Should You Really Log Housework?

jennaddy

I think it totally depends.

I set my activity level as 'sedentary' as I sit as a desk all day for work. I would only log a couple of hours of full on floor mopping, vaccuming etc. 'cos it's out of the ordinary for what I normally do. And I tend not to eat all my exercise calories.

I also log long shopping trips as slow walking, 'cos it is and again, it's more active than sitting at a desk. But I seriously underestimate the time spent doing it and tend not to eat all the calories.

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!

Well said, I completely agree.

KayteeBear

I don't log the daily stuff but if I'm going all out cleaning for HOURS or moving furniture and breaking a real good sweat then I'll add it in but otherwise I don't.

But it's all up to you personally what you want to log and not log. You know your lifestyle better.

ElizabethRoad

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 disagree. Sedentary doesn't mean bed-ridden.

amoffatt

I dont log my housework, but I find myself working up a sweat and the bloating of my stomach goes down at times when I spend the whole day cleaning. I work 10 hour days, family, school and so my major cleaning is on days off. In a split level home, I have stairs to climb constantly and with horses, I stack and move hay bales, chase horses across acres of pasture to catch them and so forth, I still dont log this, but I have burned more calories doing this than working out to a 30 or 60 minute video. But this is MY routine and works for me and my life.

I look at the up side, if you dont log your housework, bonus calories burned, if you do, that is your decision and this is what works for you. :bigsmile:

Elizabeth_C34

I only log my cleaning when I scrub my floors every two weeks. I have 2300 sq ft of tile flooring and I scrub it all by hand including the grout once every two weeks. That is one helluva workout, thank you very much.

killagb

That is one helluva workout, thank you very much.

You are welcome! :drinker:

Elizabeth_C34

That is one helluva workout, thank you very much.

You are welcome! :drinker:

hehe

ashleycat23

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.

can i hug you?

Not everyone is at the same point, not everyone can do the same things.

If someone has a condition that makes it hard to do anything on some days, let them log what they do do. I know from experience that just seeing something small logged on my worst days is a great boost/ push to do a little more..



besides- what one person calls cleaning could be a major ordeal!

mistresseeyore

Exercise- 1. physical exertion, esp for the purpose of development, training, or keeping fit
Exertion- 1. Physical or mental effort.

Last time I looked cleaning is physical exertion.... I document what I don't do every day. Folding clothes for a 267 pounds woman for 40 minutes exerts 174 calories. Don't knock people that are putting up things, you don't know what their challenges are. As long as they are putting in an effort to move and work on themselves, there is no room to judge.

MercedesV

wow. i see both sides. I log in my cleaning because I believe there are some activities that are out of the ordinary. Also, I set MFP to sedentary and I sit at work for 8 hrs a day so it is legitimate. Cleaning 3 bathroom floors, tubs, & showers or steaming cleaning hardwood floors, or vacuming stairs work sme out a lot. I seriously can break a sweat so I think it is legitimate.

With that said, I clean dishes every day and dont log that in because that is minimal movement in my case. Does that make sense? But I think we are all individuals w/ different cases and I need to be careful in only providing feedback when asked for it.

I think to each his own. I don't want ppl to judge me harshly. That's why i'm here.

smpreston

I'm not a fan of adding everyday tasks as actual exercise. My reason for this is that it would give you that many more calories to eat in any given day. Cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, doing laundry, etc may break a sweat for some people, but that does not make it exercise. Sure, it is a great accomplishment for some people and they should feel great about doing it. However, logging it as actual exercise and using it to justify eating more doesn't make sense to me.

This is not a judgement on the physical capabilities of anyone. This is just my opinion on what constitutes exercise for the purpose of counting calories.

mscoco10

I log it. When i'm cleaning its a deep clean that takes 2 hours or more

grmpy1

I just spent the last 5 hours scrubbing wall paper paste off my walls. I logged 3 hours of it, but I won't be eating the calories back. I log it because it was definitely a work out of my upper body and the many times I climbed up and down the ladder were more than any elliptical I would have done.

Some people don't call that exercise, but since it is not something I normally do, I call it exercise. It also helps me to know why I didn't do my regular treadmill and floor exercises I would have done today.

CurlyVonda

Yes, I do log it if it's a deep cleaning day....but I don't count it as my only source of activity for that day. I work out 5-6 days a week for 1 hr. or more.

thebunches

I log mine, but I don't eat the calories back. It just gives me more motivation to keep MOVING!! I like to see the calories I burn even doing everyday things.

I also work out 4-5 days a week, for an hour or so, separately, so housecleaning isn't the only thing I'm doing to lose weight.

sms1986

Earlier, I did housework for an hour, but I don't think I burnt too many 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.

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.

GEESH!!! I finally went back to look at the rest of the comments since this topic was still in my list of "My Topics", and WOW! The topic asked for my opinion, I gave my opinion, and I get called insensitive & judgemental toward those who weigh more than me??? - OUCH!

I was speaking from MY PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW of someone needing to lose 50 lbs TO ANOTHER PERSON WHO ALSO WAS WANTING TO LOOSE 50 LBS! I am sorry if I offended anyone. The TOPIC asked, "Should you Really Log Housework?" Sorry, I don't. Please don't call me an uncompassionate person because of that.

In order for this sight to be of positive support, I would keep in mind the context of the question before you criticize the responses.