"Daily Activity" Exercises

bellaitalia603

it's starting to frustrate me seeing people posting things like cleaning the house, getting the mail, and sex under their exercise. maybe i'm just ignorant, and should be posting that kind of stuff. to me cleaning the house does make me sweat, but nothing like actually working out. what gets me is seeing the calorie count "burn" of doing it like 300-400 calories for some of it. am i missing something? i don't mean to sound like a whiner or anything, i just don't count any of that, and maybe i should be? i only count actually working out.

angeleong

I think it shouldn't be added into the count either. It just looks lame, and the numbers for the calories burnt are seriously inflated. Moreover, I think it makes the subtraction of calories burnt inaccurate.

bellaitalia603

and the numbers for the calories burnt are seriously inflated. Moreover, I think it makes the subtraction of calories burnt inaccurate.

that's what i was thinking! i saw it in the database "cleaning the house vigorously" for an hour was something like 437 calories burned. i cannot imagine how that is better exercise than some other things that are less.

KandieLantz

I don't add general house cleaning to my days.. but times like this weekend... hauling boxes of Christmas decorations up and downstairs for an hour or more... and washing walls in every room in the house, scrubbing floors by hand, etc.. I do. Mail and Sex... nope lol

raisingbabyk

IMO, it completely depends on what you have you're exercise level set to. If your set to sedentary you can log all those minor things, or just change it to lightly active. All the same.

Also, don't let what other people do bug you. Worry about yourself and your own goals. What works for someone else may not work for you and vice versa.

ajbeans

Why do you care? Does it make you gain weight when other people list cleaning as exercise? Does a puppy die when someone eats calories earned from cleaning?

bellaitalia603

Also, don't let what other people do bug you. Worry about yourself and your own goals. What works for someone else may not work for you and vice versa.

you're right, and i do. i just wanted to make sure i was doing this correctly. thanks for the insight on the activity level. i'm an office worker mostly, but i don't think i'm going to count this stuff. if anything it will just help me in the end. thank you!

NightOwl1

I think it really depends on what your your activity level is set to, and how vigorous the activity actually is. If you set your activity level to sedentary, it doesn't take into account much daily activity outside of sitting around doing nothing. If you vigorously clean for an hour or two, it's a legitimate calorie burn that you should log the same as any other exercise. Same thing goes with sex if it's long enough and vigorous enough, although people should probably have the tact to log it as something else.

If you're activity level is set to active or very active, then logging that type of activity is redundant as your activity level already takes it into account. However, if sedentary or likely active, it's a good idea to do it. Just because something doesn't sound like an exercise doesn't mean that it's not.

bellaitalia603

okay can i just say again that i was asking if i should be posting this or not. i just wanted peoples' opinions on this topic. i'm not calling out anyone who does. i am trying really hard to focus on my own goals and want to do this right. so please know that i'm not comparing myself to others in a negative way. i'm just asking what other people do.

Pebble321

Don't stress about it - it doesn't affect your weight loss, and noone is forcing you to add anything that doesn't seem right to you.

If someone has their daily activity level set at sedentary and then does some unaccustomed activities that burn a bunch of calories (like a lot of cleaning) then it is probably valid to add it and eat those cals.

I have my activity level set at lightly active to cover short walks and other stuff during the day and this works fine for me, I don't add cleaning etc, though I will add extra walks or big jobs like setting up an expo display (I added this as "moving house" because it meant lots of carryig boxes and packing and unpacking and was definitely much more active than a regular day for me).

youcandoitjess

I don't post any of that stuff, either.

RoanneRed

I live alone and work long hours so cleaning the house only gets done every 4-6 weeks (I try to underestimate the amount of time and use the lower intensity) and I do a lot of cooking and food preparation on the weekend, mow lawns, gardening, etc. - I don't do them every day so don't consider them part of my daily activity level and log them when they happen.

ajbeans

If it's working for you not to log those things, keep on keepin' on. It works for many of us. Do what makes you happy and helps keep you successful. Don't worry about other people's journey.

NoAdditives

I don't count anything but actual exercise.

Sweet_Potato

When I clean the house I get sweaty and my heart rate goes up, so why not count it as exercise? Lugging a vacuum cleaner up two flights of very steep stairs sounds like a workout to me! Are fun and/or productive forms of exercise not allowed to count? I've managed to stay thin my whole life by doing things like that, which is much more appealing to me than a formal workout.

Nike13

I document my cleaning cause usually I get one day a week to really clean the house (and work sedentary job) so when I clean, I'm doing it top to bottom, scrubbing bathtubs and other more strenuous stuff. I've got to get my exercise in somehow and generally manage to get a good sweat going doing it.

bellaitalia603

thank you both rubybelle and roannered because you made me think about this in a different way. i really didn't understand what setting your activity level in your profile did to your overall plan. it makes sense. i do expos sometimes myself, so moving all those boxes and stuff would probably be something to count. and same thing about doing a bigger housecleaning or gardening hard or what not.

gg24

This keeps coming up. What I want to say is what's the big deal about it? There's lots of things on that database that make me go O.O. Bowling? Okay, but if you look at the calories listed as burned there is a set number for a low level activity and a set one for medium, too.

As to house cleaning. I have a sedentary desk job, however, I have to walk 10 minutes from my car to my desk. I don't log it. I also don't log when I pick up after work or cook and do dishes. But on the weekends when there's seven loads of laundry to be washed, folded and carried up the stairs to put away. Beds to me made. Floors to be mopped and vacuumed, kitty boxes to be changed, etc...... I believe it could be logged.

If you have a large house and a few kids and pets, housework is a definite chore.

Now do I sweat during this? Most of the time not, but I also don't sweat when I take my 45-60 minute 2.5 leisurely walk at lunch everyday.

