Cleaning!?

bpetlock

I read yesterday that someone burned calories cleaning. Now I know that we burn calories evertime that we even move but should we be counting cleaning as a way to burn calories because I do that everyday for at least an hour or two a day (I have two kids). I just kind of thought that was normal every day calorie burning. What are your thoughts on the subject?

Adureeuh

What is your activity level set to? If it's sedentary, you can add it, but otherwise it's already added to your daily calorie allotment.

Wonderob

Where do you draw the line? Typing? Reaching for the remote? Cutting a slice of cake?

If your heart rate raises to 65% of your maximum then I would consider it exercise. i.e slightly out of breath but still able to hold a conversation

That's never happened to me whilst cleaning - maybe I don't put enough into it!

omlax24

yeah I dont count cleaning cause I figure thats just part of my everyday

wantstolooseweight

Nope I don't count it unless I was going to do something utterly drastic like clean out my attic.... but I probably wouldnt return from that

FitBunnyEm

nah, definately not...it depends if u sweat your *kitten* off though

samandlucysmum

y profile is set to sedentary, so when I do my hoovering/mopping etc, and it works up a sweat, I log it, but I don't log general tidying/food prep etc.

impyimpyaj

What is your activity level set to? If it's sedentary, you can add it, but otherwise it's already added to your daily calorie allotment.

This.

I was here last year. Counted cleaning as exercise, and ate the calories. Lost 30 pounds. When I left, making sure I stayed moving by keeping the house clean is part of what helped me keep the weight off.

I hate the rationale that "I did that when I was fat, so obviously it didn't help me lose weight." That gets thrown around a lot. But you know what? Some "fat people" run every day, or go to the gym and do aerobics, or swim, or all kinds of things that are "real" exercise. They don't lose weight because they're still eating more than they burn. It has nothing to do with the type of movement. Moving burns calories, regardless of how you're moving, so as long as you're eating less than your total burn, you'll lose.

I personally have some "rules" about cleaning calories. I only count things like vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, mopping the floors, stuff that is actually moving. I usually don't log the entire time I'm working, because I feel that the MFP numbers are a little high for me. But that's me. You can count them if you want, or don't if you don't. See what works for you. If you're having success and feeling good without logging that stuff, then don't. If you log it and it seems to give you too many calories to reach your goals, then stop logging it, or change the way you log it.

bpetlock

My activity level is set at lightly active. I am usually cleaning the house all day picking up toys, putting away laundry etc. Maybe the person who posted it did a hardcore cleaning session scrubbing their whole house. I was just curious about it because it does seem like something that would be counted as everyday calories but I guess if their activity level was set to sedentary then it would make sense for them to count it. I didn't really think of it like that.

Wonderob

nah, definately not...it depends if u sweat your *kitten* off though

That's kinda what I said - but more succinctly!

dward2011

I only record it if I break a sweat and my heart rate rises. So, occasionally (like when I help my hubs clean out the garage or scrub the bathroom/floors... but not when I am dusting or washing dishes).

samandlucysmum

What is your activity level set to? If it's sedentary, you can add it, but otherwise it's already added to your daily calorie allotment.

This.

I was here last year. Counted cleaning as exercise, and ate the calories. Lost 30 pounds. When I left, making sure I stayed moving by keeping the house clean is part of what helped me keep the weight off.

I hate the rationale that "I did that when I was fat, so obviously it didn't help me lose weight." That gets thrown around a lot. But you know what? Some "fat people" run every day, or go to the gym and do aerobics, or swim, or all kinds of things that are "real" exercise. They don't lose weight because they're still eating more than they burn. It has nothing to do with the type of movement. Moving burns calories, regardless of how you're moving, so as long as you're eating less than your total burn, you'll lose.

I personally have some "rules" about cleaning calories. I only count things like vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, mopping the floors, stuff that is actually moving. I usually don't log the entire time I'm working, because I feel that the MFP numbers are a little high for me. But that's me. You can count them if you want, or don't if you don't. See what works for you. If you're having success and feeling good without logging that stuff, then don't. If you log it and it seems to give you too many calories to reach your goals, then stop logging it, or change the way you log it.

Perfectly put.

impyimpyaj

My activity level is set at lightly active. I am usually cleaning the house all day picking up toys, putting away laundry etc. Maybe the person who posted it did a hardcore cleaning session scrubbing their whole house. I was just curious about it because it does seem like something that would be counted as everyday calories but I guess if their activity level was set to sedentary then it would make sense for them to count it. I didn't really think of it like that.

If your activity level is set to lightly active, I wouldn't log it. Being on your feet most of the day is already accounted for in your activity level. I only log mine because I set mine to sedentary.

Teirza

I count it if I do something like move all the furniture out and steam clean the carpet. I am currently stripping wallpaper so sometimes i give myself a little but of cleaning cals on that one.

When I first started, I did log my cleaning calories from everything from vacuuming to dusting (we have 12 foot ceilings and i climb on things to reach) but that was because before I didn't do much to either burn calories or clean my house. As both became a regular daily activity I quit logging my cleaning cals.

I found out yesterday that you can log playing guitar in folk style while sitting. I think that's a little silly. Perhaps you can log pen tapping at that rate. You just kind of need to use a little common sense.

bpetlock

I guess if your heartrate goes up when you clean then it would be understandable to add it as a calorie burning activity.

