Do you consider this exercise?

vballscriscuolo

I would say it depends on how your activity level is set up. If you have yourself as sedentary and vacuum for two hours I would say that counts as exercise!

vacuuming is exercise? come on people. this is why america is fat.

Hahahahaahah....................plus......2 hours of vaccuming? that must be a mansion!

april522

Well let me chime in here. I just deep cleaned my house today. Mopped, vacuumed (including under beds) cleaned all the bathrooms and kitchen. This wasn't the normal, daily picking up that I do but a whole house clean. I wore my HRM while I did this for 4 hours and burned 799 calories. My activity level on here is set to sedentary and I sure as heck was NOT sedentary for those 4 hours. So I back out my existence calories for that time period and it's an extra 605 calories I burned today. You better believe I'm counting THAT.

Now, I do not count cooking dinner, picking up the house, taking out the trash, doing laundry, but over and above like today? You bet it's exercise.

Exactly! I normally only deep clean my house like that once every week or two, and I wear my heart rate monitor as well! I don't count cooking, basic cleaning up, walking from one end of my house to the other, doing laundry, etc. In the spring and summer, I count gardening activities as well, using my heart rate monitor. I also count walking in places outside of my home (weekly grocery shopping since I am usually doing it once a week, not every day, and it's usually an hour and a half's time).

Someone earlier in the thread suggested people do this to cheat and find an excuse not to do real exercise. I go to the gym 4 times a week, 2 of those days training with a personal trainer. And I've been going to the gym for 2 years, so I'm not new to the whole exercising thing.

Kimsied

Wow hot topic! I think there is generally a difference between activity and fitness building exercise. But it is kind of a personal choice what someone chooses to log. I think the important thing for the individual to consider is whether they getting the results they would expect. If someone isn't losing, is carefully tracking food intake and a lot of activity. Then, I guess they might do better to either lower their activity level setting or stop logging some of the non-exercise activity. If someone is logging their weekly deep clean as well as exercise and is making the progress they expect, they are doing it right for them. As long as we get the healthy results, but if we cheat it is only ourselves we cheat.

april522

MFP is a guideline. Not an absolute MUST.

I still don't buy it.

But it doesn't matter, you're cheating yourself, not me.

You know, it IS possible to burn calories while doing something productive. Sometimes it's even possible to burn calories while doing something fun!

My thoughts exactly. My general thought is: if I am burning more calories than what is necessary to sit all day (existence calories), then why is it not exercise if you are burning beyond your existence calories? I know everyone has their own philosphy (some don't log certain things, others log everything, etc), but I'm going out on a limb and saying not everyone here has the same fitness goals. Some may want to build a lot of muscle; some want defined abs; others might just want to start increasing their overall activiity level until they are comfortable enough to go to the next level. I personally workout cardio-wise 4 times a week, but someone else might be content with staying busy around the house or in the garden or doing yard work all day.

Everyone has their own method. When something's not working for me, I start tweaking food and/or exercise until I see results again.

ironanimal

Nope. Even redecorating isn't counted.

minadee

Well let me chime in here. I just deep cleaned my house today. Mopped, vacuumed (including under beds) cleaned all the bathrooms and kitchen. This wasn't the normal, daily picking up that I do but a whole house clean. I wore my HRM while I did this for 4 hours and burned 799 calories. My activity level on here is set to sedentary and I sure as heck was NOT sedentary for those 4 hours. So I back out my existence calories for that time period and it's an extra 605 calories I burned today. You better believe I'm counting THAT.

Now, I do not count cooking dinner, picking up the house, taking out the trash, doing laundry, but over and above like today? You bet it's exercise.

^^Totally agree! I did a deep cleaning today and I counted it since it was way more than anything I'd normally do.

shreyaj

I never count those things I just look them as an added bonus & that I got off my butt and did something productive!