Logging Housework as Exercise??

Rubyinthesand2012

Im pretty new to this (first week) and i have noticed that some people log housework as Exercise....

Im a stay-at-home-mum and spend a majority of my day doing some sort of housework i put my settings as doing the lowest level of activity some days im flat out doing housework and running round after the children & my partner other days i sit on the computer or watching tv..... so should i be logging the hoovering...bathroom and kitchen floor scrubbing as "exercise" or not.

I dont personally see it as exercise although i know it burns calories.... am a little confused

teagan911

I am intrigued by this too.....Would love to hear the input from others.

Natty0506

Basically, if it's something you're already doing in your daily life, it's not exercise. But say, you spend a morning painting your living room. THAT would be considered a workout.

BerryH

Change your settings from sedentary to lightly active, then only log activity outside your normal daily routine.

MaximalLife

Im pretty new to this (first week) and i have noticed that some people log housework as Exercise....

Im a stay-at-home-mum and spend a majority of my day doing some sort of housework i put my settings as doing the lowest level of activity some days im flat out doing housework and running round after the children & my partner other days i sit on the computer or watching tv..... so should i be logging the hoovering...bathroom and kitchen floor scrubbing as "exercise" or not.

I dont personally see it as exercise although i know it burns calories.... am a little confused

It's not exercise.

People log this in as a handy excuse not to have to do real cardio.

It's more an activity than a workout. Don't do it!

april_beth

*sigh* who cares what OTHERS are doing....

monkeymouse74

I dont log incidental exercise.:noway: Only planned exercise.:happy: I think it can become an excuse not to do a proper workout. I've seen all kinds of incidental exercise logged, like "shopping"!!!! What!!!!!:explode: How is this helping people change their lives??? Dont fall into this trap. If it's real change you want, dont look for the easy way out:flowerforyou:

fitaliciag

I never log that kind of thing.

LoreleiWalks

Change your settings from sedentary to lightly active, then only log activity outside your normal daily routine.

Agreed!

engineman312

Change your settings from sedentary to lightly active, then only log activity outside your normal daily routine.

this.

trud72

ARHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH don't do it...
the way i see it....
it is ONLY exersice if you physical go out of your way to do the exersice itself! not dusting and hoovering...comeon cop out :bigsmile:
let anything eles be a bonus right! :ohwell:

trud72

ARHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH don't do it...
the way i see it....
it is ONLY exersice if you physical go out of your way to do the exersice itself! not dusting and hoovering...comeon cop out :bigsmile:
let anything eles be a bonus right! :ohwell:

tiedye

I dont log incidental exercise.:noway: Only planned exercise.:happy: I think it can become an excuse not to do a proper workout. I've seen all kinds of incidental exercise logged, like "shopping"!!!! What!!!!!:explode: How is this helping people change their lives??? Dont fall into this trap. If it's real change you want, dont look for the easy way out:flowerforyou:

Yes. This exactly.

Giraffe33991

I personally don't see that as exercise if it is a normal part of your living activites. I consider exercise anything above and beyond.

This may be harsh, but personally I've deleted many "friends" due to their logging activities such as housework and then *****ing because they are not losing weight. If you are serious about it then move your *kitten* and eat less!!!

thetorontokid2

If I'm really running around the house, I WILL log it, but I never see it as an "instead of cardio"...I always do something on top of that. I don't do it that often, i never log really light cleaning where I'm picking up little things or doing dishes or whatever. That stuff I do every day, I don't log it.

takehimaway

*sigh* who cares what OTHERS are doing....

Seconded.

OP, why not worry about what /you're/ logging as exercise?

Some of us log cleaning house or cooking as exercise as that's all we physically can do right now. I just got major surgery, and still have twenty-three more days to go before I can lift anything heavier than a frying pan or gallon of milk. I don't always listen to my doctor or my body, but you beat your *kitten*, I pay for it, every single time.

lts42uk

I don't log the normal day to day stuff, but every fortnight I really blitz the house so I do log that on top of my normal workout! It's a Saturday so I need all the extra calories I can get!!!

