Does anyone else count house work as exercise?

MelissaGraham7

Like most, I don't tend to log the daily stuff but if I"m mopping, vacuuming and generally working up a sweat doing it, then I do log it. I don't typically log doing the dishes or cooking unless maybe a holiday meal where I spend hours on my feet, etc. So, if it is beyond the every day stuff and feels like work, I do log it.

molly_grue

Maybe I just don't clean that hard but I never count it lol

davert123

I log almost everything - if i do it for 5 minutes then I wouldn't but if I do more then I would log - I am trying to match my calories in with those going out (less some weight loss) for me to do this I need to log all those going out :-)

tidesong

No. Not only is it everyday activity, but it's not cardio. It's physical movement, which is always a good thing...and you'll burn calories, but it's not part of cardiovascular conditioning, so therefore, I do not count it as exercise. I've seen people who put things like "food preparation" down for their daily "exercise." I kid you not.

LERadicalDreamer

For housework, I only count lawn mowing, because when I wear my HRM, I'm usually at 150 while I race around the yard. For stuff like vacuuming, I don't log, because I figure those are hidden bonus calories.

AmberBucsis

If its vigerous cleaning than yes.. like moving furniture and vacuuming. If im moving lots and i know my heart rate is up than i count it.

flag91

I think it depends on your goals. For instance, when I began this journey months ago, my goal was to be more active....especially since I have a desk job. So I would log everything that had me up and moving. If I climbed stairs, mopped, emptied boxes, I counted it. I wanted to get a clear picture of my starting point and then build on that. Now that I have that info, I don't count cleaning as exercise. However, I do have a fitbit that synchs up a couple of times of week and gives me more specific info regarding my activity and steps and stairs climbed. I like looking back at my week and seeing how well I've done or what I want to improve on.

roguestates

I don't log everyday cleaning tasks (eg, dishwashing, tidying, etc) because they are accounted for in my activity level.

I guess if it's a task that you only do once in a while and that which makes you break a sweat -- like moving boxes around, weeding your yard, or whole house mopping (and putting your back into it :P) -- then maybe that event would be worth logging.

jacqy180

Absolutely I do - I'm set to Sedentary because of my desk job. I don't count walking to the car, but the trip around the block with the dogs, yes. Picking up the kids toys, no..... Cleaning up after dinner, vacuuming, yes but usually the "light effort" vs. Vigorous Effort (unless I was scrubbing the bathroom/washing the car, etc...). Whatever keeps you MOTIVATED and moving toward your goal - if I get a little "warm" or "dewy" doing it, by all means it counts - my body is doing more than what it was used to doing!

Linda_Darlene

If I'm scrubbing the floor, I sure do count it. Sweeping the floor, not so much.

abnerner

I do, but not my everyday little stuff, like loading the dishwasher, etc. However, when I do a huge clean, with lots of dusting, scrubbing, moving, etc and I am sweating, I absolutely do!

I have a HRM so I can track better on things if I am actually getting my heart rate up or not.

And remember, do what works for you. and dont let anyone tell you you are "cheating" etc. If you personally feel it's cheating, don't do it, but do what feels right for you!

davert123

Whether you should count it depends on the activity level you based your calorie goal on. If you calculated based on being sedentary, you should count it. Any other activity level l would say no.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^This is it

Akimajuktuq

I do count housework (only "light" no matter what I am doing), but not necessarily for the full time since I have little breaks and parenting issues. I also don't generally eat my exercise calories. I have a mostly sedentary life, so two to four hours of housework is significant exercise for me. However, once I lose more weight and get more active on a daily basis, I will no longer count housework.

Edit: I don't count the light, day-to-day housework, just the big stuff on the weekend.

amymichelle1226

If I work up a sweat cleaning, it gets logged.

same here...I feel like I'm always cleaning but unless I'm down scrubbing floors, moving furniture around etc. (anything that would make me sweat or feel really tired) I don't log it. And I usually put less time than I actually spent because I don't want to over estimate.

Bailey543

If I got fat doing it, I don't log it. I cleaned all the time and still got fat... Just my opinion.

amymichelle1226

Oh and I always do 'light effort'....again because I don't want to over estimate.

kutterba

I never count "tidying up." however, if it takes me half an hour and I move furniture, then yes I do. I only clean like that about once a month.

ssp1977

Never.

YogaNikki

I personally don't log much exercise outside of running or elliptical, etc. For instance, I walk at least a mile a day, to and from the subway, and yet I never log that because I set my activity level to account for that.

I think it's better to underestimate and not log every little piece of activity, bc ultimately, iyou're just racking up a calorie deficit that may not necessarily be true. And then you might get tempted to eat back those calories which may work against your goals.

