What is your take on counting calories burned while cleaning

JacksMom12

This! I do P90X and other extreme workouts and barely burn 300. I don't look down on people who have cleaning or other similar actives as ways to burn calories. Not at all. My mom is obese and has a terrible back. She is on tons of meds and her weight is a life or death scenario. It's hard for her to do much at all and her cardiologist told her ANYTHING that gets her moving counts. She probably does burn 500 calories cleaning the house and that is the equivalent to me climbing a mountain as far as her health is concerned. Don't judge, you don't know everyone's situation.

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.

TahliS

If i do say an hour, hour and half type clean per day I dont bother to log it.. like you said its just a life type activity. But on the days I do a massive clean out I will log it but (JMPO) i take the "cals burned" with a grain of salt. Personally I think they are far too high.. same goes with "gardening, general". I dont burn over 400 cals an hour pulling weeds.

jkp2012

Well...some of you offered great insight, other posts just reminded me why I never post anything. My intentions were not to "call people out" or look down on them. I was just wondering why people logged what I thought were every day things. OBVIOUSLY I had not considered some of the very points that were mentioned such as physical ability to perform those tasks. My bad. That's why I asked. It didn't need to be twisted and turned to make me look like I was judging someone for logging their 'light to moderate effort' cleaning. It's THEIR food log, THEIR workout and THEIR own accountability.

And if someone who logs every second of dusting sees this I'm sure it's not the most discouraging thing they've ever stumbled upon on this board. Oh please.

cryspetstalerson

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!

Agree'd Here is why..
I just got into losing weight, so If I do cleaning, I will log it. It just all depends on how that week went. I was in bed for the last year with medical issues, so for me as she said.. It's a big freaking deal. If I have done some house work, hubby comes home and knows I am in a good mood, or feeling well. In fact, he is the one who tells me I should wear my HRM doing this, because It is out of my norm.. Once I start working out more, and all that, I will no longer log it, but for me it's a big deal and accomplishment to be able to do it.

luvmybaby333

Well...some of you offered great insight, other posts just reminded me why I never post anything. My intentions were not to "call people out" or look down on them. I was just wondering why people logged what I thought were every day things. OBVIOUSLY I had not considered some of the very points that were mentioned such as physical ability to perform those tasks. My bad. That's why I asked. It didn't need to be twisted and turned to make me look like I was judging someone for logging their 'light to moderate effort' cleaning. It's THEIR food log, THEIR workout and THEIR own accountability.

And if someone who logs every second of dusting sees this I'm sure it's not the most discouraging thing they've ever stumbled upon on this board. Oh please.

Quick tip: If you start a post with "This isn't meant to offend anyone...", then you're probably about to say something offensive. Just own it.

Aesop101

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.

I'm pretty much with Bahacca here. If it's an every day thing like doing dishes I don't count it. If it's moving furniture and deep cleaning like mopping the kitchen on your hands and knees I count it.

2012x

I add it but i NEVER eat them back,

I clean 2-3hrs per day 7 day a week.

CallmeSbo

No offence to people that do this.. Personally i am here to lose weight not to look for excuses to eat more. I clean my house once or twice i week. I dont log that. I log exercise not day to day stuff.

CallmeSbo

I add it but i NEVER eat them back,

I clean 2-3hrs per day 7 day a week.

That makes more sense. I recently moved house. When i came to check on MFP how many calories i possibly could have burned. The result was 900+ calories for 3hours. Lol

heybales

I add it but i NEVER eat them back,

I clean 2-3hrs per day 7 day a week.

Excellent example.

Of course, you could just increase the set activity level to above sedentary where it should be, and skip the logging of them altogether.

So while you may be mentally encouraged to see the big green number at the end of the day, by changing the activity level and therefore maintenance going up, you'll receive the encourage on Compeleting the Diary everyday of weight loss estimate being MUCH bigger than it currently is at.

Mongoose7

Some Interesting comments on this topic. I always wondered how many calories a couple of hours a day cleaning burned. But I wouldn't log it because its part of every day life for me nothing out of the ordinary excercise wise. That's me personally.

Alexstrasza

The only time I log cleaning as a burn is if I'm doing some heavy heavy cleaning. Like if I'm moving my furniture all around and running up and down the stairs to my car and back in to get stuff or whatever. It has to be a hard enough "workout" of cleaning that it makes me sweat before I'll count it.

I agree that daily life activities should not be counted.

engineman312

i hired a maid. problem solved.

Hernandeak11

I USED to do this, then i found it rather pointless as i went on.

The only sort of "usual" activity i count now is the walk from my apartment to my classes.

heybales

Some Interesting comments on this topic. I always wondered how many calories a couple of hours a day cleaning burned. But I wouldn't log it because its part of every day life for me nothing out of the ordinary excercise wise. That's me personally.

Good question, and is going to depend on the intensity done at, and person's current fitness level.

Probably the best way to figure it out, without using the estimates directly for it in databases of activities.

How does the time spent on avg compare to a walk?

Was it as intense as a 3mph walk would be for your breathing and heart rate? Then that stat in the database for your age/weight (as MFP knows already) is going to be pretty close.

So if done for 2 hrs over the whole house, really at that pace, then would you log a 3mph walk?

But if only as intense as a 2mph walk, that probably wouldn't be logged, neither should the cleaning, at least for purpose of feeding the workout. Those are low-key bonus daily activities. Unless it's your job for hours a day, in which case increase activity level.

Tivo8MyNeighbors

I don't count housework unless it's unusual exertion for me. If I pull out the fridge and scrub the floor on my hands and knees, sweating and breathing hard, then, sure. But my ordinary, normal, pick-up-crap-my-kid-leaves-behind kind of day? Negatory. I also don't count shopping as exercise, but if I walked there (two miles), I'll log the walk. Again, this is just me. I'm a strong believer in to each his own.

AliciaBeth78

I really don't see what the big deal is....Does it really affect you if someone wants to log their calories burned while cleaning?

Personally, I clean my house once a week (that time is unlogged because it is normal for me), but 3-4 times a year the "cleaning mood" strikes and I will spend 5+ hours listening to music and dancing around my house as I am scrubbing base-boards, floors and everything else.... I will log those days because I usually do work up a pretty good sweat!

Edit: The dancing around my house while cleaning is one of my more embarrassing activities

small4me

In the summer I will log some gardening - lawn mowing, digging etc... because it isn't a daily thing and then I log about 1/2 the time. I will also log some 'heavy cleaning or moving furniture' when I give the house or a room a big makeover cleaning. I do not move the furniture and vacuum the furniture etc. or wash walls daily. So when I am sweating and working up a consistent burn while doing 'chores' that are not a daily or weekly activity then I log half the time.
I do not log cooking, cleaning, shopping etc.... I let my pedometer do that, the more steps in a day the better and I do not need to log it all, I know what I am doing and going for the 12,000 - 15,000 steps/day that includes basic activity and exercise activity is my goal.

MelissaL582

If it works for them, then so be it. Everyone is different. I personally, don't log my every day cleaning. I'm a SAHM of 3, so it's like non stop with these kids. I do count my shopping (I hardly ever leave the house), but only half of the time.

MummyOfSeven

I log *some* cleaning.

I have six of my seven kids still living at home. I don't log the daily picking up of toys, general tidying, vacuuming up crushed biscuits and wiping the counters.

However, once in a while I do a 'big clean' where I spend hours scrubbing the bathroom (tiles and all), vacuuming the house from top to bottom, cleaning the whole kitchen (including scrubbing the floor), cleaning the windows, etc. *This* I log, because my activity is set to sedentary and it's not a daily occurence.