What is your take on counting calories burned while cleaning

jkp2012 · February 2012

This isn't meant to offend anyone that does this. I'm just *curious* about the thought process behind it.

I have several friends on here that count the number of calories they burn while cleaning their house, grocery shopping, basically doing daily life activities.

I see those things as just that, daily LIFE activities. I see sometimes the burn is 500 calories for cleaning house! I workout at the gym for about 40 minutes to get that type of burn so I don't see how I could ever trade my gym workout in for cleaning. They just don't even seem comparable.

I've also seen friends use their HRMs to keep up with calories burned while cleaning. Isn't the HRM just picking up on the calorie burn your body does naturally? I'm sure cleaning burns a few calories but not as many as I see logged.

I guess what I'm saying is I look at any calories burned while doing my daily errands or cleaning my house as just a bonus to my workout at the gym. I don't count them, I don't log them and I certainly don't try to eat them back.

What's your thought on it?

bahacca · February 2012

If they have their calories set to sedentary then if they are doing something out of the ordinary for THEM, I think they should log it. Like I feel I probably should have logged my 1 hour yesterday of gardening-heck, my back is giving me heck today for it!
If they wanna use their grocery outing as license to eat a few more sips of wine, whatever.

scweegie · February 2012

I am with you, however if you only clean once a week and it's not part of your daily activity, it could be a "small" calorie burn. Unless you are cardio cleaning with plyometrics and 10 pound cans of lysol, I am not sure however you would get a 500 calorie burn.

It is a good question....

kbw414 · February 2012

I agree with the original poster. Cleaning is just adding extra activity to your day, like going from "sedentary" to "moderately active." I would not even attempt to calculate cleaning calories. I've got better things to do! Plus, I am so not an enthusiastic house cleaner so I think it would take me about 2 days to hit 500 calories

Ashes51113 · February 2012

I personally don't log those things but I have thought about it. I never did because as you do I see it as more of a "bonus" and I don't eat my calories back anyways. Although, I put that I am sedentary (or however that is spelled/said) and that I do nothing but sit around all day - which I don't, I just put that because I am not sure how I am. With it that way it doesn't show I burn the calories that I do doing daily activities, so it would make since to log them. That's my thinking about it anyways.

heybales · February 2012

I have several friends on here that count the number of calories they burn while cleaning their house, grocery shopping, basically doing daily life activities.

I see those things as just that, daily LIFE activities. I see sometimes the burn is 500 calories for cleaning house! I workout at the gym for about 40 minutes to get that type of burn so I don't see how I could ever trade my gym workout in for cleaning. They just don't even seem comparable.

I've also seen friends use their HRMs to keep up with calories burned while cleaning. Isn't the HRM just picking up on the calorie burn your body does naturally? I'm sure cleaning burns a few calories but not as many as I see logged.

I guess what I'm saying is I look at any calories burned while doing my daily errands or cleaning my house as just a bonus to my workout at the gym. I don't count them, I don't log them and I certainly don't try to eat them back.

If they selected sedentary as the activity level, that 1.2 x BMR would encompass some amount of those activity calories already.

And you are exactly correct, if you could eat at about your BMR, all those kinds of activities is exactly what would be burning fat as main energy source, so no need to feed it, and more you can do, the more bonus burn.

Is it for the purpose of eating them back?

Really no matter, because that low-key type activity is exactly the type you don't need to eat back, that makes up the calories that are deficited from maintenance calories.

If not for eating back, perhaps they just want to have an estimate of all non-sleeping activity for comparison, and they don't eat it back.

Now, using a HRM for anything outside of aerobic range of 90-150 bpm is useless, as the formulas fall apart outside that range, so just a waste of battery.
Study link here - http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

Justkeepswimmin · February 2012

Depends on the cleaning....

Probably only my super scrub relatives are coming to stay for a week and we have a dog whose fur gets EVERYWHERE so you srub and pull and rake out fur at baseboards then go spastic on all 3 of the bathrooms while dancing to loud music between rooms cleaning

addisondisease2 · February 2012

I only log exercise, as exercise. Last time i checked Julian Micheal's didn't get into the shape she's in by scrubbing pots and pans.

heybales · February 2012

I personally don't log those things but I have thought about it. I never did because as you do I see it as more of a "bonus" and I don't eat my calories back anyways. Although, I put that I am sedentary (or however that is spelled/said) and that I do nothing but sit around all day - which I don't, I just put that because I am not sure how I am. With it that way it doesn't show I burn the calories that I do doing daily activities, so it would make since to log them. That's my thinking about it anyways.

