Cleaning as Exercise?

I've burned a heck of a lot more calories doing a half a day of spring cleaning than, say, a ten minute walk (which I tend to assume is folks taking their dog out). But I don't think anyone would question walking.

I absolutely count it. It's not counted in my sedentary lifestyle, so if I burn em, I count em. If I don't count them, it seems dishonest. But I also count every thing I eat - whether it's a half a cracker or a full serving.

is the burning of calories exercise??

Lets rephrase, if you burn a ton of calories using your fatty acid energy system as the primary driver, do you consider that more exercise than less calories burned from doing cardio based energy system movement?

I don't log daily things like dishes or folding laundry...however, when I do a major clean, I log it because: I stretch, I bend, I walk, I use muscle to scrub, etc...and I sweat. So I log it. I am on my feet with my job and I don't count that because it's normal daily activity...but for someone who is used to having very little or no activity, I can see how actively cleaning is a workout, especially if just starting out in a new active lifestyle from a very sedentary one.

I've burned a heck of a lot more calories doing a half a day of spring cleaning than, say, a ten minute walk (which I tend to assume is folks taking their dog out). But I don't think anyone would question walking.

I absolutely count it. It's not counted in my sedentary lifestyle, so if I burn em, I count em. If I don't count them, it seems dishonest. But I also count every thing I eat - whether it's a half a cracker or a full serving.

is the burning of calories exercise??

Lets rephrase, if you burn a ton of calories using your fatty acid energy system as the primary driver, do you consider that more exercise than less calories burned from doing cardio based energy system movement?

I don't know that I would consider cleaning an exercise - but I do believe that if I am doing something which burns significantly more calories than sitting on my butt in front of the computer that I should record it. Otherwise, my record is incomplete. So, let's say that I hadn't recorded all that cleaning and box moving. A couple months from now when I'm stuck in a plateau and reviewing my previous logs to find patterns or whatever, I would see this massive loss with no explanation. "hmmm is it because I ate more carbs? maybe it was my water intake - hmmm, that must be it, I was better about my water!" I'd be wrong in that assumption because I actually burned thousands of calories cleaning and moving that I didn't record because it wasn't some definition of exercise.

And, yes, that is an extreme example. It's like comparing running a marathon with walking the dog. I wouldn't begrudge someone recording walking the dog, so why should I begrudge someone spending 45 minutes vacuuming the house and carrying loads of laundry from the upstairs to the basement and back again. (though if they're set at an active lifestyle - they may be screwing themselves over, but I am set at sedentary)

And I diffidently agree with what all you are saying. But I am saying as the aspect of using as an excuse though. Because I know people personally who do it, why I brought it up in the first place. I know when you sleep your burning calories, your burn calories no matter what you do.

I also believe in pushing people to their hardest. It has helped my friends out tons of time. And if SOME people have the mind set that all they have to do is clean everyday to get that 200 to 600 calories then they will be just fine I disagree.

IMO, people log the calories burned during housework, child care, and yard work because they are, in fact, burning calories. I would not dream of passing judgement on someone--implying that they are using their cleaning activities as an excuse for not formally exercising. Yes, one can get in shape with eating a healthy diet, walking, cleaning, gardening, playing with kids, etc., without ever stepping into a gym or using an exercise video. In fact, when you think about it--exercising in a gym appears to be a fairly recent phenomenon. Our ancestors who most likely made their living doing manual labor had no need for "exercise".

I totally agree with this. I just think that more modern times are certainly set up differently than humans are really meant to live, and that people should live more actively, as in during their everyday lives. Too many people just don't stop to think that even 50 years ago, the exercise was gotten from everyday life, just traveling and working. Some people still live this way. I so often travel by bicycle and walk all over whenever possible. I also expend a lot of calories cleaning and dealing with my kids, but I also swim and try to find time to add a "Workout" to my daily life. Sometimes it's not easy for people to spend time at a gym. If people would learn to eat more healthy and realize that daily movement really is the exercise they need in order to be healthy, we would all be and sty healthy.

The other day I saw a man who was heavy, ride a 4-wheeler a block to go from one place to another(about a block apart). This is where he should have really just gotten some exercise. Make use of those legs when you can people. And make sure to realize this really is exercise. Daily stuff or not. I live about 800 feet from my family and I so rarely drive there when I go. I either walk or ride my bike. It expends energy and stretches my legs.

I have only used it a couple of times as my form of exercise. However, I only used it when I did some heavy cleaning. I pulled things out from under the bed or closet, dusted, moved furniture, stood up and down on a stool. One day I cleaned for 3 hrs. But I only logged in that I did an hour. But I figure because I in some form or other worked by arms, my butt and legs, and worked up a sweat and had to use my core to stay balance without getting injured, then to me that counted as a workout.

sex, shopping, ect... Are just daily things - not exercise.

Once a month if i am lucky... damn

I don't agree with the shopping not being exercise though. I don't log my daily pop round the shop to get some bread as exercise but once a month or so i go out all day shopping on my own. I walk up and down the high street, round the market... Sometimes I am walking for 3 hours. I don't log it as 3 hours walking though, i put say 90 minutes walking at the slowest pace.
I don't always eat back my exercise cals though and don't when it is shopping based lol

I log it as exercise because my activity level is set to sedentary and I am pretty much sat on my bum all day. Also, I was sweating today while cleaning.

I'm not logging it as an excuse to not go to the gym, I just log it as it's out of my usual daily activity level.

I don't use cleaning as my only workout but I do some major cleaning around the house and count those calories as burned calories. It's not like I sat in a chair and waved my arm, I climb to clean light fixtures, I stoop to clean behind or under things. I get on my hands and knees to scrub the floor. These are all energy spent.

I personally don't log household activity unless it's a hefty (not standard day) task. HOWEVER - a few months ago, even doing the dishes worked up a sweat and increased my heart rate, for many reasons. Had I been using this site at the time.... "walking to the mailbox" would have been something I was proud of... so I likely would have logged it. I'm pretty sure the 14 calorie burn I got from that wouldn't have made a dent in my day- but it sure would have kicked up my self confidence.

I think it depends on who and where you are in life, and if you are realistic in your calculation of the activity. If any one of my MFP pals logs housework- I am sure they have their reasons for finding it something worth logging. If I know them well enough to tell them their numbers may be off- then depending on the situation, I may ask if they want my advice. It isn't my place to judge them, but rather to support them.

I feel like gardening counts because when I am weeding, I am getting up and down, reaching, and sweating for an hour or more...the other activities? I just consider it an added bonus that I don't log. I don't clean a WHOLE lot...folding laundry and doing dishes doesn't take too long...playing with the kids definitely counts though!