Is it Really Exercise or Am I Cheating?

hkevans724

Hello. I add in everything I do that can be considered exercise into my exercise tracker...not just workouts and walking, but also things like cleaning my house, washing my car, etc.

It just occurred to me that since I already have "lightly active" set up in my goals as my normal activity status, maybe it's already taking those kinds of things into account (in my daily calories burned), so when I record them as exercise, I'm doubling it (ie. cheating it). If I had "sedentary" as my status, I wouldn't worry (then everything would be exercise), but since I don't, am I cheating? Does this make any sense at all?

Do you guys record things like house cleaning?

Thanks!

Since you don't wash your car everyday I would count that. I also count long days out where I walked all day. I don't "clean" the house everyday so I count that on the weekends when I REALLY clean. But if it's things you do regularly do then I wouldn't think you should count them. But then again if you are and still losing weight then I say go for it

P.S. My mom the nurse says "Anything you do above and beyond your daily routine is exercise." I try to stick with that, and since I sit on my backside 40 hrs a week , that's why I count it

carinnaj

I only record things that I don't normally do every day.. like washing my car(I only give it a good scrub every 1-2 months, or even longer, so I count that, .. in between I spray it down and spot clean, which I don't count) or deep cleaning like scrubbing the kitchen top to bottom , or going for a walk around the block with the kids which I haven't normally been doing for a long time (when they were younger I would take them in the stroller every evening).. I don't count the normal vacuuming /mopping, etc which I do and have done every day or 2, or playing with the kids in the yard, or bringing the groceries inside.. because that's a normal thing for me... if you want to log everything like that, then yeah I would change the activity level to sedentary.. jmo.

Shell_7609

Since you're set at lightly active, I'd only log the cleaning & things like that if they are over & above normal daily housework

zsaoosh

If its not working for you then its not right. I dont put in anything unless its a hard workout and even then I dont eat back everything. Cardio I let slide as long as I dont net below my BMI but lifting I may go over a few. It takes a lot of time from your day tracking every little movement also BUT if you are losing weight as fast as you want and is healthy then stick with it. If not, rethink it.

dfborders

I record things like light housekeeping if I spend an hour or so on it but only because I have sedentary as my activity level. I sit at a desk Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an hour drive each way to work. So on weekends I do take into account a higher activity level because I will need to take in more calories than during the week so I'm not starving. However, if you already have light activity as your activity level then you will have to decide what your normal routine is and on the days that you do your house cleaning is that part of your "normal" activity for you or is it in addition to your "normal" acitivity level? If it is in addition to your "normal" activity level then I don't see why you can't count it. However, it is part of your "normal" activity level (i.e. you stand all day Monday through Friday but on weekends you only spend an hour cleaning the house and then relax) I wouldn't count it. Hope this helps and good luck...

GetFitE

I consider the house cleaning and other daily activites with the "Lightly active" category vs it being extra exercise. My exercise is just that-my exercise. And if I DO any extra stuff like house cleaning or something, then I consider it as extra calories burned that day, which could counteract maybe something I ate bad earlier in the week.

I have a job where I'm up and walking most of my 12 hr shift, but I don't consider that extra exercise.

I feel if you're counting it as exercise and eating back the calories, you might wind up overeating. (I don't agree with the eating back exercise calorie thing either).

ajohn252

I clean houses every Friday and even if I clean for five hours
I log only one hour of cleaning. You could consider doing it that
way because then you are recognizing the activity if you do it for a long
period but not over counting.

morgansmom02

No, I don't. When I clean at work, I do record that because it is something I only do weekly.

Bailey543

The way I look at it is, I got fat cleaning my house and washing my car, ect, so I don't count it

forevermila

I honestly hardly ever even count walking since I'm a student and my calories are sedentary so when im not in school walking equals to what i woukd do studying, especially by looking at my BMR in which there is a 300 calories difference between my BMR and RMR
Since you already put that you are lightly active which is like a teacher or more like a desk nurse, unless you're on your feet that long you should probably go by sedentary, and than add the calories you've done extra, or if you like counting everything you do go by your BMR which is how many calories you would need by just sleeping!

deannakittygirl

i have light active set also and don't count anything except actual workouts. I did count lawn mowing before but don't anymore.

thebigcb

I think its can be either

Did you but on weight when you where doing the cleaning in the first place? Then its a cheat. If it was something you never did previously to joining MFP, then its not a cheat.

NoAdditives

If you are set as light active you should only count "exercise" as exercise, if you were set to sedentary then some of the stuff could be logged as exercise.

I agree. I'm a stay at home mom with three kids under 4 years old. I'm set to lightly active, so all the cleaning, laundry, walking, etc. I do on a regular basis is already accounted for. I only log actual exercise

tadpole242

No I wouldn't bother, especially if you already have lightly active in your settings. You don't burn calories unless your heartrate is increased.. I think by adding them, you are allowing yourself eat more when you're not really burning the calories you think you are

You burn calories just by being alive – when you are lying down, or doing nothing...

TXGirl821

MFP is very...let's say OPTIMISTIC about how many calories an activity burns. I burn 460 on the elliptical, MFP tells me I burned almost 800. Haha, I wish!

If you're working up a sweat cleaning and such, and if you're doing a big clean of your house then it's definitely work, log it. But you might want to slash the calories MFP said you burned in half just to be on the safe side.

Kara_xxx

The database includes some crazy stuff...

"sitting in boat - fishing" 8 hours = 1506 calories. :huh: :huh: :huh:

surromom2010

I don't log anything that I do that I already did when I was getting fat. If it burned that many calories, I wouldn't have gotten fat in the first place lol. I wouldn't log them if you already have your diary set to lightly active, maybe sedentary, but I'd still feel like it's not so much cheating, but misleading.

WaterBunnie

I don't log anything I used to do before joining here, so no to housework and everyday stuff, and I've learnt through wearing a FitBit that even walking to work and back (around 25 mins per day) and around the office and home STILL keeps me within the sedentary settings so if I were you I'd only log specific exercise sessions or longer walks (over and above about 25 mins a day) if you want to be true to yourself. Even sedentary isn't totally idle!

SmallMimi

House cleaning and other "daily chores" nope, now the weekly 2-3 hours of lawn mowing yes. I would say your a doubling up.

dancingj2

I have sedentary as my setting. Normal picking up I do not count but if I spec 1/2 hour cleaning and vacuuming I will input.

If you have light active I would think you would not count it.