Do you count housework towards your daily cals.

kerock37
kerock37 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Once a month I deep clean the house, ceilings, baseboards, fans, on my hands and knees waxing the floor, etc. Would you count this as an activity? Trust me at the end of the day I hurt.

I do not count my daily cleaning sweeping, dusting, straightening up. I know I sound a wee bit anal, but we have 5 dogs :smile:
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Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    No.
  • LetsGetFitMama
    LetsGetFitMama Posts: 102
    If it gets your heart going and you are sweating, I would def count it as an activity. Heavy cleaning is a lot of work and takes a lot of energy.

    An activity that can burn 313 cals in one hr I think is worthy of logging, but that is just me :-)
  • boropatty
    boropatty Posts: 3 Member
    When I do deep cleaning I count it. Even if I just have extra vacuuming I consider that to be an increase in normal activity.
  • belladonna786
    belladonna786 Posts: 1,165 Member
    If cleaning is part of your REGULAR routine, DO NOT count it as exercise
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
    I do not, that way it gives me some bounce room for errors on logging.
  • fattypattybinger
    fattypattybinger Posts: 337
    I don't want to put my reply out because people judge about this topic. Yes I log it because I don't have the money to go to the gym so why not. It is excerise and boy do I clean. Let see somebody else clean baseboards. Not an easy thing to do. Especially if you use a toothbrush.
  • kerock37
    kerock37 Posts: 10 Member
    I can understand the daily cleaning, but when I deep clean it takes a full day (8 - 10 hrs). I also use a toothbrush on baseboards and the shower tile. Lord I cannot seem to keep that tile clean. And how is it that is only in my husbands bathroom?
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I guess I just don't get the point. Is it logging because you are worried that you'll be nutritionally deficient from one day of extra activity and need to eat more to replenish that, logging to impress you friends that you put in 8 hours of housework or some other motive I'm missing?

    The people we call "naturally thin" don't go around all day wondering if the cleaning they did counts or if their job earned them an extra cookie. The endless search for extra things to log as activity baffles me.
  • TVISmith
    TVISmith Posts: 28 Member
    Once a month I deep clean the house, ceilings, baseboards, fans, on my hands and knees waxing the floor, etc. Would you count this as an activity? Trust me at the end of the day I hurt.

    I do not count my daily cleaning sweeping, dusting, straightening up. I know I sound a wee bit anal, but we have 5 dogs :smile:

    I log it if I am doing my weekly deep clean...I mean I am moving couches and ovens and fridges...I clean the floor on my hands and knees...that can burn a lot of calories....laundry for me is also running up and down two flights of stairs twice a load....I am careful to only time the minutes that I am actually in motion though....
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I count it as part of my lifestyle/activity level... it's not a workout. Only workouts are workouts.
  • TVISmith
    TVISmith Posts: 28 Member
    I guess I just don't get the point. Is it logging because you are worried that you'll be nutritionally deficient from one day of extra activity and need to eat more to replenish that, logging to impress you friends that you put in 8 hours of housework or some other motive I'm missing?

    The people we call "naturally thin" don't go around all day wondering if the cleaning they did counts or if their job earned them an extra cookie. The endless search for extra things to log as activity baffles me.

    I do not think that she is trying to impress her friends....maybe she is just trying to hold herself accountable and get used to keeping track of what she does...when you are trying to make a habit of exercise and eating healthier maybe it is her own motivation...why does everyone have to judge negatively right away....be positve.
  • seabee78
    seabee78 Posts: 126 Member
    Doesn't ANYTHING you do more physically demanding than sleeping count as an activity?

    Personally, I don't log any activities; adding calorie room will just tempt me to think I can eat more.

    ETA: I see "standing" is listed as an exercise activity. So is "cleaning, moderate effort"
  • kerock37
    kerock37 Posts: 10 Member
    I am new to the site, signed up Saturday, so as for impressing friends, I think not. I was interested to know if a cleaning of that nature was worth logging as exercise. I want to ensure that I stay within my allotted calories since I do not want to go deficient.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    When I do a deep clean I log half the time that I spend cleaning. To fully clean my house it takes a full day just like you and when I am doing that much work I do log it.

    Log half the time you spend doing it. I don't count my daily cleaning but I do count my deep clean that I do.
  • My0WNinspiration
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
    No
  • JCM1969
    JCM1969 Posts: 141 Member
    No.. nor do I count strolling to the park with my kids, walking around the lake throwing rocks in the water, washing the car, painting my spare bedroom, cooking, doing laundry, dancing at a wedding..... I agree with the previous poster who said that is life, not exercise.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    I amazes me that people are going to poo, poo someones activity just because it's not "gym exercise". Just because someone isn't bench pressing or running at the gym doesn't mean that what they do to burn calories isn't exercise. Disgusting that people are dissing others means of "exercise". You should be ashamed of yourselves!

    Yes, house cleaning is exercise. If you are doing any activity that gets your heart rate going and you are physically fatigued you can log that under your exercise tab.
  • WaxMama
    WaxMama Posts: 369 Member
    I do! I count my deep down cleaning days, but not my everyday straightening...
  • JCM1969
    JCM1969 Posts: 141 Member
    Nope...not disgusted with myself.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Nope. Consider it bonus calories burned.
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
    No...while I may feel the pain the next day I do not find myself working up my heart rate while doing it.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    No.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Yes, house cleaning is exercise. If you are doing any activity that gets your heart rate going and you are physically fatigued you can log that under your exercise tab.

    The thing is it doesn't really elevate your HR much. There's a difference between perceived exertion and actual calorie burn. Being fatigued and sweaty just means you're out of shape not that you burned a lot of calories. My 300 lb hubby gets out of breath walking up a flight of stairs. He's flabby and out of shape, not working up a huge calorie burn.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    No.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    Nope. Consider it bonus calories burned.

    I believe that's called exercise.
  • Proyecto_AN
    Proyecto_AN Posts: 387
    No
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    Nope.
  • JCM1969
    JCM1969 Posts: 141 Member
    Breathing burns calories... but that does not mean it is exercise.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    Typically no as I feel it gives me that little wiggle room for any errors in logging.

    If you feel you want to log it, do so. But did you do these things once a month when you were not logging your calories? logging or not logging its not going to make or break any success you have.
  • tracygolden
    tracygolden Posts: 94 Member
    My doctor told me that any activity that raises heartrate can be considered exercise. When I first started, scrubbing the floor could do that. So I counted it. Now its not as tiring, etc so I don't . You do what is best for YOU!

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