Let the bloodbath begin....

jcstanton

Let's take the emotion of being a homebody vs. a career vs. younger vs. older out of this whole discussion.

Let's get scientific for a moment. The tab clearly says exercise and is broken down into cardio & strength training.

Exercise is defined as planned, structured, and progressive process by which a significant exertion is applied to stimulate a specific desired and positive bodily change.

Given that, I don't see how work around the house can be considered exercise. Walking the dog can qualify if there is significant exertion applied, obviously based upon your physical conditioning.

You've obviously never cleaned an entire house from top to bottom in one shot. There is DEFINITELY "significant exertion applied". For most of us, when we log "housework", we're not talking about washing the dishes for fifteen minutes. We're talking about HOURS of hard work. And, again, TECHNICALLY my trips to the gym are more a part of my daily routine (as I workout EVERY day) than my housechores and lawn mowing, which are done only on Saturdays (in addition to my Saturday workout, so it's not being substituted for a "real" workout).

TyFit08

Let's take the emotion of being a homebody vs. a career vs. younger vs. older out of this whole discussion.

Let's get scientific for a moment. The tab clearly says exercise and is broken down into cardio & strength training.

Exercise is defined as planned, structured, and progressive process by which a significant exertion is applied to stimulate a specific desired and positive bodily change.

Given that, I don't see how work around the house can be considered exercise. Walking the dog can qualify if there is significant exertion applied, obviously based upon your physical conditioning.

Work around the house can burn a great deal more calories and bring up your heart rate a lot higher than walking the dog. One poster mentioned their HRM showed an 1100 calorie burn for mowing her lawn. Another poster said 700 calories for giving the house a scrub down. So the physical exertion is there. I don't do a scrub down of my house daily, but when I do I sweat much more than I do from a half hour on the elliptical. Exercise has a very broad definition and does not have to be just want you do in the gym. Chores are included in the MFP database as well as other sites like Fitday. BTW Fitday also includes sex for exercise and you can log it based on length and intensity. Personally, I think MFP should follow suit.

jcstanton

I don't get why it matters to anyone what I log. Be it calories, exercise, whatever. People are so critical, as they SIT behind their little computer, telling everyone else how it's supposed to be done. I'm here for myself, first and foremost. If I find a few like-minded "friends" to support/ get support from...great! If not...great! If I have a problem with the way people log, and it bothers me, I unfriend them...pretty simple concept. No need to make a person feel bad about themself. I don't "call people out". If they are "lying" on their log, or logging something you wouldn't, how does that affect you? Answer...it doesn't.

well said!

Not well said - it DOES affect me!

If you chose to share what you are doing and how it works/doesn't work for you then it affects me. It affects me because I don't know as much as I would like to about nutrician/exercise/metabolism, so i come on here for support and to learn

If you say "I eat cream cakes all day but drink 2 litres of rose water to offset the cream cake calories, and I've lost 30 lbs" I will question it - it DOES affect me

I really don't get how that affects your or hinder your journey. There are people here who swear they eat only fast food, others who eat clean, some who just walk, others who do crossfit, some with thyroid and PCOS. Everyone has their own journey and what works for one doesn't work for everyone. So if someone is logging their chores and that works for them, I don't see how that could stop you from losing weight. This site is for education and support. You take the information you need to help with your goals.

It doesn't hinder my journey, but everything that I read on here affects the choices I make. For example lots of people have said that the best piece of fitness equipment they have ever bought is the HRM. I'm about to get one - what they said has affected me!

If lots of people say "logging day to day chores has not seemed to help my dieting progress" then that will affect the choices of some people. If you share things on here then it affects others so the "It's none of their business what I chose to do" is not relevant if you have made your business public

Here's the thing, if you're getting a HR monitor ONLY because many people on here say it's their best workout equipment, you're not getting one for the right reason. You should be buying one because YOU see the potential value in being able to get a more accurate calorie count. You should NEVER EVER do something just because someone else says it works for them. What works for others may or may not work for you. We're not saying that you can't get ideas from other people on here. The point is that you can hear something, then CHOOSE to try it or not. If it makes sense to you go for it. If you don't think it will work for you, don't do it. Ultimately, the choice is yours. No one is holding a gun to your head and saying, "You HAVE to log your chores, or else."

afrazier128

I would log the chore if it is something that I don't do on an everyday basis e.g. chopping wood, shoveling snow, etc.

^^This. I don't log doing the laundry or dishes, dusting, or running the vacuum cleaner on a daily basis, but if I'm spending 2-3 solid hours cleaning the whole dang house, moving furniture and running the carpet cleaner in every room, darn right I'm gonna log it; regardless of what anyone else says.

airbent

I think the judgemental ppl should log the amount of energy/calories it takes to complain about other peoples logging habbits.....

Preach. Yesterday I mowed the lawn for a half hour and my heart rate was up higher than when I do the 30-day shred 4-5 days a week. I also wait tables twice a week and I log that too because it's a h*ll of a workout that isn't a part of my daily routine as the rest of the week I ride a desk. For sure I'm going to log both and I don't care what people think about it. some of us can't afford gyms and have to get our exercise in anywhere we can. the OP is right, people can stay fit by walking and doing productive things, they've done so for centuries and they do so now. no shame in lumping that in with dedicated exercise if it's getting the job done.

jcstanton

I think the judgemental ppl should log the amount of energy/calories it takes to complain about other peoples logging habbits.....

Hahahaha! Good point! :flowerforyou:

BrianSharpe

Once again....our ancestors used chores as exercise, so why shouldn't people on MFP?????

I don't think our ancestors did "chores as exercise" they did chores because they needed doing and there were none of the labour saving devices we take for granted. Our ancestors' lives would have been busy enough doing real work (ie physical labour) and they didn't have the leisure time (except for the well to do) to engage in the fake work we call exercise. If they were lucky enough to have Sunday off they might take part in a game of football or something.

Back to the OP, if someone sets their profile to sedentary (1.2 x BMR) then yes, log pretty much anything; but if the profile is set to lightly active etc then a little judgment needs to exercised. (Not that I really care what people log or don't log, their diary is their concern not mine)

PaveGurl

I'm cracking up at all the people saying why they do or don't log cleaning as exercise, because it's outside their routine or is part of their routine or whatever.

The reason it cracks me up? Working out is part of my routine now - I go to class, I do my cardio, I lift my weights... Every week. But I still log those, and no one flips out about logging them, because they are clearly exercise... Despite being in my regular routine.

Where's the disconnect?

DavPul

I really don't get how that affects your or hinder your journey. There are people here who swear they eat only fast food, others who eat clean, some who just walk, others who do crossfit, some with thyroid and PCOS. Everyone has their own journey and what works for one doesn't work for everyone. So if someone is logging their chores and that works for them, I don't see how that could stop you from losing weight. This site is for education and support. You take the information you need to help with your goals.

I have to respectfully disagree with this. I do agree that what someone else logs has nothing to do with me. It's their body and their business. But what they post in an open internet forum does effect me and others. If you see someone post information that you feel is blatantly wrong and perhaps harmful, it can be really hard to bite your tongue (fingertips?) and not type a response. The whole purpose of a open internet forum is to exchange ideas, and exchange means it goes both ways. It does affect me, because I look to get advice on this site and if someone posts something that's wrong I could waste time and money while risking my health at the same time.

If someone posted that the best way to lose weight is to only eat 400 calories per day or drink poison or take steroids, would you feel it's wrong to post a contrary response? Even if you don't really care what that person does, wouldn't you want to warn other people that clicked on that thread that this is terrible advice? If you had personal experience with lifting/running/crossfit/paleo/veganism wouldn't you want to share your experiences? ESPECIALLY if you feel someone said something that you felt was blatantly wrong?

Obviously people should not be rude or insulting. But just disagreeing doesn't make them rude.

May63

It's not part of my daily routine. I know a lot of other people who don't strenuously scrub their floors on their hands and knees daily but they will log it if they do it. My levels are set to sedentary because I SIT almost all day long - so if I do clean, it's outside of my daily routine of sitting. Once again....our ancestors used chores as exercise, so why shouldn't people on MFP?????

I agreee

jcstanton

Furthermore, I would just like to say, "CHORE LOGGERS, UNITE!!!" :drinker: :flowerforyou:

Kara_xxx

It's not part of my daily routine. I know a lot of other people who don't strenuously scrub their floors on their hands and knees daily but they will log it if they do it. My levels are set to sedentary because I SIT almost all day long - so if I do clean, it's outside of my daily routine of sitting. Once again....our ancestors used chores as exercise, so why shouldn't people on MFP?????

I think what you're trying to say is that in the past people generally lived more active lives, undertook more manual jobs etc. I don't think anyone seeks to challenge that little fact.

However, that does not mean that "dusting" becomes an "exercise".

As other people have pointed out, you burn calories doing everything that we do...

480 minutes "sleeping" = 569 calories... phwoar!!! Let's tuck into those chocolate Hobnobs!!!

I mean, personally, I couldn't care less if some people chose to log all the nonsense you can find in the database... and if they end up double accounting to be able to reward themselves with cake... it's none of my business. Their body, their health, their fitness, their fat... not mine. *shrugs shoulders*

Wonderob

Here's the thing, if you're getting a HR monitor ONLY because many people on here say it's their best workout equipment, you're not getting one for the right reason. You should be buying one because YOU see the potential value in being able to get a more accurate calorie count. You should NEVER EVER do something just because someone else says it works for them. What works for others may or may not work for you. We're not saying that you can't get ideas from other people on here. The point is that you can hear something, then CHOOSE to try it or not. If it makes sense to you go for it. If you don't think it will work for you, don't do it. Ultimately, the choice is yours. No one is holding a gun to your head and saying, "You HAVE to log your chores, or else."

That's ridiculous! I wouldn't do something because someone says it works for them - but if lots and lots of people say it works for them then I take that on board. There are a million different pieces of equiment that claim to be invaluable - I certainly wouldn't listen to the manufacturers, but I would listen to the advice of lots of people on here

I'll give you another example. I didn't know how many sets I should do on my back in a workout. If one person said they do 15 sets and it works for them - then I wouldn't do it. If lots and lots of weight lifters on here - the vast majority in fact, said that they do 5 sets per workout and it works for them, then that's what I would do

Josie_lifting_cats

I don't know why either - people seem to take it as a personal affront if someone else logs something that does't involve lycra or Jillian Michaels or a gym membership. Perhaps they feel ripped off, that someone else gets to eat more when they don't?

My personal favourite is when people say "I got fat walking the dog so I'm not going to count those calories". I suspect they were also breathing, walking around and going to bathroom when they got fat, but those same people will usually earnestly tell you that they don't eat less than their BMR (which of course includes all those things).

It really is simple - everything we do burns cals, you just have to decide whether you want to include it in your daily activity level, whether you want to log it as an extra, or whether you really don't care about cals in/cals out in which case there is no point worrying about it.

Just wanted to say - BMR = if you were in a coma. This would not include doing chores.

TDEE = doing chores, daily activity, etc.

My own personal rule is unless my heart is thumping, I don't count it. Which means that I totally count dance-cleaning-like-an-idiot, but I do not count cleaning-slow-because-I-HATE-it.

ctrygalk

Yesterday I swept, cleaned and then polished my sons wooden floors. I actually sweated. I added it as an activity. If I do the dishes ect I wont add it. I wouldnt worry about anyone else. Just worry about what your doing. You answer only to you.

txsgirlK

My problem is the ripping into other people...

I couldn't care less about logging chores or not. I do not log them, I count them as part of my daily activity but if someone else logs them because they feel they worked up a sweat what do I care...

really, it's their journey and only they really know how hard they work.

Lauren

Totally agree with this! I have several friends that log cleaning...personally I don't. But that's their business and if it works for them, then so be it! I hate bashers!

Edited to change "there" to "their" so I don't get BASHED!

Mustangsally1000

It's not part of my daily routine. I know a lot of other people who don't strenuously scrub their floors on their hands and knees daily but they will log it if they do it. My levels are set to sedentary because I SIT almost all day long - so if I do clean, it's outside of my daily routine of sitting. Once again....our ancestors used chores as exercise, so why shouldn't people on MFP?????

I agree with you. I sit at my work as well, and there are an awful lot of things that aren't in my "daily routine." The point is to burn more than you take in. How you do that...does it really matter, as long as it gets the job done?

Kara_xxx

The problem isn't people giving opinions... it's people giving unsolicited opinions that is annoying....

Wow. There was me thinking it's an open forum for the purpose of information exchange (which naturally involves a degree of "opinion" although some people like to think their opinion is fact) and an invitation wasn't required?

zCarsAndCaloriesz

I'll log it depending on what I am doing, because certain thing's are just NOT part of my daily thing. I'f I'm scrubbing windows, floors, bath tubs, and toilets all day yeah, I'm gonna log it. If I made my bed that morning, or did the laundry, no I wont log that.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

I was reading another forum post where everyone was bashing the OP for wanting to log an activity that no one else seemed to deem as exercise. Am I one of the few on here that realizes that llllooooonnnnnggggg before there were gyms, people did chores to keep themselves fit?!? There was no such thing as an eliptical and people seemed to do just fine so why the heck shouldn't I log doing chores as exercise????

And, let the bloodbath begin....

I agree.

There is really NO need for formal and rigid exercise routines where you spend so many hours in the gym. <roll eyes>

That is where daily work chores, playing with your family (biking, hiking, swimming, etc) come into play.

One thing I learned from reading the book "The Primal Blue Print" by Mark Sisson is that people don't need to kill themselves in the gym.

Lift heavy things, sprint occasionally and otherwise move slowly at a steady pace. Love and play are also included.