house cleaning not exercise?

fakeuntilumakeit

Hi,

Having read a few post debates I've come across mixed reviews of this. This site logs housework as exercise (I for one logged mine when I was eager for that choc bar and desperate to eat back calories 1200 pre exercise was making me weak,) . However many views are that this should not be counted. I am a stay at home mum of three busy kids. Running around all day after teenager and toddlers is knackering and I know that after a good blast of the house I feel ravenous.

So lets have it from you guys, an hours session in the gym classed as a high calorie burn, right? but why not consider an hour of scrubbing bathrooms, hovering, floor mopping, window cleaning, wall wiping, toys gathering, toddler lifting, washing, carrying, bedmaking, pillow puffing cleaning machine as active.?

Okay, so I haven't got the abs like some, but I can tell you one thing it makes me hungry, and I know that i'm lighter than hubby who lets say carefully (does not participate in as much household duties)

I do work out min 4/5 times a week also just curious to know others opinions. :happy:

JusticeGirl25

If you're sweating while cleaning your house, I'd consider that a nice workout.

JenMc14

I don't count it because every day housecleaning is usually included in your intake calculations. If you do an extra heavy cleaning, like really, really heavy, I suppose it would be ok, but I wouldn't do it regularly. I've seen people look at it this way, and it makes a lot of sense to me: Before you were losing weight, when you were overweight, was it an activity you were doing? If so, why count it now?

watchhillgirl

Since I don't do any housework or yard work, I would classify as exercise.
(my husband does all the cooking, cleaning and stuff....I know - lucky huh?)

CandiQueen

As a busy mom of only 2 I can say, YES, it is most definitely a workout!! Running up and down the stairs with laundry, picking up 5x a day, making meals, cleaning kitchen, dusting, gardening, maintaining the house in general all gets the heart rate going and anything that elevates the heart rate burn calories. If you feel like you're working out, chances are you are.

melindasuefritz

yes its in there ...................... click exercise- cardio
type in cleaning. select heavy or light and log your cleaning

melindasuefritz

yes cleaning is exercise

duckiec

I don't personally tend to count shopping, laundry, chasing kids, etc as exercise. But, I recently got a Fitbit (flex), which gives me a "calories burned" estimate daily. That might be a useful too for activity like this, where it's not "dedicated" working out, but still means you're burning more calories, and can make room for some extras.

askeates

There are only a couple of things that include for house work exercise.

Vacuuming (I do the entire house at one time, that includes lugging the vacuum up and down 3 stories), and always break out in a sweat and have an elevated heart rate for at least 20 minutes (vacuuming is usually an hour or more). I do only put it as moderate.

Cleaning the kitchen floor. Again, I break out in a sweat and have an elevated heart rate for 20 minutes or more.

If I do not break out in a sweat and have an elevated heart rate for at least 20 minutes then I do not include it.

ladyraven68

Hi,

Having read a few post debates I've come across mixed reviews of this. This site logs housework as exercise (I for one logged mine when I was eager for that choc bar and desperate to eat back calories 1200 pre exercise was making me weak,) . However many views are that this should not be counted. I am a stay at home mum of three busy kids. Running around all day after teenager and toddlers is knackering and I know that after a good blast of the house I feel ravenous.

So lets have it from you guys, an hours session in the gym classed as a high calorie burn, right? but why not consider an hour of scrubbing bathrooms, hovering, floor mopping, window cleaning, wall wiping, toys gathering, toddler lifting, washing, carrying, bedmaking, pillow puffing cleaning machine as active.?

Okay, so I haven't got the abs like some, but I can tell you one thing it makes me hungry, and I know that i'm lighter than hubby who lets say carefully (does not participate in as much household duties)

I do work out min 4/5 times a week also just curious to know others opinions. :happy:

I'd just up your activity level to a more active one - no stay at home mum is sedentary.

lightdiva1

If I break a sweat, and my heart rate is up for more than 10 minutes, its a work out. I do not log house work as a work out because I do not get my heart rate up. ( I do break a sweat) I am not breathing like I do when I take Zumba or go for a speed walk. If I did I would log it.

