housework

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nic2006
nic2006 Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi.
Am new on this forum.
Have been googling housework and apparently you burn quite alot of calories but is it classed as exercise.
Am a housewife/mother who doesn't get time to go to the gym much so would be fab if it did.
Also, am off to the coast today so walking around etc.....can I add that to my exercise, like slow walking etc...
Thanks for any replies

Nic x

Replies

  • amnsetie
    amnsetie Posts: 666 Member
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    If you have set your activity level to sedentary you can log housework. It's there under cleaning and cooking.
    You can also make your own exercise categories.
    If you set it to active you may have already included these cals
  • nic2006
    nic2006 Posts: 9
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    Have set it to sedentary so will look under cleaning and cooking.Thankyou
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    "I'm concerned about your weight gain. You should watch what you eat. And start doing housework." - no doctor, ever.
  • jkcrawford
    jkcrawford Posts: 435 Member
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    Yes also new here and can't log house work. when I wash my floors on hands and knees I entered it as dancing lol
  • Emily_fitat30
    Emily_fitat30 Posts: 32 Member
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    I don't count every day housework as I would be doing that anyway, but if I'm spring cleaning / moving furniture then I log that. Any activity that you wern't already doing counts :)
  • Keiko385
    Keiko385 Posts: 514 Member
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    I would be afraid to log cleaning and then slack off and have ppl wonder if I never clean anymore. If its washing walls and shampooing the carpets I might but everyday stuff no
  • KRue12
    KRue12 Posts: 2
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    "I'm concerned about your weight gain. You should watch what you eat. And start doing housework." - no doctor, ever.

    You're undervaluing the hard work that housework has. Depending on what you're doing, and for how long you do it, it actually takes a lot of work. Just because it isn't the classic way to exercise, doesn't mean it can't count.
  • jnewsome62
    jnewsome62 Posts: 13 Member
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    my only concern about logging housework, were you not doing that before? And, if it really can be considered as exercise then every housewife with a clean house should be skinny, right? So, anything you have already been doing before trying to lose weight your body has adjusted to. So, the things you add to your daily activity should be the ones that make a difference. Just my two cents. You have the right to disagree with me.
  • cjsmommy7
    cjsmommy7 Posts: 135 Member
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    I only log activities that i wouldnt be doing anyways so normal house work is a no for me but moving furniture etc i add( mine is set to active though so maybe on sedentary these could be added) I log long walks or brisk walks. I think if its more than what you would normally do it can be added.
  • meridian35
    meridian35 Posts: 19 Member
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    I used a HR monitor and calorie counter (pre-programmed with my weight, height, age etc) to clean the spare room before my son arrived to stay (so hoovering, dusting, cleaning the loo and shower, changing the bed etc) . I burned 370 calories in 50 minutes, so yep, it is exercise :)
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    I wouldn't count the daily pick ups and daily wipe down kind of cleans. I do count it when I scrub the floors, do a big clean, move furniture around, shampoo carpets etc.

    If you do a lot of cleaning daily you can increase your activity level to account for it. Say lightly active instead of sedetary.

    For the walking for sure log it as exercise! I would log half of the time you actual spend walking though (MFP really over estimates calories burned!).
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
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    Log extra stuff you do in the house. Pick a different room each to clean even if it doesn't need it, just to get you moving a bit more.

    I don't bother logging mine often. Hardly ever really. lol. But I make an effort to so something extra on days I'm getting my normal activity levels. Plus it cuts down on the big once a week cleaning day. Keeping up with dust and dog fur in my house is a workout! lol
  • CRody44
    CRody44 Posts: 776 Member
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    Count it only if you have never done housework before.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    "I'm concerned about your weight gain. You should watch what you eat. And start doing housework." - no doctor, ever.

    You're undervaluing the hard work that housework has. Depending on what you're doing, and for how long you do it, it actually takes a lot of work. Just because it isn't the classic way to exercise, doesn't mean it can't count.

    And you're overvaluing. While housework may be hard, it does not get your heart rate up significantly for an extended period and does not make your muscles work hard enough to force them to adapt. There's a reason doctors don't prescribe it. There's a reason Housework Your Way To Bikini Season has never been a feature in Shape magazine.

    Log it if you want. It's your diary, your life. But eat the calories back and you'll be posting that MFP isn't working and you can't figure out why.
  • lifescircle
    lifescircle Posts: 108
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    "I'm concerned about your weight gain. You should watch what you eat. And start doing housework." - no doctor, ever.

    You're undervaluing the hard work that housework has. Depending on what you're doing, and for how long you do it, it actually takes a lot of work. Just because it isn't the classic way to exercise, doesn't mean it can't count.

    And you're overvaluing. While housework may be hard, it does not get your heart rate up significantly for an extended period and does not make your muscles work hard enough to force them to adapt. There's a reason doctors don't prescribe it. There's a reason Housework Your Way To Bikini Season has never been a feature in Shape magazine.

    Log it if you want. It's your diary, your life. But eat the calories back and you'll be posting that MFP isn't working and you can't figure out why.

    Thank You DavPul. You're last sentence is right on. And with any activity, it is the effort you put into it. If you're not putting the effort into it, but yet still logging all those calories burned, you're sabotaging yourself. A heart rate monitor is needed. Going thru the motions of any activity is not a workout.
  • HelloSweetie4
    HelloSweetie4 Posts: 1,214 Member
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    Personally, I don't log routine housework, but if I'm doing a full house cleaning, like spring cleaning type, where I am sweating my rear off then I will log it.
  • nic2006
    nic2006 Posts: 9
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    Thanks for replies. Had cleared out kids rooms, carried boxes, wiped skirting etc...so logged that. Not normal hoovering, polishing and washing pots lol.
    Have posted about extra calories earned during exercise and if you HAVE to use them cause in my diary it says I am under calorie goal when i don't.
    Surely, like you say DavPul it will lead to weight gain or no loss at all if you eat all you burn!!
  • MeliJean78
    MeliJean78 Posts: 249
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    I do not count housework, sitting on the sofa, brushing my teeth or sneezing as exercise and you shouldn't either.

    Exercise and log it!

    Best of luck.
  • LeeshaNichole
    LeeshaNichole Posts: 179 Member
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    "I'm concerned about your weight gain. You should watch what you eat. And start doing housework." - no doctor, ever.

    That is actually untrue-When I talked to my doctor about starting to work out she said to vacuum 5 days a week(which I already did) but to jog lightly..to start me off slowly. Now when I do house work when I mop, vacuum, sweep I jog at the fastest pace I can while still be able to do the job. While cleaning bathtub, toilet, bathroom sink I do squats. When doing dishes or cleaning counter, sink I do butt kicks. When going from one area of the house to the other I jog, and when lifting the laundry basket I do squats with it. So, yes you can make housework a workout. And Yes that is exactly what my doctor told me to do.
  • LeeshaNichole
    LeeshaNichole Posts: 179 Member
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    "I'm concerned about your weight gain. You should watch what you eat. And start doing housework." - no doctor, ever.

    That is actually untrue-When I talked to my doctor about starting to work out she said to vacuum 5 days a week(which I already did) but to jog lightly..to start me off slowly. Now when I do house work when I mop, vacuum, sweep I jog at the fastest pace I can while still be able to do the job. While cleaning bathtub, toilet, bathroom sink I do squats. When doing dishes or cleaning counter, sink I do butt kicks. When going from one area of the house to the other I jog, and when lifting the laundry basket I do squats with it. So, yes you can make housework a workout. And Yes that is exactly what my doctor told me to do.

    EDIT-I never eat back exercise calories!

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