? It is working my body.

4thehardman

I logged it once, when we were moving the triplets from the nursery to the big room and spent the whole day carrying boxes taking downand putting up furniture and fending off 4 excited kids all by myself. I logged half the time it took and felt I deserved it but I did also workout that day!

If I logged housework I'd feel like I was cheating. Its just stuff I do. Its stuff I've always done. My ironing takes 5-6 hours every sunday night and I don't log that either. What next? Office workers logging every walk to the bathroom during the day as miles walked?

armaretta

A couple weekends ago, I didn't do a lick of what you might call intentional exercise. I did, however, spend 3 hours in, one day, vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, mopping, and cooking. During that time, I burned over 500 calories. I am certain I burned that many give or take 10% since I wear a BodyMedia/Bodybugg. For someone who is only aiming for a small deficit or trying to gain muscle, that is a significant 500 calories!

jillica

I would say 'why?"

The ONLY reason I could see would be if you are desperate to complete your day under-calorie goal and you ABSOLUTELY cannot workout and the housework duties will get you to that goal.

woou

I wouldn't personally. I figure it's already included in my daily activities. You can if you want. If you're not seeing the results you're expecting on an average weekly loss, then it might be a culprit. But if you're seeing the results you're expecting, then it's fine.

wenders74

Once in a while I do log house work. But Im doing serious gone crazy cleaning like husband and kids want to go hide cleaning.. moving furniture and totally breaking a sweat

chevy88grl

I would say 'why?"

The ONLY reason I could see would be if you are desperate to complete your day under-calorie goal and you ABSOLUTELY cannot workout and the housework duties will get you to that goal.

Some people are very heavy and can't move around very well. If they are counting their housework as exercise, it probably IS exercise to them. When you've been completely sedentary, even a little bit of housework goes a long way towards getting your body moving again.

I guess I just feel like to each their own. If someone wants to count it as their daily exercise, who am *I* to judge? I don't live their life. For some people simple things that the rest of us take for granted are very difficult for them to achieve.

_SusieQ_

I would say 'why?"

The ONLY reason I could see would be if you are desperate to complete your day under-calorie goal and you ABSOLUTELY cannot workout and the housework duties will get you to that goal.

Some people are very heavy and can't move around very well. If they are counting their housework as exercise, it probably IS exercise to them. When you've been completely sedentary, even a little bit of housework goes a long way towards getting your body moving again.

I guess I just feel like to each their own. If someone wants to count it as their daily exercise, who am *I* to judge? I don't live their life. For some people simple things that the rest of us take for granted are very difficult for them to achieve.

So many people have said, why log something you do every day anyway? well personally I DON'T clean house every day or even every week. I have someone come in twice a month a do deep cleaning, otherwise it's just pick up the crap for me. So if I spend 2-3 hours deep cleaning my house at MY size, then h#ll yes I would log it.

some of you need to realize that not everyone is in the same place in this journey as you. This conversation is very demeaning and demoralizing to those who feel a sense of accomplishment by being able to just get up and move around and push a vacuum or clean a toilet. Have some compassion.

Hellbent_Heidi

So many people have said, why log something you do every day anyway? well personally I DON'T clean house every day or even every week. I have someone come in twice a month a do deep cleaning, otherwise it's just pick up the crap for me. So if I spend 2-3 hours deep cleaning my house at MY size, then h#ll yes I would log it.

some of you need to realize that not everyone is in the same place in this journey as you. This conversation is very demeaning and demoralizing to those who feel a sense of accomplishment by being able to just get up and move around and push a vacuum or clean a toilet. Have some compassion.

Very good and valid point...I guess its just easier to assume when it comes to these things, that most people have been 'doing it all along".....when in fact, we really don't know that!

chevy88grl

I would say 'why?"

The ONLY reason I could see would be if you are desperate to complete your day under-calorie goal and you ABSOLUTELY cannot workout and the housework duties will get you to that goal.

Some people are very heavy and can't move around very well. If they are counting their housework as exercise, it probably IS exercise to them. When you've been completely sedentary, even a little bit of housework goes a long way towards getting your body moving again.

I guess I just feel like to each their own. If someone wants to count it as their daily exercise, who am *I* to judge? I don't live their life. For some people simple things that the rest of us take for granted are very difficult for them to achieve.

So many people have said, why log something you do every day anyway? well personally I DON'T clean house every day or even every week. I have someone come in twice a month a do deep cleaning, otherwise it's just pick up the crap for me. So if I spend 2-3 hours deep cleaning my house at MY size, then h#ll yes I would log it.

some of you need to realize that not everyone is in the same place in this journey as you. This conversation is very demeaning and demoralizing to those who feel a sense of accomplishment by being able to just get up and move around and push a vacuum or clean a toilet. Have some compassion.

I agree 100%. You never know what is going on in someone else's life. Someone commented earlier in the thread that they did housework and got fat. Well, I know people who go to the gym and workout - yet they are still fat. They are fat because of their food choices. Plain and simple. Anyone will tell you that you can't "work out" a bad diet.

_SusieQ_

My girl Chevy.

You can still get fat/be fat no matter what you call exercise if you don't change the way/amount of food you eat. That is definitely true for me the older I get. Ten, fifteen years ago I could walk around the block a couple times a week, eat grilled chicken for dinner a few nights and drop lbs like crazy. Now I have to work HARD for every pound, in the gym and in the kitchen.

Sorry, I digressed....

TheBraveryLover

I wouldn't bother getting flaming mad over what someone else is doing. You can send them a polite message asking for their reasoning, or just unfriend them or hide their posts. No need to get your knickers in a twist!

Exactly. I don't understand why people are so "annoyed" by what others log. I have friends who log 15 minute - 45 calorie burned walks and it doesn't annoy me in the least. I don't give them a "wtg!" like I would a 300 calorie burn, but I don't have a problem with them counting it either.

As for me OP, I don't clean daily and if you do, that should be included in your activity level. I tidy up daily but I don't consider that cleaning, but when I do clean, it's usually for a few hours and I'll log it, for sure.

epona_mus

I don't normally do housework, so if I did something, it would be above and beyond my normal daily activities and I would log it. I plan on steam cleaning the carpets soon and that usually takes several hours, so I'll definitely log that. I'd also log gardening, shovelling the walkway, stacking firewood, or handwashing a car because those are outside my everyday activity level.