I seriously doubt our bodies can tell the difference between what we classify as what is exercise and what isn't.

I guess because I'm old, and have had two husbands that didn't think housework was a big thing, that this really starts hitting a nerve.

Should you log iit? It depends. Should you worry about it if someone does log it? No MYOB because you probably don't have a clue of what that person's life is like.

FriendsR4EverTreasures

Regardless if you log them or don't log them, the bottom line is, if you are over inflating your calories, it will show on your weightloss. We cannot fool our bodies or our metabolism. Always aim for the most accurate calculation for YOU and don't use what others do for themselves. When I first started on MFP, I used to use the workout calories people had on here for all of my activity, and I wasn't losing an ounce of weight. Then I purchased a HRM and I found out why. Using the calories as recorded on this site were over calculated for my body type and fitness level. Unless you know the size of the person that has entered those numbers in the data base, it will never be accurate. I doubt cleaning house burns 450 calories if you are in a weight range of 150 or so, but maybe it's possible if you are say 290 or above. Simple reason......it takes a lot more energy to move the 290 body than it does the 150. To have the most accurate county for YOU, invest in a heart rate monitor, once I did this, I began to lose weight because my calorie expenditure was accurate based on my body type. Hope this helps!

jolinemariem

i think if its not something you do often- yes. Like my wife is home all week and does all the cleaning those day then on the weekend i do a power clean on sat. which is quite vigorous and on those days i don't exersize

cantobean

I only post it if I otherwise have gone over calories. Anything to avoid seeing the red numbers...

I know it's dumb, and I don't post it unless I've done legitimate physical work. I've never logged 300 calories of cleaning. Keep in mind that when the little status update says "so-and-so burned 452 calories from cardio activity, including cleaning" it also includes other activities. If I logged 300 calories from running and 100 from cleaning, the post might look that way.

Pebble321

thank you both rubybelle and roannered because you made me think about this in a different way. i really didn't understand what setting your activity level in your profile did to your overall plan. it makes sense. i do expos sometimes myself, so moving all those boxes and stuff would probably be something to count. and same thing about doing a bigger housecleaning or gardening hard or what not.

I'm glad it helped. I see this question a lot and I think it is usually because people don't understand the point of the activity level - it covers regular day to day stuff and then you log (and eat) extra activity that burns extra calories.

Personally I don't think it matters if it is "real exercise" or not - your body just knows that it is burning more calories and doesn't add any extra merit for calories burnt in front of an exercise DVD or calories burnt cleaning the house.
The important thing is only to count them once. And to adjust your strategy if what you're doing isn't working for you, we are all different and have to find the right system for each of us personally.

jolinemariem

and i think as long as you are keeping active and not lazing on the couch it doesnt really matter what you do

Greg127

Counting calories and scoring golf, you're only cheating yourself. keep doing what you're doing. So long as we're not palying for money I don't worry about what the other guys score is. Good luck.

teagin2002

I don't add general house cleaning to my days.. but times like this weekend... hauling boxes of Christmas decorations up and downstairs for an hour or more... and washing walls in every room in the house, scrubbing floors by hand, etc.. I do. Mail and Sex... nope lol

I do this too, if I am having just a horrible cleaning day because relatives came over or something then I am posting it. I must say I do encourage people who post these things though, and I will tell you why.
I remember being so big that exercise was too hard, and cleaning was hard too. I would rather encourage them to do something and post in hopes that it will encourage them to do more. I hope it is taken that way :flowerforyou:

bellaitalia603

I only post it if I otherwise have gone over calories. Anything to avoid seeing the red numbers...

I know it's dumb, and I don't post it unless I've done legitimate physical work. I've never logged 300 calories of cleaning. Keep in mind that when the little status update says "so-and-so burned 452 calories from cardio activity, including cleaning" it also includes other activities. If I logged 300 calories from running and 100 from cleaning, the post might look that way.

it's not dumb....i hate those red numbers!

gorgeouss9

I keep my pedometer on me at all times and I log in my calories burned to this site based on what it says. That way i know its very accurate.

bellaitalia603

I remember being so big that exercise was too hard, and cleaning was hard too. I would rather encourage them to do something and post in hopes that it will encourage them to do more. I hope it is taken that way :flowerforyou:

this is where i am at. 30 min on the treadmill at like 2.3 is hell. i know i'll get better. so when i do a full on house cleaning i am probably burning calories too. i'm glad to get all the insight from everyone on this topic. so thank you all!!!

BobbyClerici

In general I do 90 minuted of cardio with 30 minutes of resistance 6 days a week.

I rest resistance Tuesday and cardio every 10 days or so.
My resistance is lower weights but high reps, then heavy every 3rd workout.

And I split my body into 3 muscle groups:
1. Legs
2. Chest- triceps - shoulders
3. Arms - back

I do a lot of weird things for cardio like military march, boxing type training,
dancing, floor rolls, squat thrust intervals and the good ole jumping jack.
And I jog, swim, play tennis, fast walk and bike.

Lost 64lbs and nearly 20% body fat - it works for me.

LorinaLynn

When I first started, I logged everything... like going shopping for groceries I'd log as walking 2mph. It got me into the habit of moving more, and kept me out of the habit of depriving myself.

Sometimes I'll still log cleaning, if it's a marathon "going to have company over" type of cleaning, where I move furniture to vacuum under it and stuff like that. The time I didn't log it, I lost two pounds that week, while aiming for a half pound.

And I'll still log shoveling snow and mowing the lawn. If it's something I only do every two weeks or so (hopefully only every two weeks or so), it's not part of my normal routine.

tjpinch

I have my activity level set to sedentary, so I log some of those things. Mopping the floor with a 12lb baby on your hip is hard work