I do not need to "add" in extra calories. If I am hungry, I eat. If I don't have the calories for it, I go over. I have friends who swear by adding in house cleaning as working out. Sure scrubbing bathrooms and doing laundry and chasing kids is a work out, but its not aerobic. It isn't strength training, and it sure as hell is not cardio.

scribega

Since my MFP is set at sedentary because I have a desk job Mon-Fri then I count it.
If I do 5 mins of laundry then I don't count it, but if I do 30+ mins of laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc then I count it. I am burning more calories then if I was sitting at a desk.

I spent 3 hours this past weekend taking a bed apart and then putting it back together. You bet I counted it!

Bianca42

I seriously considered logging grocery shopping this week. Half-way through the store the 8 year old ran the cart into the 3 year old and then I got the pleasure of carrying a upset 3 year old for the remainder of my shopping trip.

I usually don't log cleaning, because I tend to do little bits at a time. I have logged major yard clean-ups though.

jordanlell

I don't count it. That's what the activity level settings are for. If you are cleaning your house on a regular basis (which I hope most people do) then you should have your settings set to at least "lightly active", possibly "active". The sedentary level is for if you're sitting on your butt all day.

SakuraRose13

Well Im a sahm and beleive me I clean everyday and I do break a sweat ,when I clean I clean as in moving furniture sometimes,dishes,hauling laundry and up and down 2 flights of stairs, there are 4 of us so a lot of laundry,scrubbing floors,cleaning bathroom I hate clutter and cleaning up after everyone always .

If that isnt a workout than why Im a I tired afterwards ?
of and chasing my daughters around they are 14 months and going on 3 they keep me on my feet for sure.

Just because Im a sahm doenst mean I sit on my tush all day are you kidding me, I hardly sit down at all most days except for now since one is napping.

Joreanasaurous

I don't. But I also set MFP as "active" so me cleaning and running around work hauling boxes all day every day is already counted into my calorie allotment for the day.

Additionally, this is just me, but if my heart rate isn't elevated for at least 20 minutes, then it isn't excerising, it is life. Like chasing my dog down the street after he made the great escape.

SakuraRose13

Hi,

Having read a few post debates I've come across mixed reviews of this. This site logs housework as exercise (I for one logged mine when I was eager for that choc bar and desperate to eat back calories 1200 pre exercise was making me weak,) . However many views are that this should not be counted. I am a stay at home mum of three busy kids. Running around all day after teenager and toddlers is knackering and I know that after a good blast of the house I feel ravenous.

So lets have it from you guys, an hours session in the gym classed as a high calorie burn, right? but why not consider an hour of scrubbing bathrooms, hovering, floor mopping, window cleaning, wall wiping, toys gathering, toddler lifting, washing, carrying, bedmaking, pillow puffing cleaning machine as active.?

Okay, so I haven't got the abs like some, but I can tell you one thing it makes me hungry, and I know that i'm lighter than hubby who lets say carefully (does not participate in as much household duties)

I do work out min 4/5 times a week also just curious to know others opinions. :happy:

I'd just up your activity level to a more active one - no stay at home mum is sedentary.

This up above !!

fakeuntilumakeit

I don't count it because every day housecleaning is usually included in your intake calculations. If you do an extra heavy cleaning, like really, really heavy, I suppose it would be ok, but I wouldn't do it regularly. I've seen people look at it this way, and it makes a lot of sense to me: Before you were losing weight, when you were overweight, was it an activity you were doing? If so, why count it now?

Is house cleaning counted as everyday activity? I should let my husband know that he should be doing this ha ha.

Well In answer to your question, I was never overweight, I was within my bmi, 5ft 7 and just under 11 stone. But just felt heavier and comments from my father saying I was "yuk fat and still looked pregnant" sparked me to do something as I never really lost the pounds after my 2 daughters were born.

Pre babies I worked in an office, so spent far less time doing household stuff, and to be honest the house stayed clean with no toddlers running around it. Plus I never had school walks etc, just car drop off for eldest. Just found that physically I would say I do more now running around with kids, but am guilty of maybe not feeling the need to immediately drop the pregnancy pounds.

Do I sweat, no, do I feel the need to take a layer off , yes. Do I rush around ....Yes! Am I knackered after a full day 6am until 8pm , most definitely. :laugh:

bearkisses

no. you got fat when you were cleaning. cleaning isn't going to help you lose that weight!

jqh23

I seriously considered logging grocery shopping this week. Half-way through the store the 8 year old ran the cart into the 3 year old and then I got the pleasure of carrying a upset 3 year old for the remainder of my shopping trip.

