Cleaning as Exercise?

I don't log cleaning because it just seems like normal daily stuff to me, even when I am doing a big weekend clean. The only thing I log other than actual exercise is gardening but only when I've done the whole thing and spend several hours on it.

I'm pretty lazy. Let me just put that out there right now. If I'm just tidying up my house, picking up after my daughter and the boy I babysit, I'm not going to log the 10 or 15 minutes it takes me but when I do log the cleaning, it's because I've worked my butt off (hopefully literally) and am dripping sweat. I only log the cleaning once or twice a week because other than that, I just pick up here and there, but the weekend is when I deep clean and heck yes, I'm logging. Weekends are my eating cheats as well, so I suppose I can take all the "extra" calories I can;)

I still love exercise but will admit that I don't do it as often as I should. I also log in sexytimes and gardening, walking around doing the shopping and that sort of thing that I really consider to be standard activities. But I feel more accomplished if I log them in.

I think if cleaning requires heavy lifting of 30+ lb boxes, and squats, lunges, and putting stuff over your head for 8 hours in a day, that surely should count as exercise. However, if you are getting a feather duster, and lightly brushing some desks, I don't consider it exercise.

It doesn't affect you, or your journey. Just let other people do their thing. You do yours. Problem solved.

For me, it is not logged very often.If I am rearranging furniture, cleaning the bottom of the pool, scrubbing walls, etc. If it make me break a sweat for a significant amount of time, I will log it. However, I only log for HALF of the time...I don't want to cheat myself in the end. I could log it every day if I wanted to, I run a daycare...and if you have ever had to follow 5 kids and clean up after them all day long, you would understand the sweat in that. But, I just set my activity level to active.

I guess in the end of it all, I don't particularly care what people are logging...if they are losing and staying healthy then they are doing something right. Not my business.

Exactly this! I am a stay at home mom of two and am constantly cleaning/organizing something in our 3400 sq.ft home. UGH! For some people, housework is all they can do because of physical ailments that hinders them from joining a gym..Don't go judging before you've walked a mile in someone elses shoes!...just sayin'

I only count if I am doing something above and beyond the normal day to day cleaning, straightening or laundry. For example, I count cleaning out closets, cabinets, taking down/cleaning/putting back up blinds and drapes, heavy cleaning like moving furniture to clean, vacuuming furniture, shampooing furniture and carpets, washing windows,washing walls, scrubbing floors on your hands and knees, hand washing the car and cleaning it out, etc.
I also have my setting on sedentary because I have a desk job. I don't use it as an excuse not to do other exercise as I also walk, do Zumba and take kickboxing classes. AND the items I am counting are things that I very rarely did before I started losing weight primarily because I was exhausted from just doing the normal day to day cleaning when I was 325 pounds so the cleaning calories I count are NOT normal activities for me.
I also don't eat back my exercise calories anyway so it doesn't really matter if I log it or not.

There was time when I counted it more than the actual gym workouts because it WAS strenuous and i was consuming a lot of calories cleaning for hours on end. I was purging a lot from my life to make room for a new lifestyle. I think a lot of people who fall into morbidly obese would agree that when you are ready to lose there has to be entire life SHIFT in order to be successful. A big part for me was putting my home and finances in order.

And hey it worked cause I've already lost almost 90lbs and go to the gym 3 days a week. who cares how you get there right?

And now I pay a house keeper to come clean so I have tIme for more strenuous calorie burning exercises! I know a LOT of people that do that and I could just as easily have said in the beginning that THEY were the lazy ones because they weren't carrying an extra 200lbs on their backs doing it, yet hey still hired someone to do it for them. perspective!

THIS!

Some may place themselves as sedentary so cleaning would be an exercise for them.

I'm sorry...you do not have to push yourself hard to lose weight and get in shape. Most people make that mistake when they start a weight loss program. They start out strong, push too hard, and then lose momentum..and then quit.
All you have to do is watch what you put in your mouth and START MOVING! If that means that they dust and vacuum instead of sitting on the couch in front of a TV or computer, then good for them!
I would suggest that you stop worrying about how/if others are cheating. We all have our own demons to deal with. If they are cheating themselves then they will not lose weight (or get in shape)..then they lose. But that shouldn't effect you!

If I spend 6 hours getting everything ready for the carpet cleaners (hey, my house ins't perfect, but it's amazing how much it takes a reasonably clean home to get the floor completely clear) and I'm working hard and really sweating, I don't see anything wrong with logging a couple of hours of "light effort" cleaning.

If' I'm just washing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming, etc then I don't. But when I really do work at it, I log it, but try to underestimate.

And keep in mind, what is easy and slacking off for you may be a real workout for someone. When I was 9 months pregnant, just vacuuming the dining room was a REAL workout; I can't imagine what it would be like for someone who is just starting to get into shape after years of inactivity.