Rubyinthesand2012

*sigh* who cares what OTHERS are doing....

i was meerly asking a question as i wondered if i should log as had seen others logging it when it came up on my feed.... it doesnt bother me what other people do or why.

i WANT to lose weight but i know that if im not eating enough i wont...so if i think ive eaten the 1200 cals that im meant to have for that day but have actually burnt of 2100 my body could go in starvation mode couldnt it.... just going by what ive read on here!

I thought this forum was about helping each other!

EHabel10

I absolutely log housework as exercise, but only when I do something truly active (Vacuuming and kitchen floors etc...) with two toddlers under 3 and a dog and cat, this is nearly every other day, haha. I also work out/run almost daily but cleaning my house definitely burns calories and I feel comfortable logging it! I believe I use- 'Cleaning- Light, Moderate Effort- Good luck!

byrnet18

If you were to do this then you would have to change your basal metabolic rate...Because when it figures out your daily calorie intake it is assuming that you're not just laying in bed all day. So like others said just change your activity level. Sedentary means that you don't move around at all, maybe to use the bathroom and to get food, but if you're doing day to day activities then I would say you are lightly active.

lesterfaye81

I log it because I don't do it everyday. I don't log going to the office, dragging cases of paper to the copier, and jumping up to get more paper, lol, because I do it everyday of the week.

I say log it if it's unusual. Plus, I've noticed that if I try and shampoo the carpet (it's a heavy machine) on the same day I've done the elliptical, it effectively finishes kicking my *kitten*. Then again, I am really fat right now. If I do one, I can't really do another. That's a big part of why I log it.

kelsue35

when you clean are you moving? you already know that you burn calories when you clean so why not log it? i am a mom of 4 so i clean my house a few times a day, if i am moving and burning calories i dont really give 2 hoots what it is i am doing i am def logging it. someone said it was ppls way of excusing them from a real workout or real cardio or whatever which is BS, i also do other workingout not just cleaning so that cant be true for all of us!

if you are burning the calories then LOG THEM!!!!!

Reptileszz

I rarely vacuum LOL, so when I do I log it. I figure it is outside my normal activities. Same thing for shoveling snow or raking leaves. Random housework I never log.

momma3sweetgirls

Change your settings from sedentary to lightly active, then only log activity outside your normal daily routine.

My thoughts exactly. As SAHMs, we are NOT sedentary. At the very least we're 'lightly active'. That's what I have my setting as.

SassyCalyGirl

keep your nose out of other people's business. WTF cares cause it won't show up on YOUR scale...so butt out.

wow-that was really rude! No reason for that at all.

I personally do not log housework-I consider it normal everyday activity not "exercise" but to each his own

meerkat70

I think Berry's suggestion is likely best. Set your activity level as lightly active, and log purposeful activity. I hope that's a bit more helpful than the post above!

cherrieruns

here is what I do. I log my cardio (running/circuit training) and then on days when I find I have spent hours doing a major cleaing - moving furniture, washing floors, etc I log that too. I try to under count my hours though so for example, if i do a major 6 hour cleaning I will most likely log 4 hours worth. For me this tends to be my Sat "house cleaning day".

I don't ever log this as a copout as some have implied.

trud72

thank you meercat another "normal" mfp'er not a a*shole like those others!

lijparsons

Change your settings from sedentary to lightly active, then only log activity outside your normal daily routine.

^^^^^Exactly this^^^^

vanessaclarkgbr

When I started out, I used the rule that if I was doing something that I wouldn't have done pre MFP that involved exertion, or, if I was doing something I did previously with more energy, enthusiasm and for longer than pre MFP I'd log it. If you've got weight to lose over a sustained period you'll probably find when you start out it will work ok, but you'll need to be doing more as you progress.

I have two friends with disabilities on here and I often get frustrated when people jump in with a more opinionated view on this on forums - as on a bad day for them, doing a top to toe clean IS a good workout, and a really good effort!

It's your journey, if it's working for you and it's healthy - then it's right!

bjclaywell

I don't log daily housework, but I do log the occasional hard core spring cleaning type of work. Or when I cleaned out my garage, I was lifting heavy boxes all day. I also log my once every two weeks yard work. If it something out of the ordinary, day to day stuff, I will log it.