I usually don't log cleaning, because I tend to do little bits at a time. I have logged major yard clean-ups though.

walking while carrying child is a legit exercise input, lol!

HatherM

General everyday house cleaning I don't count, but once a month I do a full on clean moving all the furniture, etc & having a good old clean (usually takes about 2hours) & non-stop moving so I count these as it's not the everyday 'norm' plus I do walk & JMBR on top of that so it's usually a pretty full on day

fakeuntilumakeit

I seriously considered logging grocery shopping this week. Half-way through the store the 8 year old ran the cart into the 3 year old and then I got the pleasure of carrying a upset 3 year old for the remainder of my shopping trip.

I usually don't log cleaning, because I tend to do little bits at a time. I have logged major yard clean-ups though.

Ha Ha I feel you, weights are counted as strength training, carrying a screaming toddler around...not. What do you think wrestling them into a car seat during a major tantrum counts as ???:laugh:

fionarama

no. you got fat when you were cleaning. cleaning isn't going to help you lose that weight!

exactly. kind of a reflection of how unfit you are if you consider doing the hoovering that hard work it needs to be logged. To me logging housework as exercise is just an excuse to to log more calories so you have an excuse to eat more.
Still, I'm sure some people do log it and do lose weight. As always there's never one right answer.
Maybe I just don't clean my house very well as I don't consider it particularly hard work!

Mcgrawhaha

personally, i dont log it, because thats a basic daily activity, just like pooping, sex, and going up the stairs to bed, if you live in a 2 story hourse... i want to see good progress, so i dont reach for extra ways to get in extra food... but, you can log whatever you want, its your own progress... to each their own, i guess...

Brinksm

Definitely exercise as well as lawn work. Carrying around bags of rock and mulch are work too! I count everything I can. Just make sure your settings are right for your "normal" level of activity. Mine is usually sitting on my a** all day at work.

joleenl

My daily chores I don't consider exercise like washing dishes, cooking, and such but if I were to do more strenuous cleaning or yard work I'd count it. For example I'd count... washing walls or raking huge pills of leaves or shovelling tons of snow.

Use these to help make your decision

1. What did you choose for your activity level when calculating your calories?
2. Would that type of exercise be included in it?

For example: If you chose lightly activity or sedmentary, then yes most housework specially aggressive stuff would be exercise. If you chose moderately active or active, then no I probably wouldn't log it as exercise.

Remember: You goal is calories in to be less then calories out. I personally like to use the calories burned from housework for an extra deficit so I try not to use it. However, you don't want to starve yourself by creating to big of a deficit either. My advice, log the big things leave the rest (this is in regards to exercise.... IN REGARDS TO FOOD LOG EVERYTHING!!!).

hauntao

If it feels like it, log it. I clean a bar for extra cash and that's like a serious 2 hour work out, I'm sweating bullets by the end.

k8blujay2

Honestly, if your activity level is set at Sedentary, I wouldn't worry about it and just log it if that's what you want to do. I have a couple of friends who log house work (in addition to other exercises) and they have lost a decent amount of weight.

fakeuntilumakeit

no. you got fat when you were cleaning. cleaning isn't going to help you lose that weight!

Huh???? Who said I was fat? Scary! Having checked my bmi even at my heaviest I was healthy.

Gotta love these debates though!

MinnieInMaine

OP, I agree with the couple of comments above that you should make sure your activity level is set to at least lightly active if not moderately active by the way you describe your day. That should cover all your running around and cleaning.

Ed98043

personally, i dont log it, because thats a basic daily activity, just like pooping, sex, and going up the stairs to bed, if you life in a 2 story hourse... i want to see good progress, so i dont reach for extra ways to get in extra calories... but, you can log whatever you want, its your own progress... to each their own, i guess...

Ditto. I don't log housework and gardening as exercise, it's just normal activity. But there are no hard and fast rules, so if you want to eat back your housework calories - do it. Then see what the scale does.

Frankly if you're trying to keep your base at 1200 and then eating back a couple of hundred housework calories a day, you'll probably still lose weight. I prefer to just eat the 1400 and not count housework. Same difference.