Now that being said, if your goal is not weight loss, then maybe you want to log for different reasons, and that then is a different story.

Absolutely well said. If I remember correctly, when you're setting your account up, it asks you what kind of lifestyle you live. So the activity level should already be factored into your goals and calorie count. I could be wrong. You can log it, just don't set yourself up to eat more than you're burning unless it's on purpose

fififox

It depends. Some days I can spend 4 or 5 hours doing housework - including vacuuming a pretty large house, mopping half the floors in it, up and down stairs a million times (I must walk miles around the house) repatriating laundry , toys, miscellaneous items, changing beds, cleaning windows, scrubbing cooker, fronts of presses, scrubbing showers,......etc. I would not log 5 hours - usually I would log it as just half an hour - if even only to acknowledge the effort I have put in. The few calories credit I get loggin half an hour couldn't possibly be too generous for the time and effort I have done - I fairly fly around the house at times. So I have no problem taking a little of the credit. TBH on days like that I would be lucky if I still had the energy or enthusiasm for exercising after the kids have gone to bed. On a light day where I just tip around doing general bits like dishwasher, laundry, light clean up I don't log.

TXGirl821

Back when I wasn't exercising regularly, I counted housework and shopping as my activities because that was about the only time I got off my butt and even walking around the grocery store was enough to tire me out for hours. But now that I'm in the gym more frequently and doing a weekly training session, I don't count that stuff anymore, it's just a normal part of my day.

Stacey3981

I do! I have a desk job, so I base my BMR on a "sedentary" lifestyle. I work out 6 times a week and on the weekends I'm constantly moving. I like to log every activity that makes me sweat. I feel like it motivates me to see how many calories I can burn in a day but I try not to eat more than my normal goal of 1200-1500 regardless of how many I burn. I also know that there's really no way to account for the "afterburn" effect of resistance training, so I know I'm not getting credit for the extra calories I burn on my strength days.

davert123

And remember, do what works for you. and dont let anyone tell you you are "cheating" etc. If you personally feel it's cheating, don't do it, but do what feels right for you!

For me its cheating if I don't log lol. Its ok for me to add and then be aware I am under my calorie goal but for me its not ok for me to be under my goal and not be aware of it :-)

newmooon56

No. Activity and exercise are 2 different things in my world. Im also a server and run my rear off when Im at work but dont count that either since my heart rate never rises and I dont count trays as heavy lifting. I have myself set as mildly active too. Life happens- its NOT exercise. Now... if you deep clean for 4 hours and move furniture- I guess then you could take something- but daily cleaning - no way would I.

Of course- if it is such a heavy burden day to day maybe you can - my housework I just dont feel is- just normal life. Cant log every time I get off my rear as 'exercise' Id think..

k2quiere

so I get that house cleaning = moving = burning calories. But in terms of weight loss etc I have a question....

Did you not clean your house before you started cutting calories?

Im assuming so, so how can that make a difference?

The difference is in tracking your intake. I would go to the gym, walk, bike, do weights with machines, swim, and all of those other things everyone obviously considers "real" exercise but still never lost scale weight for years.

Rockmyskinnyjeans

Since I'm up and moving and doing work, I count it!

tvanhooser

When we had to bug bomb the house and then take out every single dish, pot, silverware and utensil in the house and wash it, scrub out the cupboards and put it all back -- heck yeah, I so counted that!! Didn't have time for much else exercise those two days and I sweated so that makes it count in my book. My normal, routine maintenance daily housework -- no, I figure that in my normal daily activity level and keep it as much as possible at maintenance level so it doesn't become a PROJECT LEVEL sweat producing task every single day cause that makes me super cranky!! So up to you -- if you do enough to break a sweat, I'd say go for it, count it! )

KrazyAsianNic

House work I only count if it's like a major clean, like the whole house or apartment.

jynxxxed

Even though I'm set to 'sedentary', I still don't count it. Anything that I was doing before I started my healthier habits I don't count.

MyOwnSunshine

I rarely log house work and/or yard work. I don't log normal day-to-day cleaning or upkeep, nor do I add the times I go up and down the stairs in the course of a day as "stair climbing."

I will log cleaning if I do strenuous activities for an extended period of time. This past Saturday, I vigorously swept, mopped and vacuumed every floor in the house, including lugging the vaccuum up and down the stairs without resting, and also cleaned all three bathrooms. I definitely felt like I'd worked out after I did it. I purposely cleaned harder and rested less than normal, because I knew I would miss the gym that day.

My activity is set to sedentary, so I don't feel guilty logging occasional episodes of heavy cleaning or moving furniture/heavy boxes. I do think that adding every day cleaning and normal trips up and down the stairs is a little excessive. In the end, it only affects you, so do what you think is best for your own fitness and health.