Logging Housework as Exercise??

maryjay51

if you do housework regularly and are overweight then it probably isnt enough exercise for you. i would suggest doing at least 20 min to a half hour of cardio at least four times a week and not log the housework seeing its your usual routine

soontobeskinnysara

I log housework if it's more than just normal stuff, like mopping, vacuuming, and straightening up. Sometimes moving furniture and scrubbing floors really gets your heart pumping and you feel it the next day!

umachanxo

I log it when I do a full house cleaning. But not my daily routine things.

Michele7091

*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!

This forum IS about helping each other! Please don't let a few posters discourage you from seeking advice.
I HAVE logged exercise before and it wasn't a "cop out" to doing cardio. I spent 2 hours doing hard cleaning ~ scrubbing the bathrooms, mopping the floors, etc ~ and since it is not something that I do every day I logged it. I was sweating like crazy so I logged it. If other people think it was a cop out to doing cardio then that is their problem...not mine...I know that what I did was cardio and thats all that matters.
But like some of the other posters have said, if you do a lot of cleaning every day then I would change your daily settings.

NKF92879

I log some of it. Here's my reasoning:
1) I have my activity level set to "sedentary." If I'm cleaning, I'm obviously not be sedentary.
2) I only log it if I start to sweat. For example, I logged last night's "cleaning." I took down all of my Christmas decorations, carried boxes up/down the stairs, vacuumed, and so on.
3) Yes, I have checked this using my HRM. I don't get my heart rate up doing simple things (dishes, dusting, picking up, folding laundry...), so I don't log that. I do get my heart rate up doing heavy cleaning (vacuuming, carrying laundry up/down, scrubbing the bathroom...), so I log about 2/3 of the time I spend doing that. For instance, I was working pretty hard last night for about 2.5 hours. I logged 1.5 hours of "cleaning."


Do what you feel it right. Experiment with it. See what works for YOU and YOUR body.

aaleigha1

as I dont do it every day I do sometimes log it
I dont log dusting
I do log vaccuuming window cleaning scrubbing floors (but not light mopping of floors)

I also log cooking IF I am doing it by hand I used to use a food mixer but If I hand kneed bread or mix cakes by hand I log them - I dont do them daily and kneading bread for 10 mins (usually longer as I batch bake and make 4 loaves at a time) is a real workout

shack1157

Well I will say this, I will help my wife clean the house from time to time. I usually do it as a warm up before I start my weight lifting and Cardio. When I run the sweeper in the whole house I am moving furniture lifting the cedar chest pulling out kitchen island. When I am through sweeping the house I am very sweaty! I don't log the calories that it may burn but if the people who do log them I totally understand cause you are burning some serious calorie! It may not be your way of doing things but why worry what others are doing. I am sure there is something you (meaning all of us) log that someone on here will say I would not use that as a calorie burn!

2jayjaysmom

I report my housework even meal prep as exercise, anything that keeps you moving is some type of workout. When i'm cleaning around the house I crank up the music and dance while i'm cleaning so that is extra moving. Ignore folks that say its an excuse for not working out cause its not. Busy schedules require you to get moving anyway that you can. Give yourself credit for anything you do that helps you burn calories. Folks that say its "an excuse" or you are lazy blah blah blah--are the same ones that say a stay at home mom doesn't really work....yeah right

I say if you are moving then count it and keep up the good work :flowerforyou:

jodieb3

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!!!!!

Yay!!!!!! Looks like someone who insits it was a cop out will now have a red face! Prob a pumped up roid user whom has a bit of a narrow mind!

monkeymouse74

*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.
[/quote

I'm so sorry you're struggling with your recouperation, I hope you get well soon.:flowerforyou: But this is an exception and not the rule. Come on people. If you dont have a disability or are ill etc, this is a bit of a cop out. I am a severe asthmatic, I had an attack that put me into a coma for a month. They gave me a drug that paralised my muscles and I had to learn to do everything again even feeding myself. I did that with lots of physio and exercise. I also had a motorbike accident and broke my femur fib, tib and multiple fractures every 5 ml down my leg. I broke my pelvis and fractured my hip. They put pins from hip to knee and from knee to ankle and screws above knee and under hip. Again only phisio and exercise got me out of the wheelchair in three months in place of two years. I found that swimming was a great way to get in my cardio without the pressure of other methods, there's usually something you can do if you're not physically limited without reverting to calling everyday housework or shopping exercise.

Sorry just edited because I do agree that heavy cleaning does burn cals, I'm talking about normal everyday housework.

fteale

Anyone who bothers judging anyone else for what they do or don't log needs to get a hobby.

ADobs

I don't log everytime I vacuum or clean the floors, HOWEVER, when I have to vacuum my stairs and am actually sweating my face off, then I do log it, or when I clean the whole house from top to bottom, then I do, but not for just a 10-minute vacuum job or a quick mopping of the floors.

LuciaLongIsland

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.

this.

meerkat70

Anyone who bothers judging anyone else for what they do or don't log needs to get a hobby.

