scrubbing bathtub

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SheilaN1976
SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
i am about to go and scrub the tub...it will take me about 30 minutes minimum to do...not to mention i always poor sweat by the time i am done...should i include this in my calories burned for today under cardio? i am going to take my heart rate during it and see how high it gets and figure the amount of calories i burned myself.
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Replies

  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    No.

    You scrubbed the tub before right? And it didn't magically make you lose weight before, did it?

    Counting household chores you've always done gives you an artificially inflated burn, IMHO. And I think it's a poor habit to get into that mentally can make you justify avoiding DELIBERATE exercise.

    I count EXERCISE as exercise. If I did it before when I was fat and it's normal house work anyways, I don't count it.
  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
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    I think it depends on what your activity setting is. If you chose sedentary to determine your goals, then I think you could count it as exercise, but if you chose a higher setting, "lightly active" or above, then I think it's probably already included. I used to log a lot of the walking I did, back when I had myself listed as "sedentary", but recently I just upped my activity setting to "lightly active" and stopped logging it.
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
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    I think it depends on what your activity setting is. If you chose sedentary to determine your goals, then I think you could count it as exercise, but if you chose a higher setting, "lightly active" or above, then I think it's probably already included. I used to log a lot of the walking I did, back when I had myself listed as "sedentary", but recently I just upped my activity setting to "lightly active" and stopped logging it.

    my setting is sedentary.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,106 Member
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    No.

    You scrubbed the tub before right? And it didn't magically make you lose weight before, did it?

    Counting household chores you've always done gives you an artificially inflated burn, IMHO. And I think it's a poor habit to get into that mentally can make you justify avoiding DELIBERATE exercise.

    I count EXERCISE as exercise. If I did it before when I was fat and it's normal house work anyways, I don't count it.

    Could not have said it better myself.

    This bad habit of counting every little move you make other than sitting on the couch will do nothing but sabatoge your efforts. Don't count trips to the grocery store, or cooking dinner, or brushing your teeth, either. (Yup, people ask this.)
  • jarrettd
    jarrettd Posts: 872 Member
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    Warning: Hotly debated topic.

    You will get very vehement answers from both sides, but ultimately, it's up to you. If you feel it amounts to calories burned over and above your set activity level, log it. If you would rather let it go as an addition to your deficit, that's fine, too.

    Personally, I have my activity set to sedentary, because when I am at my job I have few opportunities to move around. I consider that my baseline. When I am home, I am a flurry of chores, yardwork, kid-chasing, etc. (My fitbit has logged as high as 19,000 steps for a day of being a Domestic Goddess!) Do I count my housework? Darn right, I do!

    Bottom line, do what feels right for you, because it only impacts you. If you log the calories and eat them back, then notice your weight loss isn't where you hoped, you may want to adjust for it. Your call.

    Have fun, and Good Luck!
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    If you're set as sedentary then I'd log it especially if you really give it some welly! :happy:

    I log all housework but only eat back 50% of any exercise calories I earn.

    Happy scrubbing! :drinker:
  • Tracepa98
    Tracepa98 Posts: 219
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    I think it depends on what your activity setting is. If you chose sedentary to determine your goals, then I think you could count it as exercise, but if you chose a higher setting, "lightly active" or above, then I think it's probably already included. I used to log a lot of the walking I did, back when I had myself listed as "sedentary", but recently I just upped my activity setting to "lightly active" and stopped logging it.

    my setting is sedentary.

    Ive counted it recently because i really work up a sweat trying to scrub that grout! Im sure you will get mixed answers on it though. I too have "sedentary" as my active level because i have a 40hr desk job.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,106 Member
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    .......and, a Heart Rate Monitor is designed to track sustained aerobic exercise. Not something like scrubbing a tub.

    Here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472
  • SavageFeast
    SavageFeast Posts: 325 Member
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    I don't log anything that I was doing regularly while gaining weight.
  • Aplmark
    Aplmark Posts: 49 Member
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    I log particularly strenuous activities like yard word, scrubbing floors etc just to keep track of the activities as these are over and above my normal sedentary lifestyle but I rarely eat back the calories.
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
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    Warning: Hotly debated topic.

    You will get very vehement answers from both sides, but ultimately, it's up to you. If you feel it amounts to calories burned over and above your set activity level, log it. If you would rather let it go as an addition to your deficit, that's fine, too.

    Personally, I have my activity set to sedentary, because when I am at my job I have few opportunities to move around. I consider that my baseline. When I am home, I am a flurry of chores, yardwork, kid-chasing, etc. (My fitbit has logged as high as 19,000 steps for a day of being a Domestic Goddess!) Do I count my housework? Darn right, I do!

    Bottom line, do what feels right for you, because it only impacts you. If you log the calories and eat them back, then notice your weight loss isn't where you hoped, you may want to adjust for it. Your call.