BeautyFromPain

I do when I clean my own room, cause I only do it usually during school holidays and therefore it takes some 5+ hours. I also dance around to music whilst cleaning and do jumping jacks randomly to keep the heart rate up.I use my HRM and it reacons I burn a lot of calories so sure why not?

Yes2HealthyAriel

I absolutely hate doing dishes so I count it if I have a lot to do, but not if I only have a few to do. I count 15 minutes or more, as it motivates me to actually do them.

rozie0310

My daily upkeep I do not log. But for instance, Friday, I spent 2.5 hours cleaning house top to bottom, doing the things that get put off. I always log those big cleaning sessions. I wore my heart rate monitor and it calculated 713 calories. Now tonight when I get home and cook dinner, tidy each room, clean the kitchen, chase the kids around, I will not log that.

impyimpyaj

... as it motivates me to actually do them.

:laugh: And THIS is exactly why I set my profile to sedentary. So I could log cleaning calories, which would in turn motivate me to clean more. :laugh: Worked too! My house looks fantastic these days, and so do I, if I do say so myself.

nsalerno90

I log heavy cleaning - mopping, vacuuming all three floors, scrubbing bathrooms - and also log gardening if I break a sweat by replanting, mowing the lawn, raking. I don't count the normal putting things away ( a constant with two teens) or the light weeding as I am walking in the house. If I get dirty - I have worked hard. I set my activity to sedentary and figure any movement is better than no movement and sometimes cleaning is my exercise. Today we are slated for strong thunderstorms all day so I will do a tape at some point but also spend the day indoors cleaning the attic. That will count! I also set my exercise level to sedentary and use logging all my activity as a motivator. If I plateau I will have to adjust.

sel254

I have my activity level set to sedentary and on a Saturday I clean a 4 bedroom/4 bathroom house in one fell swoop so yes, I count it when I'm on my hands and knees, climbing up on ladders to clean windows, brushing hair out the carpet and lugging the hoover up and down 3 flights of stairs. I don't, however, count the little odd jobs that I carry out during the week,

This topic has been covered so many times, you could search the forums for the 1000 other posts that have been made about this same "issue".

Does it affect you? Are their cleaning habits going to affect the calories you can or can't eat or the weight you've lost/going to lose? I understand the reasons on both sides of the coin but what I don't get is why people make other peoples' choices their business.

supplemama

I figure I got fat while cleaning my house...cleaning is not some new activity I just picked up LOL. I've been doing it all along the way I picked up 100 extra pounds. I don't count it as exercise, at all.

Smuterella

You clean everyday for an hour or two??? How big is your house?

I never clean, unless you count loading and unloading the dishwasher and laundry.

I cannot do it. I have to pay someone to come in 2 hours a week to help me or it would just become squalid.

and I don't understand people who vacuum everyday, weird.

so yeah, if I actually did some cleaning I'd log it.

impyimpyaj

and I don't understand people who vacuum everyday, weird.

I vacuum *almost* every day. Because I have small children who like to eat toast. Otherwise, yeah, I wouldn't do it. I used to be a twice-a-month vacuumer.

LorinaLynn

I log extreme cleaning, not normal housekeeping. If I have to move couches and televisions and book cases... I'm logging it. If I'm just doing dishes and running the sweeper, nope. I will log yard work and snow shoveling.

marieautumn

I wouldn’t add it. in my opinion if you aren’t breaking a sweat and maintaining that sweat for 30 mins or more its not really an activity thats going to make too much of a difference.

plafleur76

I do the same thing. I logged cleaning the house yesterday morning, I was running up and down stairs, from basement to second story. It was deep cleaning, I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the bathrooms, floors to ceiling, tubs included. I was running laundry up and down stairs. This was my first time logging cleaning, i logged about 1/3 of the time because I wanted to be conservative.

I don't normally log the little stuff, like someone else said, tidying the kitchen and the kids toys at the end of the day. But yesterday I was busting my butt to get the house ready for company.

My daily upkeep I do not log. But for instance, Friday, I spent 2.5 hours cleaning house top to bottom, doing the things that get put off. I always log those big cleaning sessions. I wore my heart rate monitor and it calculated 713 calories. Now tonight when I get home and cook dinner, tidy each room, clean the kitchen, chase the kids around, I will not log that.

deep220

I don't log average everyday cleaning, only things that I would not be typically doing in an average week. Right now I am logging a lot of cleaning hour because we are remodeling. Mudding and sanding drywall is definitely an additional calorie expenditure.

lipglossjunky73

I don't ever add my everyday life stuff. Only true exercise, at least for me. I walk my dog up to 5 times a day for 30 minutes. That never gets logged. Only exercise that I truly get sweaty for. I don't always log my weight training either.

Lleldiranne

When I do heavy, intensive cleaning (like overhauling my kids' room) I log it. But I log it as light cleaning to avoid overestimating. I don't log most day-to-day cleaning, just the hard stuff. Looking at my log, you wouldn't see it that way though.

zebraspots2069

If i am cleaning my showers, ( three bathrooms) and i mean top to bottom by hand.or sweeping and moping my floors....it takes me 30-45 mins...constant movement..I count that...