Do you count cleaning as exercise?

domesticduchess

If you don't think cleaning is an exercise, come work with me for a day. I'll change your mind! lol

chelseabuns88

Proper cleaning is exercise, pushing the hoover round for 5 minutes or wiping the work surfaces over quickly, not so much.. but if you clean out a whole room top to bottom, or do the chores all over the house and it's above and beyond your normal daily activity, it is worth counting!

If you're a very active, fit person, at a healthy weight and you're cleaning for half an hour.. it's more than likely irrelevant to you.. if you're sedentary and obese and struggle with exercise.. cleaning is a real workout! Whether or not to log is a personal choice based on you and your body, but it is undoubtably a form of exercise.

Either way, there is no perfect formula for weight loss.. If you do these cleaning activities, log your calories, eat them back and you're not losing weight or inches.. reconsider your lifestyle.. If you use these calories to eat a pizza or a cake, etc.. reconsider your motives..

Matt_Wild

Straws. Grasping at.

No.

Amberonamission

In the beginning I did. Every little bit was counted because cleaning for hours was different from sitting on the sofa. Now cleaning like that is a daily mission and I find time to put in a workout every day. I find if I log cleaning I excuse myself from a workout. Can't do that. Every once in a while if I workout then clean like a mad woman for hours' moving furniture, scrubbing stuff, moving boxes, or lots of stairs, I may log. But, that has become more rare.

LauraW1219

I count it as exercise. It's a sign on the log you're trying. It have motivated me so much that my house is spotless everyday. I use my HRM when I'm cleaning. My average while cleaning is over my fat burning rate you bet I'm going to log it.

Micahroni84

If its a deep cleaning that isnt done on a daily basis and im sweating, than yes, i count it.

trophywife24

No. I don't count anything that I did on a regular basis when I was at my heaviest as exercise.
I honestly think that a lot of people, especially the ones that eat back their exercise cals, are doing themselves a huge disservice by logging things like cleaning, carrying around a baby, etc on their diaries for extra calories.

Micahroni84

Straws. Grasping at.

No.

It isnt grasping at straws. Its good to always start some where. Especially for those who are significantly over weight. Just moving is a challenge. If anything it gives them a good idea of what kind of activity burns how many calories. Everything is a learning experience when you are trying to lose weight.

trophywife24

Straws. Grasping at.

No.

It isnt grasping at straws. Its good to always start some where. Especially for those who are significantly over weight. Just moving is a challenge. If anything it gives them a good idea of what kind of activity burns how many calories. Everything is a learning experience when you are trying to lose weight.

That's true, but unless they're cleaning with a heart rate monitor on, they have no idea what they're really burning. I've found that in general, calorie burns on MFP are highly overestimated.

SoViLicious

I am a SAHM, I clean constantly, so no.

UpEarly

I don't technically enter the minutes I spend cleaning into MFP as exercise. But, I wear a BodyMedia Fit, so the calories I burn cleaning automatically count toward my TDEE, and therefore get imported into MFP whenever I synchronize my device.

On my big housecleaning day, my TDEE is typically 300-400 calories higher than other days because of the extra effort I exerted while I was cleaning. By that token, I think cleaning *definitely* counts.

Also, for the record, I hit my goal weight last June and have maintained my weight loss since then using the numbers from my BodyMedia.

terra32903

Is cleaning not something you normally do?

NutellaAddict

No its your JOB...just kidding...no I don't add it in.

trophywife24

I am a SAHM, I clean constantly, so no.

lol you are not kidding. I'm sitting here, drinking a coffee *and* wiping the table while I'm sitting at it. Does it ever end?? No.

SavageFeast

I don't count it, because I've been cleaning for many, many years and I remain morbidly obese.

akaMrsmojo

Yes, In fact if I need calories, I would run the vacuum through the whole house and time it.

ceannesjourney

Get your husband to do the work and see if HE thinks it's hard work and worth it!!! LOL! Yes, I DO count when I spend a LOT of time cleaning because my lifestyle is counted as sedentary so add my exercise calories manually.

kluvit

Only a major cleanout taking a few hours and requiring hauling boxes and large items...not just regular chores like loading/unloading dishwasher, laundry, etc.

Leeanne1974

I do count them!
Like others have said, I don't log the day to day vacuuming but when I iron for 3 hours or do my Saturday mega clean which takes a good 2-3 hours of hard work i do.
I lead a very sedentary life normally - I work in an office - and therefore I log my 20 minutes it takes to walk to my office from the car park and back too.
if no one else likes it then tough, its my mini workout :happy:

al369

I'd rather not log it and have it as extra floaty magical calories than count it and end up over-estimating. Unless I purposefully set out to do a workout, I don't add it.

lols. This is me.

But I also have my cals set at 1800. If they were at 1200, I would probably log it because I would be desperate to eat back some cals (I've had it set to 1200 before).

Gail3260

I don't count it, because I've been cleaning for many, many years and I remain morbidly obese.

It all depends what you have your activity level set at!!!

When I was at my heaviest I was swimming regularly.....I certainly log that now because I have my level at 'sedentary'....so why should cleaning be any different?

whitleynoel

I have a binder cleaning checklist. It lists everything that would leave house house spotless, right down to dusting the ceiling fans, dusting the baseboards, vacuuming the couches etc. It is a deep clean, however I have toddlers running around the house so I always clean like that.

Cleaning will never ever ever ever make it into my log.

Fitnfab36

I don't count regular cleaning, but a deep out of the ordinary cleaning I would.

tadpole242

I don't count it, because I've been cleaning for many, many years and I remain morbidly obese.

Thats' not because you're not cleaning enough....

aakokopelli7

I did at first, then I realized that I already clean everyday (3 little boys, small house = cleaning of some kind all day long), and that I had already factored that in my activity level. I would say only count it if you really worked up a real sweat and got your heart rate going for a long period of time. Maybe wear a HRM while doing so just to see.. but NO don't count the 3 mins you vacuumed the floor or scrubbed the potty.

5pmsomewherenow

You are using this resource tool to keep a diary of what's going on in your life, your strategy for fitness, and an accountability of your calorie intake.

For each of us, the USE rules we set up for the tool, are only as effective as the results they produce. Whatever you LOG for movement is irrelevant if it does or does not benefit you by raising your heart-rate, burning calories efficiently, or maintaining/building muscle.

Over the long haul, with the experience you gain using this tool -- your results will prove whether your own self-interpreted "rules" are working to benefit you and help you accomplish your goals.

It seems pretty apparent that in order to see results, we need to honestly and consistently create a calorie deficit each week, and ideally each day. How we use this tool to keep us on track -- is our own "unique" business, mostly because it involves so many variables.

Who am I to share an opinion whether other MFPers are counting things like walking 2.0 mph for 520 minutes, running errands/groccery shopping, cooking and preparing food, light cleaning, sex, etc. as EXERCISE. If they are not reaching their goals, they can keep up their own rules and suffer the frustration of wondering why it's not working...

aakokopelli7

I don't count it, because I've been cleaning for many, many years and I remain morbidly obese.

I worked as a maid for two years and still managed to become obese. It's because I could burn calories all day long but at the end I still ate WAAAAAYYY over what burned.

pdfrazier08

Yes, I use those as magical floating calories as well. I never log them no matter how hard or long I work cleaning. I don't want to kid myself into thinking I did more than I actually did. That's just me though.

MamHink

Of course!

monjacq1964

ask him if he'd count sex as an exercise.