Actually, setting that level as correctly as you can is very important, because that is what MFP starts with to subtract your deficit from.
If you underestimate it, then the deficit probably cause a goal net calorie to be put UNDER your BMR, a bad thing.

If you don't know what BMR is, and why you probably don't want to lose the free calorie burn a healthy one could give you, should research it.
Sounds like you are probably suppressing it even more (don't eat my calories back). But if you can afford to lose 400-600 calories of free burn each day, go right ahead. It'll just take you longer to reach goal.

At least correct that since your increased actual daily activities is not included in your activities calories, you should log them, but for what purpose, you aren't eating them back.
and all the numbers on the screen are meaningless if you body isn't following along.

AngelaeLebron1 · February 2012

I agree with you. I don't log cleaning or my job (I'm a server)..I have my activities set as active, and I am used to being busy and moving around a lot, so I don't feel like I get a "work out" in that way. JMO

luvmybaby333 · February 2012

If you have your activity level set to sedentary, then pretty much any activity beyond sitting on your butt is going to be considered "extra". Not to mention, every single one of us is different. Obviously if you work out for 40 minutes at the gym, then you are probably in a LOT better shape than those people logging a 500 calorie burn cleaning their house. Weight plays a big factor on how much you burn during any given activity. Many people on here are going from pretty much zero physical activity and trying to do what they can to get themselves moving. So for those individuals, cleaning house *is* a big freaking deal, and it very well could burn 500 calories. (Depending on how long they did it and how vigorously they were going about their business.)

Bottom line: What does it matter? Consider yourself lucky that you aren't in a position to consider housecleaning a form of exercise. It doesn't harm you in the least bit if these other people log their cleaning time. However, you could very well be harming someone else's progress by calling them out in a post like this. Maybe one of those people ends up seeing this and says "Forget it. It doesn't count. It doesn't matter. Why don't I just continue to sit on my *kitten*?" Because I assure you that there are plenty of people on here for whom an hour of housecleaning is a big freaking deal, and minimizing their efforts is humiliating and unnecessary.

lor007 · February 2012

Cal28 · February 2012

I don't log them and on the whole I don't think they should be logged but thats just my personal opinion. Maybe a big spring clean/gutting a house when moving etc but not everyday hoovering/cleaning bathroom etc. x

addisondisease2 · February 2012

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/455077-cleaning-exercise

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/455077-cleaning-exercise?page=5

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/482521-opinion-needed-for-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories+cleaning#posts-6683459

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/457924-non-exercise-calorie-burning-activities?hl=exercise+calories+cleaning#posts-6322294

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/455378-logging-exercise-for-absurd-things?page=8

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/401929-question-if-housework-counts-as-exercise?page=1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/215034-let-s-make-a-pact-cleaning-house-is-not-an-exercise?error_user_id=10635345&error_username=lor007

I could go on, but really, the only link you need is this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/search

Haha I wonder how many people have responded and responded, and responded to this question every other day.

threasarenee · February 2012

I mostly agree. I DO NOT normally log anything but exercise except if its something way out of the ordinary. I logged 75 minutes once because I did vigorous yard work and worked harder than I do at the gym. I am also at sedentary level, but doing dishes, laundry, walking around the store are something I DO normally and so I DONT add them.

threasarenee · February 2012

If you have your activity level set to sedentary, then pretty much any activity beyond sitting on your butt is going to be considered "extra". Not to mention, every single one of us is different. Obviously if you work out for 40 minutes at the gym, then you are probably in a LOT better shape than those people logging a 500 calorie burn cleaning their house. Weight plays a big factor on how much you burn during any given activity. Many people on here are going from pretty much zero physical activity and trying to do what they can to get themselves moving. So for those individuals, cleaning house *is* a big freaking deal, and it very well could burn 500 calories. (Depending on how long they did it and how vigorously they were going about their business.)

