Do you count cleaning as exercise?

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  • Gail3260
    Gail3260 Posts: 354 Member
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    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
    whitleynoel Posts: 198 Member
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    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
    Fitnfab36 Posts: 11
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    I don't count regular cleaning, but a deep out of the ordinary cleaning I would.
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
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    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
    aakokopelli7 Posts: 196 Member
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    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
    5pmsomewherenow Posts: 163 Member
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    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
    aakokopelli7 Posts: 196 Member
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    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
    pdfrazier08 Posts: 178 Member
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    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
    MamHink Posts: 5
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    Of course!
  • monjacq1964
    monjacq1964 Posts: 291 Member
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    ask him if he'd count sex as an exercise.
  • AddyMaeMomma
    AddyMaeMomma Posts: 84 Member
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    When I am scrubbing floors and breaking a sweat, you can bet I count it!
  • ApexLeader
    ApexLeader Posts: 580 Member
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    i only count my concerted exercises as exercise. i don't count walking the dog, or going up and down the stairs, or walking around the kitchen while i'm cooking as exercise. habits like that will only lead me to overestimating my calories burned.
  • heypurdy
    heypurdy Posts: 196 Member
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    Only if you're cleaning the gym equipment, after using it...

    Pretty much.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
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    If I'm mopping, scrubbing, lugging a vacuum up and down stairs than heck yes, that counts as exercise!
  • chelazar88
    chelazar88 Posts: 106 Member
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    I have my level at sedentary due to my office job. If I go home and wash the dishes and make a quick dinner I dont log. But if its laundry folding and putting away, up and down the basement stairs, moving furniture, vaccuming, scrubbing bathrooms, picking up toys, a good deep clean then yes I log it. I do underestimate as well by like 30 mins just to be on the safe side. Also this is straight none stop work
  • ralphie_hutch
    ralphie_hutch Posts: 19
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    My level is sedentary as I work in an office too, but I do have a saturday job - cleaning 6 holiday cottages over 3 hours. I def log that!!
  • cmfruin2012
    cmfruin2012 Posts: 157 Member
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    Reading through the responses has been very interesting -- and there seems to be a pattern of those who log it and those who don't - a correlation with respect to present fitness level and amount of weight to lose (haven't looked at it scientifically -- but just glancing through -- there is definitely a pattern).

    Anyway...when I do my deep, whole house cleaning every two weeks -- and it takes a couple hours of bending, wiping, moving to the point of sweating and heat rate elevated, then yes, I count it. And as one person also suggested, I only log half the time I actually spent (because I think MFP is a little too generous on the calories burned calculation).

    If cleaning doesn't make you break a sweat and doesn't feel like a true physical exertion (which is probably true for fitter folks), then probably shouldn't be counted. But if you are someone who is at a place (such as I am) of being very out of shape and just starting to get active, lives a very sedentary lifestyle -- and this kind of activity is clearly, physically working your body -- then why not log it. Just because you log it, doesn't mean you have to use it as an excuse to eat something unhealthy either.

    Just my two cents....
  • ijavagypsy
    ijavagypsy Posts: 109
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    It certainly does count. You're metabolizing at a higher rate than if you were eating bonbons on the couch while watching TV, right? It's activity, so maybe there should be categories of metabolic activity. Some consider exercise as an activity that has to be done specifically for your physical and emotional well-being. Maybe your husband should clean while you "exercise" bwahahaha!
    :drinker:
  • cmphelan77
    cmphelan77 Posts: 23
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    I absolutely do!! In 2 hours yesterday I spent 30 minutes on a treadmill 30 minutes shooting hoops with my daughter (HRM 400 cal burned) then went home and cleaned the kitchen left my HRM on and in the next hour I burned 300 cal. 704 cal in 2 hours 1 working out, 1 cleaning. I am pretty sure that counts. Calories burned are calories burned. Cleaning is interval training at its finest. Scrub hard then wipe, Vaccum fast/stairs then hallway. Wipe windows before the windex drips. It is what you make of it!!
  • HollyHobbitToes
    HollyHobbitToes Posts: 131 Member
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    I do under certain curcumstances...like your project....if it is something not in my daily clean-up routine I will if I feel I put a lot of effort into it...if you break a sweat, definitely count it, even just a fraction....and if I am doing regular clean-up and put extra effort into it, as in, dancing while I do dishes, which I've done a lot lol As long as I put in a good effort I will count it....

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