    Have fun, and Good Luck!

    Thanks! i have my set to sedentary and i dont count every little thing...i dont count walking around the store etc things like that...but scrubbing the tub gets my heart rate up pretty good and with the amount of sweat i do i figured i have to be burning a good chunk of calories. i think i will do it, check my heart rate and see what its at, and figure the calories burned and go from there.
  • julieh391
    julieh391 Posts: 683 Member
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    No.

    You scrubbed the tub before right? And it didn't magically make you lose weight before, did it?

    Counting household chores you've always done gives you an artificially inflated burn, IMHO. And I think it's a poor habit to get into that mentally can make you justify avoiding DELIBERATE exercise.

    I count EXERCISE as exercise. If I did it before when I was fat and it's normal house work anyways, I don't count it.

    ^^^This!
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
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    I log particularly strenuous activities like yard word, scrubbing floors etc just to keep track of the activities as these are over and above my normal sedentary lifestyle but I rarely eat back the calories.

    Thanks! i of course never said i would eat back the calories burned. i just was asking if i should enter it in as cardio or not.
  • julieh391
    julieh391 Posts: 683 Member
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    Oh, and for those of you that scrub grout, get Tilex with bleach. Spray it and walk away. Clean grout in 15 minutes with zero effort. True story. :happy: I hate cleaning the tub. I'd much rather go for a run.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
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    Some of these answers make me chuckle. People get so bent about what other people log or don't log...

    I do a very thorough vacuuming of my entire house - 2 Great rooms, stairs, long hallways, 4 bedrooms, and all of the furniture about once a week. It takes me nearly 2 hours, what with moving the furniture, hauling the vacuum around from room to room and floor to floor, emptying the canister, etc. And you're damn right I wear my HRM and log it.

    Did I do this before I lost the weight? No, because I didn't have 2 cats then.

    Should anyone here give a flying rats @ss if I log it? No.

    Bottom line? If you want to log it, log it.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    You can log whatever you want. Log brushing your teeth. Who cares? If you stop losing weight, then you know why. If you don't stop losing weight, again, who cares?
  • way2shy
    way2shy Posts: 20 Member
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    Log it. I do when I can't get out and walk or go to a Gym. It is strenuous exercise when you really get into it. I can not get out and walk right now but my house has never been cleaner and I do not eat the extra calories I earn but if I did then so be it. It will only hurt me in the long run if I'm wrong and I don't plan on being wrong. I will get better at exercise when I lose 100+ lbs so I need encouragement like the next person. So please do what you want and I will help support you all the way.
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    Some of these answers make me chuckle. People get so bent about what other people log or don't log...

    I do a very thorough vacuuming of my entire house - 2 Great rooms, stairs, long hallways, 4 bedrooms, and all of the furniture about once a week. It takes me nearly 2 hours, what with moving the furniture, hauling the vacuum around from room to room and floor to floor, emptying the canister, etc. And you're damn right I wear my HRM and log it.

    Did I do this before I lost the weight? No, because I didn't have 2 cats then.

    Should anyone here give a flying rats @ss if I log it? No.

    Bottom line? If you want to log it, log it.


    lol!!! this is kind of awesome.

    I agree with you.........but I'll also give my opinion because they asked. And because more often than not the folks who've lost 5lbs and are asking to log house work are the ones who 1)won't be here in a month and/or 2)will start posting in a month about how "it's not working!!!" and they can't figure out why. Just sayin'. ;)
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
    Options
    Some of these answers make me chuckle. People get so bent about what other people log or don't log...

    I do a very thorough vacuuming of my entire house - 2 Great rooms, stairs, long hallways, 4 bedrooms, and all of the furniture about once a week. It takes me nearly 2 hours, what with moving the furniture, hauling the vacuum around from room to room and floor to floor, emptying the canister, etc. And you're damn right I wear my HRM and log it.

    Did I do this before I lost the weight? No, because I didn't have 2 cats then.

    Should anyone here give a flying rats @ss if I log it? No.

    Bottom line? If you want to log it, log it.


    lol!!! this is kind of awesome.

    I agree with you.........but I'll also give my opinion because they asked. And because more often than not the folks who've lost 5lbs and are asking to log house work are the ones who 1)won't be here in a month and/or 2)will start posting in a month about how "it's not working!!!" and they can't figure out why. Just sayin'. ;)

    again i will reiterate...i never said i would eat back any of these calories burned by scrubbing the tub...........i eat back all other intentional exercise calories. housework calories burned i do not eat back. i just wanted to know if i should bother entering it or not.
  • jetabear10
    jetabear10 Posts: 375 Member
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    I don't log anything that I was doing regularly while gaining weight.

    couldn't resist...does that include eating?

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