Is housework considered excersise?

Marinayes
Marinayes Posts: 21 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Well, is it? I have been doing fall house cleaning (I mean serious cleaning, including furniture moving) for the past 3 days and I am exhausted. However, I have not logged it as exercise. Given how hungry have been (probably due to the physical exertion) I think it should count for some extra exercise calories I could eat back.

...and if I do count it, how many calories does it actually burn up?
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Replies

  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    Good question, I'm getting my hair cut later on today, can I count this as exercise?
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    I would say everyday dusting vacuuming etc....not exercise. But heavy furniture moving, and all that..the stuff you don't do every day...probably. I think there is a category in the database for that kind of thing.
  • AuntSaris
    AuntSaris Posts: 7 Member
    Hey! When you go to your exercise journal, enter cleaning in the search engine. There are 2 listings, one for light cleaning and one for heavy cleaning. You decide which one fits. Then enter the time. IT will figure everything else out for you. Definitely count your cleaning as exercise....its hard work. Best of luck!
  • mrsmustgetmuscles1
    mrsmustgetmuscles1 Posts: 57 Member
    yes it counts, especially if it's not something you do everyday. I log mine, however I try not to eat back all the calories it gives me for it since it seems really high.
  • Pipsg1rl
    Pipsg1rl Posts: 1,414 Member
    I feel like housework, cooking, etc shouldn't be counted. Especially if it's something you do every day. I think it's "cheating" your calorie burn.

    HOWEVER: If you are laying new floors, putting on a new roof, or building a deck, planting a garden- that's some seriously strenuous activity and something you aren't doing EVERY DAY as part of your normal burn.

    If you want to know how many calories you are burning, I would wear an HRM to track.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Good question, I'm getting my hair cut later on today, can I count this as exercise?
    WOW.....Would you like a little bowl of milk?:noway: She asked about heavy, non- everyday out of the ordinary cleaning, not everyday stuff...Which made her tired and hungry -same as what a 4 hour hike would do....
    To the OP, like others said, if it's not something you do everyday, log the calories...I won't eat all of it, but definitely enough to fuel my body for the extra energy required...
  • RenewedRunner
    RenewedRunner Posts: 423 Member
    My mindset: I did that kind of stuff when I was fat.

    What I DIDNT do when I was fat was diet and exercise. So those mindful, purposeful things I count. The rest I just chalk up to life as a bonus.

    But there are people who are successful in counting stuff like house cleaning, sex, riding a motorcycle. I just don't call that stuff exercise.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Would you have called it exercise before you started MFP? I doubt it.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    My mindset: I did that kind of stuff when I was fat.

    What I DIDNT do when I was fat was diet and exercise. So those mindful, purposeful things I count. The rest I just chalk up to life as a bonus.

    Exactly.
  • sherisse69
    sherisse69 Posts: 795 Member
    Good question, I'm getting my hair cut later on today, can I count this as exercise?

    Really? Is that really a fair comparison? I get sarcasm, but really? just don't respond if that is the attitude you need to take.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    your MFP is set up by you. I set mine up for LIGHTLY ACTIVE. So my job of chasing around kids with Autism all day is lightly active. When I get home and do dishes and swiffer, those are apart of my LIGHTLY active day. On Sunday when I scrub floors and move furniture...that is not my routine, it does not get taken into my daily set up so YES I count it. People count walking as exercise...and yes you walked everyday, even before you worked out and joined MFP!
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    It depends on your activity level setting. If you told MFP you were sedentary, this would be considered exercise. If you told MFP you were active, and you did this housework in lieu of the normal exercise/sports you would generally do, it would not be considered exercise.
  • DJJW
    DJJW Posts: 519 Member
    I always consider "big days" like that a bonus, and I don't count it.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    My mindset: I did that kind of stuff when I was fat.

    What I DIDNT do when I was fat was diet and exercise. So those mindful, purposeful things I count. The rest I just chalk up to life as a bonus.

    Exactly.
    Wrong!
    I also walked when I was overweight and watched what I ate...but not counting these things didn't help anything. Now I count things to stay in control. So you count everything.
  • Avandel
    Avandel Posts: 283 Member
    Good question, I'm getting my hair cut later on today, can I count this as exercise?

