who logs house cleaning for exercise?

Mom2Asa

I don't log it since I feel like I am lying to myself about being active. Instead I go run and know I have burnt those calories. I know I do burn calories while cleaning but I just let them be and don't account for them and look at it like a bonus that I am getting. I don't feel those calories can be accurately accounted for and I don't want to fall into the rut of "Oh I am cleaning I don't need to run" so they are just extras I am getting on top of my other activity.

Timothytim2

Absolutely I log everything that get's my heart rate up even "special cardio!"

Hey it's all exercise and it all counts just like all the food counts!

Cheers

FunkyGranolaTree

of course i do!! how else do you think i dropped 30 pounds and was able to compete in a 30 mile bike tour, a mud run, and a 5 mile turkey trot?


/sarcasm.

LOVE THIS!!! :drinker:

fteale

I don't. I feel like that is something that would fall under "normal daily activity"

Cleaning is definitely not "normal daily activity" round here. It's on a strictly "actually, I need to do something as I can't see the floor or sit on any of the sofas" basis.

ackeebee

cleaning my apartment normally takes at least a couple of hours and i feel like i am getting a good workout so i do log it. it's not everyday i clean my apartment. i even notice people on here logging "cooking" and "ironing". i would't go so far though.

BobbyClerici

I only log exercise that I do solely for the sake of exercise. The exception would be hiking or something. That is clearly physical, but done for enjoyment rather than simply for exercise.

I also don't congratulate my MFPals on their exercise burns when cleaning. :huh:

Neither do I.
It's actually hard not to post something like "you gotta be kidding me"

JoeDenison

Only if I went slightly over on my daily limit ... I'll throw in a superficial activity to lower the count and come in "under his calorie goal" LOL

But seriously, it really depends on what you have registered as your normal activity level. The activity level setting of MFP is used to add an (undocumented?) amount of calories to your BMR, and thus the suggested daily calorie limit is affected by this setting.

If you are registered as "sedentary", then MFP appears to add about 500 calories to your BMR in calculating how many calories you can have. By all means any activity that you do beyond sitting at the desk or watching TV could be logged. But if you are registered as any other activity level, MFP will increase your base daily calorie limit by a couple of hundred calories for each step above sedentary. In that way, the more minor activities are already built-in.

If you are trying to lose weight, you should use the SEDENTARY level in MFP and log any significant activity to more accurately track your calorie count. Unless you really, really are active to the extent of burning those 200, 400 or 600 additional calories of the other activity levels.

That's how I see it anyway! :-)

crzyone

I log it if it's something out of the ordinary and I feel like my heart rate increased. For instance, I clean my house regularly but I also go once a week and clean my mom's, so I would log cleaning her house because it's not my regular, daily activity.

Mom2Asa

I only log exercise that I do solely for the sake of exercise. The exception would be hiking or something. That is clearly physical, but done for enjoyment rather than simply for exercise.

I also don't congratulate my MFPals on their exercise burns when cleaning. :huh:

Neither do I.
It's actually hard not to post something like "you gotta be kidding me"

Same here especially when in 1 hour they burn more calories cleaning than I do running at 6.5mph for an hour....That is why I don't log it---I feel I am cheating by logging something that cannot be accurately accounted for!!

engineman312

I only log exercise that I do solely for the sake of exercise. The exception would be hiking or something. That is clearly physical, but done for enjoyment rather than simply for exercise.

I also don't congratulate my MFPals on their exercise burns when cleaning. :huh:

Neither do I.
It's actually hard not to post something like "you gotta be kidding me"

i'm glad we're friends.

i love the ppl that add "food preperation" to their exercise diary too.

Mom2Asa

I only log exercise that I do solely for the sake of exercise. The exception would be hiking or something. That is clearly physical, but done for enjoyment rather than simply for exercise.

I also don't congratulate my MFPals on their exercise burns when cleaning. :huh:

Neither do I.
It's actually hard not to post something like "you gotta be kidding me"

i'm glad we're friends.

i love the ppl that add "food preperation" to their exercise diary too.

Food Prep???? Seriously??

fteale

For the sake of playing devil's advocate, how do you know when someone logs cleaning that is what they are actually doing? Just because cleaning to you means wafting around with a feather duster doesn't mean that is what someone else has done. As I said earlier, I logged 2 HOURS of cleaning after spending 5 HOURS heavy lifting and bailing out my kitchen. I probably burned 1000 cals, I logged about 200. Funnily enough MFP doesn't have a "your house has flooded so get everything off the floor asap and then spend hours bailing water out" as a setting, so I logged it as housework. I would delete any friend off my list who would roll their eyes at that.

Like I log "dog walking" frequently, because it's a good walking speed, but I don't actually have (nor want) a dog, it's just a good way to log long walks. Just because someone logs something as something, that doesn't mean they have actually done that thing, just that they have burned a comparable no. of calories.

Another example. I sing. Tomorrow I have a 3 hour rehearsal, followed by a break, then a 2.5 hour concert. Standing and singing burns a lot of calories, it is a very physical activity, but one that isn't listed on MFP, so I usually log it as playing guitar (which I don't). If I didn't log it, I would be seriously underestimating my calorie allowance for the day and probably pass out during the performance.

LaSutopia

It depends what I'm doing. If I'm doing major cleaning, then definitely. If I'm doing light stuff (dishes, dusting), then usually I don't. I should add, however, that I have my diary set to "sedentary".

This! Same here

Hellbent_Heidi

I only log exercise that I do solely for the sake of exercise. The exception would be hiking or something. That is clearly physical, but done for enjoyment rather than simply for exercise.

I also don't congratulate my MFPals on their exercise burns when cleaning. :huh:

Neither do I.
It's actually hard not to post something like "you gotta be kidding me"

i'm glad we're friends.

i love the ppl that add "food preperation" to their exercise diary too.

Food Prep???? Seriously??

That seems a bit extreme....unless they are going out to wrestle and kill the chicken or cow first!

dargytaylor

i have myself as seditary, as I sit M-F at a desk job (spending time on MFP :laugh: )

so i guess anything above and beyond normal household cleaning I will count. i may not be breaking a sweat, but i am moving moving moving...........i will log only half of the time though.

thanks again for your input!

JennBona

I don't log anything that is part of my regular routine. While I don't vigorous clean daily, it is part of weekly routine. Beside I figure the housework didn't stop me from gaining weight so it probably isn't going to help me lose it either.

Me too....well said!

bry_all01

if you have time to clean everyday, kudos to you, but some of us are not afforded that luxury. Some days, I will log it, as it takes hours, since I only have time once a week or mpore likely every other week.

ETA: Besides, I usually need it to balance all the wine I will knowingly consume. :drinker:

TigersFanIndy34

I also wore a bodymedia fit and learned that i my 20 minutes of super cleaning I burned more calories then in my 30 minute zumba class so heck yea I log it! I don't log like my daily stuff - I mean the big cleaning each week.

Also when I set my caloric intake I put myself probably a tiny bit less then I actually burn - like it gives me 1750 calories to burn 1.5 lbs a week (750 calorie deficit) and since I wore my bodymedia fit I know I probably could do a bit more then that - but I did it and figured I'd log most of my activities. If I went higher maybe I wouldn't so much?

Anyway - either way - yep - when it comes to the big weekly cleaning I sure do log it!

annameier8706

If I'm deep cleaning and breaking a sweat I log it. Otherwise, it's just part of my daily routine.

EllisLouise

i'm logging it because i clean in an old peoples home for 5.5 hours a day at weekends