Bottom line: What does it matter? Consider yourself lucky that you aren't in a position to consider housecleaning a form of exercise. It doesn't harm you in the least bit if these other people log their cleaning time. However, you could very well be harming someone else's progress by calling them out in a post like this. Maybe one of those people ends up seeing this and says "Forget it. It doesn't count. It doesn't matter. Why don't I just continue to sit on my *kitten*?" Because I assure you that there are plenty of people on here for whom an hour of housecleaning is a big freaking deal, and minimizing their efforts is humiliating and unnecessary.

well said!

reneeileen · February 2012

I actually have a cautionary tale about this. I am listed as sedentary because I have a desk job but on the weekends I am typically on my feet all day. I also tend to do blow out work outs on the weekends where I burn in the 1000 calorie range. Last weekend I ate about 1400 calories, burned about 800 calories in a run, shopped for 2.5 hours, cooked for 3 hours, cleaned for two hours, then went to a party. I had 6 drinks (I know, still a lot) and I puked. I used to be able to drink much more. It was a combination of things, including that I don't drink that much anymore and I've lost quite a bit of weight. Then I backed up and realized after all of my activities and work out, I was in a pretty major calorie deficit - much more than I realized. I would have been better off tracking at least some of those calories and eating them back.

Bad behavior all around but I'm just being real.

heybales · February 2012

I actually have a cautionary tale about this. I am listed as sedentary because I have a desk job but on the weekends I am typically on my feet all day. I also tend to do blow out work outs on the weekends where I burn in the 1000 calorie range. Last weekend I ate about 1400 calories, burned about 800 calories in a run, shopped for 2.5 hours, cooked for 3 hours, cleaned for two hours, then went to a party. I had 6 drinks (I know, still a lot) and I puked. I used to be able to drink much more. It was a combination of things, including that I don't drink that much anymore and I've lost quite a bit of weight. Then I backed up and realized after all of my activities and work out, I was in a pretty major calorie deficit - much more than I realized. I would have been better off tracking at least some of those calories and eating them back.

Bad behavior all around but I'm just being real.

That kind of weekend warrior activity level for the non-exercise stuff is pretty decent really. if you divided that by 7 days, it probably would be a better balance.

If you upped your activity level to just above sedentary level, that means you'd be spreading that weekend load through the whole week, not causing such an underfeeding when combined with your exercise.

beckylawrence70 · February 2012

I thinks it's CRAP!!!!!

reneeileen · February 2012

I actually have a cautionary tale about this. I am listed as sedentary because I have a desk job but on the weekends I am typically on my feet all day. I also tend to do blow out work outs on the weekends where I burn in the 1000 calorie range. Last weekend I ate about 1400 calories, burned about 800 calories in a run, shopped for 2.5 hours, cooked for 3 hours, cleaned for two hours, then went to a party. I had 6 drinks (I know, still a lot) and I puked. I used to be able to drink much more. It was a combination of things, including that I don't drink that much anymore and I've lost quite a bit of weight. Then I backed up and realized after all of my activities and work out, I was in a pretty major calorie deficit - much more than I realized. I would have been better off tracking at least some of those calories and eating them back.

Bad behavior all around but I'm just being real.

That kind of weekend warrior activity level for the non-exercise stuff is pretty decent really. if you divided that by 7 days, it probably would be a better balance.

If you upped your activity level to just above sedentary level, that means you'd be spreading that weekend load through the whole week, not causing such an underfeeding when combined with your exercise.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll take a look at increasing my calories a bit and see if it makes a difference on how I feel on the weekends.

islandjumper · February 2012

I've personally logged cleaning...here's my reason...I'm a student on break so I've been lazy and have had my activity set to sedentary, so I've been on 1200 calories. Well, I just recently moved, so I counted packing up my place as cleaning b/c it was tough work, then my new place was a total disaster so I spent 2 days cleaning and scrubbing. This is way more intense than the normal dishes and wiping counters, and sure, I don't log everyday cleaning, but intense sessions you betcha.
Take home message: If I hadn't of logged all that I would have been in a much bigger calorie deficit for those few days than I should. If you're generally an active person and are eating 1500+ cals every day, then no, it's not something you should log, but I agree with other posters that have said cleaning is above and beyond the normal routine of sitting on your *** it's best to log it.

What is your take on counting calories burned while cleaning

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