    MEOW!
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    Good question, I'm getting my hair cut later on today, can I count this as exercise?

    loled hard.


    if you don't break a sweat doing it, and it doesn't involve serious muscle contraction, then no. it isn't excercise. it's housework.
  • moriaht
    moriaht Posts: 251 Member
    Good question, I'm getting my hair cut later on today, can I count this as exercise?

    I love how the men post things like this.. Maybe if they DID house work they would know you can break a big sweat scrubbing the shower and moving the furniture all day.

    edit: Not all men... just the majority I know.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    Good question, I'm getting my hair cut later on today, can I count this as exercise?

    I love how the men post things like this.. Maybe if they DID house work they would know you can break a big sweat scrubbing the shower and moving the furniture all day.
    PERFECT!!! They don't get it! I do break a sweat so I count it!
  • meli_medina
    meli_medina Posts: 594 Member
    It depends on your activity level setting. If you told MFP you were sedentary, this would be considered exercise. If you told MFP you were active, and you did this housework in lieu of the normal exercise/sports you would generally do, it would not be considered exercise.

    ITA.
  • JVS1
    JVS1 Posts: 20 Member
    It depends on your activity level setting. If you told MFP you were sedentary, this would be considered exercise. If you told MFP you were active, and you did this housework in lieu of the normal exercise/sports you would generally do, it would not be considered exercise.

    I agree with this. My activity level is set at sedentary, so I do include my weekly 'big' clean as 'light cleaning', as it involves dusting, cleaning, scrubbing and vaccuuming but not the everyday tidy-up stuff I do on the other days. The reason being, I'm being more active when I'm doing that cleaning than I am when I'm sat at my desk during the week.
  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
    i don't clean, my husband does all the housework, so when i do bother to do it, i list it. i do laundry and cat pans every week, so i don't list it, but if i got wild and busted out the vacuum i would list it.
  • MonicaMeeks
    MonicaMeeks Posts: 15 Member
    You are hilarious. And no hair cuts do not count as exercise.
  • acstansell
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
    I feel that if it's something more than you would normally do when cleaning - like moving furniture, scrubbing walls, scouring grout... then you can log it. But don't be overly generous with the time.
  • carolebville
    carolebville Posts: 140 Member
    My motto is .... if you work up a good sweat, then I count it. Otherwise, I don't count it.....like walking the laundry up and down the stairs. I don't count it.....because it's something I would normally do. I never lost weight by doing it before!!!!
  • kater8er
    kater8er Posts: 364 Member
    I think it counts...If it's truly "serious" cleaning. Your general vacuuming and stuff, I don't count. But when I move furniture or stuff like that, I log it. As circuit training!
  • ThatDarnZach
    ThatDarnZach Posts: 52 Member
    I consider it exercise because I always bring my stereo downstairs with me and play loud music while I clean the kitchen or the living room and dance/jump/sing/play. By the time I'm done, I'm sweating, out of breath, and starving! That's not what I would have done before MFP but now I just use it as extra cardio time! However, I always underestimate the amount of time that I'm doing that to account for error. If I clean for 2 hours, I'll put in one.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Good question, I'm getting my hair cut later on today, can I count this as exercise?

    I love how the men post things like this.. Maybe if they DID house work they would know you can break a big sweat scrubbing the shower and moving the furniture all day.

    edit: Not all men... just the majority I know.

    Can.....but usually dont.......If you or the OP is really that worried about it wear a HRM....then you will know for sure. I worked my *kitten* off around the house for 3 hours at one spell this weekend.....for grins I wore mine.....at the end of 3 hours I had burned 300.......I would have burned over 200 sleeping. I would say don't count it.....but that's just me.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    If you were truly hungry, you should just eat something. Or you could just use it in your favor and stick to whatever your plan is. Counting things like housecleaning is silly as there is no real way to log it accurately.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    I consider it exercise because I always bring my stereo downstairs with me and play loud music while I clean the kitchen or the living room and dance/jump/sing/play. By the time I'm done, I'm sweating, out of breath, and starving! That's not what I would have done before MFP but now I just use it as extra cardio time!

    Richard Simmons is that you? I love to sweat to the oldies while I clean.....
  • dane11235813
    dane11235813 Posts: 682 Member
    DavPaul says you can burn 1000 calories in 30 minutes cleaning your house if you work hard enough.

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