Silly Question

mamashrub

I just spent the WHOLE day cleaning my house..and I mean CLEANING...like stripping beds, vacuuming, moving funiture to sweep under it...sorting drawers..does any of this count as exeresize..I didnt have sweat running down my face or anything, but I still busted my butt..
and I thought I would mention I have 3 floors..and I made a point of making several trips up and down stairs..oh and the stairs got vacuumed too.

mamashrub

I just spent the WHOLE day cleaning my house..and I mean CLEANING...like stripping beds, vacuuming, moving funiture to sweep under it...sorting drawers..does any of this count as exeresize..I didnt have sweat running down my face or anything, but I still busted my butt..
and I thought I would mention I have 3 floors..and I made a point of making several trips up and down stairs..oh and the stairs got vacuumed too.

MFS27

I would definitely count that as exercise, but without a HRM it's hard to say exactly how many calories to attribute as exercise calories.

If it were me, I would probably log 500 (just to play it safe).

fit4fun

There is actually an "cleaning" under the excercise database. Just enter cleaning in the search, and they have moderate and vigerous. Good Luck!

tabluedke

Here is good website that I use also: http://www.caloriecontrol.org/exercalc.html

mrsyac2

me personally wouldn't count that as exercise- I don't even count cutting my huge yard with a push mower as exercise- But thats just me others may count it-

Here is my thing if I did it before and still had this weight to lose then Im not going to count it-- I only count exercise as excercise- when I strap on my HRM and hit the gym thats exercise or when/if I pop a dvd in thats exercise, or when I hit the street for 3-5 miles walking/jogging thats exercise- Everything else is just a plus in my book.

kimss

I would not worry about logging that, but just know in your head that your are doing great today and you'll have no problem keeping to your calories today. that's what I do, its just extra "yea's for me!!!!"

mamashrub

thank you all..
since I dont have a heart monitor, and I just cleaned my house for a grand total of 6 hours...and there were a few times I was warm, and a bit damp, I put in under light for 4 hours...
and to add to the mix..there were times when the bending was actually squats...sweeping the floor was walking lunges, and like I said..multiple trips up and Down stairs..it wasnt a jog or a trip to the gym, I still busted my *kitten*, and I am TOTALLY putting it down as exersize..even if it isnt the full amount of time...

MattySparky

I wouldn't count it, that would be silly. I doubt very much that you raised your heart rate enough to consider this "working out" or "excercise".

kellya

i WOULD count it...do you clean your house every day for 6 hrs? it IS extra activity, whether or not you raised your heart rate. if someone has a job at a desk all day and does this instead....it is a change in normal activity. Good for you and what an accomplishment! YIPPY for you....makes me want to tear into my house!

mamashrub

I wouldn't count it, that would be silly. I doubt very much that you raised your heart rate enough to consider this "working out" or "excercise".

its like swimming..you dont feel like you are getting a work out...but you sure as heck feel it later..and also... was get a bit sweaty so I was doing SOMETHING and not sitting on the couch..but T.E.T.O.
and i dont think I'm being silly at all.

mamashrub

i WOULD count it...do you clean your house every day for 6 hrs? it IS extra activity, whether or not you raised your heart rate. if someone has a job at a desk all day and does this instead....it is a change in normal activity. Good for you and what an accomplishment! YIPPY for you....makes me want to tear into my house!

THANK YOU!!!
No, I dont do this every day..and i appricate your kudos..like i said..its not going to the gym and hitting the machines, but its not sitting on the couch...and ask any house cleaner who does this for a living ( i used to btw) cleaning a house top to bottom is NOT easy work...if it was...every one would do it all the time.

MattySparky

I dont clean my house every day for six hours that's for sure... I cant find extra time to do anything for six hours. I guess it is extra activity, but compared to what? If all a person does is sit around all day, then yes I guess cleaning would be excercise. But for the average person who does some walking and climbing stairs during an average day I dont think this is excercise. Just my opinion as always.

SHBoss1673

technically, if your raising your heart rate it's exercise. But in reality, it all depends on if you FEEL it. An HRM would help with that. Other then that you're just guessing.

Mama, I don't know about you, but when I swim, I FEEL it. Course I do laps alternating freestyle, breast, and backstroke so maybe you are talking about something else. But I'm in pretty decent shape, and I feel it mightily.

mamashrub

technically, if your raising your heart rate it's exercise. But in reality, it all depends on if you FEEL it. An HRM would help with that. Other then that you're just guessing.

Mama, I don't know about you, but when I swim, I FEEL it. Course I do laps alternating freestyle, breast, and backstroke so maybe you are talking about something else. But I'm in pretty decent shape, and I feel it mightily.

if im going easy, then no, i dont feel it, but yes, you are right, if you are doing laps..you WILL feel it..and yea, my heart definalty was going up..I dont see how carrying heavy baskets of clothes, a vucuum and running up and down 2 flights of stairs repeatatly WOULD'NT raise you HR...

SHBoss1673

technically, if your raising your heart rate it's exercise. But in reality, it all depends on if you FEEL it. An HRM would help with that. Other then that you're just guessing.

Mama, I don't know about you, but when I swim, I FEEL it. Course I do laps alternating freestyle, breast, and backstroke so maybe you are talking about something else. But I'm in pretty decent shape, and I feel it mightily.

if im going easy, then no, i dont feel it, but yes, you are right, if you are doing laps..you WILL feel it..and yea, my heart definalty was going up..I dont see how carrying heavy baskets of clothes, a vucuum and running up and down 2 flights of stairs repeatatly WOULD'NT raise you HR...

It might, some, it depends on how long you are active. The problem with housework is, the majority of the time you are doing less strenuous stuff. Or to be more specific, less strenuous to someone who is in reasonable health. If you are very sedentary (as Matty said) then maybe it will raise your heart rate enough to count. It's relative so it's tough to answer this definitively. An HRM would definitly help. I know for me, I tend to do one thing at a time (laundry, dishes, vaccum...etc) so the amount of time I'm actually carrying stuff up and down stairs totals less then a minute. Which doesn't even burn 10 calories so I wouldn't consider it exercise. But I guess if the time you are actually laboring with stuff is up around the 8 or 10 minute mark, then yeah, I think you could count it. what you would put in for calories without having an HRM though, that's a difficult one to answer.

kellya

ok, i used to do house cleaning as a business......it is NON STOP work......i have a HRM and i will prove that calories are being burned!

pettmybunny

And don't forget, she said she was also moving furniture.... This sounds like a major spring cleaning, not your everyday run of the mill dusting, vacuuming, and doing dishes.

And, she logged it as light, and for less time than she actually spent, so it sounds as if she's accounting for the easier cleaning jobs...

I would definately log it myself, if I spent 6 hours spring cleaning! I only do 15 or 20 minutes a day (I have 4 kids who all do chores, I love slave labor), with a couple of trips up and down stairs for laundry. I don't count my normal stuff, but if I spent 6 hours doing out of the ordinary stuff, oh yeah, I'd be counting it!

hmo4

I had a crazy day like that and burned 330 cals, so I took them. Usually I don't clean hard, and besides working out, am sedentary. (I need my life back). Leave it out and as a bonus it might help you shed a bit more...:bigsmile: