Does cleaning count as exercise?

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artslady96
artslady96 Posts: 132 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am cleaning my kitchen - polishing the cabinets, cleaning the refrigerator shelves, scrubbing the floor, reorganizing the cabinets, etc. - and see that MFP has a cleaning preset. Is it cheating to count it if I also do cardio (just not as much as usual) and if I eat some of those calories back? I'm predisposed not to count cleaning because it isn't exercise, and I haven't included it in the past. What do you guys do?

Replies

  • krisaddress
    krisaddress Posts: 43 Member
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    I count it......... But I dont count on it enough to eat the calories back....
  • SweetMegz04
    SweetMegz04 Posts: 459 Member
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    For me I will only count something as Exercise if it's out of the Norm for my Daily Routine!
    So yes, of course Cleaning could be added- a Big Clean perhaps.. as opposed to doing the dishes or sweeping- which could be an everyday thing.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    No, I do not count cleaning as exercise. It does not get my heart rate up nor does it cause me to break out a continuous sweat.
  • CyniSister
    CyniSister Posts: 74
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    For the purposes of MFP, it depends. Of course any kind of movement is exercise, but MFP asked you in the beginning if you lead an active or sedentary lifestyle. If you thought about all the cleaning you do in a day and entered in "active" then you shouldn't report your cleaning as a burn, because MFP has already done that. However, if you entered in that you sit most of the day and then your only form of exercise in a day is getting up to sweep, make dinner, etc., the you should definitely count it, because it hasn't already been considered an average burn for you.

    Did that make sense?
  • jealous_loser
    jealous_loser Posts: 395
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    Depends on the cleaning. If it is a big clean that you only do once a month and you get super gross, then yea, I would count it, but maybe not the whole time. Like if I did 3 hours worth, I would probably only count one.
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
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    For the purposes of MFP, it depends. Of course any kind of movement is exercise, but MFP asked you in the beginning if you lead an active or sedentary lifestyle. If you thought about all the cleaning you do in a day and entered in "active" then you shouldn't report your cleaning as a burn, because MFP has already done that. However, if you entered in that you sit most of the day and then your only form of exercise in a day is getting up to sweep, make dinner, etc., the you should definitely count it, because it hasn't already been considered an average burn for you.

    Did that make sense?

    ^^^^This^^^
  • knk1553
    knk1553 Posts: 438 Member
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    I personally don't, I just look at it as bonus calorie burns for the day. I'm moving all day next monday and don't plan on counting that, however if I go over my calories for the day, I really won't feel bad. I also don't feel like my heartrate gets up to the point it does when I do a typical cardio workout, so for me, that isn't exercise. Just my opinion and view though.
  • artslady96
    artslady96 Posts: 132 Member
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    Thank you for your thoughtful replies, everyone. I was worried I would feel too tired after cleaning the kitchen to exercise (a disorder I have makes me tired quicker than most people get) but I seem to have a burst of energy. It's so early that I can take a break and still exercise.

    Thanks for the motivation not to get lazy and count low impact cleaning (barely a sweat) as exercise.
  • lesita75
    lesita75 Posts: 379 Member
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    For me personally I don't count everyday things like making up beds, doing laundry, cooking, or washing dishes. But, I definately count declaring war on my house as excercise. This declaration of war means the following: sweeping, swiffering, mopping, then swiffering again (living room, dining room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, and the laundry room). Then vacuuming 2 upstairs bedrooms, carrying the vacuum down stairs, vacuum the family room then vacuum the stair case stair by stair, dusting every single room of the house (this includes baseboards and cieling fixtures), moving couches to get behind them (2 couchs and 2 love seats), then bleach bomb both bathrooms and the kitchen, polish all of the stainless steel appliances and wood furniture. No one will ever convince me that when I do this its not excercise. But, hey its just my opinion. :smokin:

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