And who do you see doing that exactly?

tyresank

I log housecleaning as exercise. I have tile floors, and I can assure you once I have use the vac, then mopped, I am just as hot and tired as if I had walked for 30 mins, and doing my entire house with the VAC and then mopping, takes me well over 1 hour. For that reason I consider it a mild workout.

fteale

Anyone who bothers judging anyone else for what they do or don't log needs to get a hobby.

And who do you see doing that exactly?

Many many people on this thread.

meerkat70

Anyone who bothers judging anyone else for what they do or don't log needs to get a hobby.

And who do you see doing that exactly?

Many many people on this thread.

Could you quote anyone other than the one bloke suggesting that people log it instead of cardio?

Or did you just see the topic header and decide what was in the thread without bothering to read it?

trud72

Why the heck has this turned so many nice people into total kn@bs? this post was here to get help not to ask for abuse...HELLO PEOPLE... i am ashamed of you lot who have been so damn nasty there is NO need for it at all.
GET A LIFE!

countrygirl812

LOL thanks for the morning laugh to the person who said it is not exercise.

I log mine only when I do deep cleaning, like rearranging furniture, climbing chairs to clean corners, on top of cabinets, etc. Stuff like that. I also drag the vacuum up 3 flights of stairs, scrub floors, tubs..... I get some of my best burns during deep cleans because they last for HOURS. Sometimes I am more exhausted from them than doing typical cardio. I wear my HRM and pedometer while deep cleaning.

If I am just dusting or lightly picking up, I don't log it.

^^^This exactly. A couple days ago, I did a deep clean that included all of that stuff, and I was sweating. You better believe I logged that, on top of the cardio that I had also done.

fteale

Anyone who bothers judging anyone else for what they do or don't log needs to get a hobby.

And who do you see doing that exactly?

Many many people on this thread.

Could you quote anyone other than the one bloke suggesting that people log it instead of cardio?

Or did you just see the topic header and decide what was in the thread without bothering to read it?

Yes. I could, but C&Ping seems a bit petty. I am not the only person here who has commented on people being arsey about what other people log.

kateroot

I haven't read through this whole thread, but IMO it's a cop-out to log everyday activities as exercise. They should be factored into your overall activity level which helps determine your calories-in target.

Rhea30

I would assume it depends how you have your settings on your daily activity, if its sedentary you probably could log it, but if its above that I wouldn't log it. Housework could be an exercise if you go more vigorous at it, maybe walk faster, scrub harder, etc so you can feel it working like an exercise,but overall if its a normal routine just change your setting to light activity if you want credit for it and don't log it. Does this show up as a cardio on the database? Because to me cleaning as always seem more of a strength exercise if it was going to be used as exercise.

MaximalLife

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:

Listen to the people who have gotten results - not just the philosophy of those who dream about it.
It's activity - not exercise.

This is if you really want to reach peak fitness. If not, do whatever....

Barneystinson

I don't log anything as exercise - just factor it into my activity level and eat accordingly. I don't think the "calories burned" method is very accurate and tends to overestimate actual calorie usage without verifying it with an HRM or continuous monitor like a BodyBugg.

Just my humblest of humble opinions.

MaximalLife

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!!!

Well said - the truth can sound harsh at times, but it's actually the most loving act a person exhibit.

Listen to those who do not fear the truth.

Lotte34

I am the lowest excersize band too, however I do log my housework as it tends to all be done in one big go over the weekend (spent 4 hours on saturday on my h ands and knees with a scrubbing brush and a bucket of soapy water) I would suggest you up your excersize profile (ie you are not sat behind a computer all day) and don't log your house work. Or alternatively keep your excersize level the same and log your housework as light effort.
Either way, as long as you are happy and losing the weight you want to lose, who cares

meerkat70

I am the lowest excersize band too, however I do log my housework as it tends to all be done in one big go over the weekend (spent 4 hours on saturday on my h ands and knees with a scrubbing brush and a bucket of soapy water) I would suggest you up your excersize profile (ie you are not sat behind a computer all day) and don't log your house work. Or alternatively keep your excersize level the same and log your housework as light effort.
Either way, as long as you are happy and losing the weight you want to lose, who cares

I think my worry with the light exercise logging on here is that it does overestimate the burn. I think it's safer to go lightly active in your settings, and only log purposeful exercise. (I do agree on the 'if it works, you're probably ok' logic, though!)

juliemval

I'm a sahm and I only log the cleaning if I do something like moving the couch to find the toys under it or I take the rug out of the living room and mop under it to get any spills from my daughter Basically if it's something I don't do everyday I log it.

Lotte34

When it comes down to it the BMR tool that this site uses is based on the calories you would burn laying stock still in bed 24/7 so any extra effort logged is justified.

Has no one reported the guy above for abuse yet?

Nailrep

I wouldn't log normal housework. But if I do something different (right now, I'm trying to get a new office open, which requires moving, painting, lifting, etc), I will log 25% of the totalf time I spent doing it .