444 calories burned in 43 minutes!

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allforthethrill
allforthethrill Posts: 108 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I set myself a challenge this week to burn 7000 calories in 7 days! I decided to wear my HRM while I cleaned for a while and was shocked at how many calories I burned in just 43 minutes (which mind you didn't even feel like that long). I burn 300 - 350 from the 27 minutes of the 30 Day Shred so it really puts it into perspective.
For those of you with HRMs kill 2 birds with 1 stone and work up a sweat cleaning your house!
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  • jelr
    jelr Posts: 98 Member
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    To me this is something included in your activity level/lifestyle. We clean our houses it's part of our daily lives, I would not include it in your exercise allotment, and definitely would not eat extra calories from it.
  • allforthethrill
    allforthethrill Posts: 108 Member
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    To me this is something included in your activity level/lifestyle. We clean our houses it's part of our daily lives, I would not include it in your exercise allotment, and definitely would not eat extra calories from it.

    I don't see how working up a good sweat vacuuming, etc. isn't able to be counted as exercise. Anything above my BMR that I would have broken a sweat from is exercise. If I had of gone for a 45 minute walk/ jog it would be included so why can't this?
  • missfroggiexxx
    missfroggiexxx Posts: 9 Member
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    That is brilliant!! I feel that putting more effort in to doing the housework to build up a sweat is a great way to exercise!
  • V3ggieL0vinGinger
    V3ggieL0vinGinger Posts: 235
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    To me this is something included in your activity level/lifestyle. We clean our houses it's part of our daily lives, I would not include it in your exercise allotment, and definitely would not eat extra calories from it.

    I don't see how working up a good sweat vacuuming, etc. isn't able to be counted as exercise. Anything above my BMR that I would have broken a sweat from is exercise. If I had of gone for a 45 minute walk/ jog it would be included so why can't this?

    Agreed! I would definitely log this (especially since I only thoroughly clean about once a year...not a daily activity for me!)
  • allforthethrill
    allforthethrill Posts: 108 Member
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    That is brilliant!! I feel that putting more effort in to doing the housework to build up a sweat is a great way to exercise!

    Me too! I'm glad someone sees where I'm coming from! I'm not just strolling around, I genuinely get moving.

    I still don't see what the difference is between burning 450 calories from cleaning opposed to 450 from jogging.
  • harriottd
    harriottd Posts: 3
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    I add in vigorous cleaning, but will not eat extra cals to make up for it... for those on the larger size who medically cant go to a gym, it helps get moving and burning, so think it should be added in as excersice.. it raises the heart rate in the same way as a speed walk.

    I am not allowed to the gym due to hip pronlems (hsd twins 10 months ago) and use hose work and walking to burn my calories.... is working for me as am 11lbs lighter now xxx

    Hugs all and good luck loosing xx
  • allforthethrill
    allforthethrill Posts: 108 Member
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    I add in vigorous cleaning, but will not eat extra cals to make up for it... for those on the larger size who medically cant go to a gym, it helps get moving and burning, so think it should be added in as excersice.. it raises the heart rate in the same way as a speed walk.

    I am not allowed to the gym due to hip pronlems (hsd twins 10 months ago) and use hose work and walking to burn my calories.... is working for me as am 11lbs lighter now xxx

    Hugs all and good luck loosing xx

    YAY! I'm not alone, I really felt my heart rate rise and began sweating as well! I'm glad other people have been doing the same!
  • ♥ChUbByCoyLe♥
    ♥ChUbByCoyLe♥ Posts: 267 Member
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    I include it. I wear my HRM whilst I do it which motivates me to clean better. I even do a wee dance whilst hovering!
  • allforthethrill
    allforthethrill Posts: 108 Member
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    I include it. I wear my HRM whilst I do it which motivates me to clean better. I even do a wee dance whilst hovering!

    LMAO!
    I may have to create a play list of music and do just the same!
  • flynnfinn
    flynnfinn Posts: 209 Member
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    i hate to be the party pooper here but a heart rate monitor is not designed to measure caloric burn at periods of rest or activity that is not aerobic. The number you get by doing that won't be very accurate. The relationship between heart rate and energy expenditure isn't the same when you're at rest as it is when you're exercising, and heart rate monitors make their estimates based on studies of people during exercise. That formula won't work for times when you're at rest, or doing things that don't meet the criteria for aerobic exercise, and the number you get will probably be off by quite a bit. not to mention, a HRM does not take into consideration your basal metabolic rate. it really only measures your heart rate while in a period of steady increased cardiovascular aerobic activity. you can do a search here on MFP and you will find lots of information about this.

    if you are interested in seeing how many calories you burn throughout the day, a fitbit or bodybugg is what you should use.

    and most importantly, HRMs really only give ESTIMATES. there is no exact science to knowing exactly how many calories you burn doing any type of activity. it is fair to say that HRMs can be up to 25% off. so 444 calories could actually be more like 333 calories burned.
  • allforthethrill
    allforthethrill Posts: 108 Member
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    i hate to be the party pooper here but a heart rate monitor is not designed to measure caloric burn at periods of rest or activity that is not aerobic. The number you get by doing that won't be very accurate. The relationship between heart rate and energy expenditure isn't the same when you're at rest as it is when you're exercising, and heart rate monitors make their estimates based on studies of people during exercise. That formula won't work for times when you're at rest, or doing things that don't meet the criteria for aerobic exercise, and the number you get will probably be off by quite a bit. not to mention, a HRM does not take into consideration your basal metabolic rate. it really only measures your heart rate while in a period of steady increased cardiovascular aerobic activity. you can do a search here on MFP and you will find lots of information about this.

    if you are interested in seeing how many calories you burn throughout the day, a fitbit or bodybugg is what you should use.

    and most importantly, HRMs really only give ESTIMATES. there is no exact science to knowing exactly how many calories you burn doing any type of activity. it is fair to say that HRMs can be up to 25% off. so 444 calories could actually be more like 333 calories burned.

    I wasn't at rest, I was up moving around, breaking a sweat.
    Even if it is 25% off that's still 333 calories I've burnt and I'm okay with this!
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    This is weird. I need like 30 minutes of squash to burn that much. I don't see how a little bit of hoovering equals up to squash which is an insanely active activity, which, after 30 minutes just makes me want to curl up and die...

    Maybe I just need to fire the cleaning lady then!
  • allforthethrill
    allforthethrill Posts: 108 Member
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    This is weird. I need like 30 minutes of squash to burn that much. I don't see how a little bit of hoovering equals up to squash which is an insanely active activity, which, after 30 minutes just makes me want to curl up and die...

    Maybe I just need to fire the cleaning lady then!

    It also has a lot to do with how much people weigh too and staying in your target heart rate zone.
  • flynnfinn
    flynnfinn Posts: 209 Member
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    i totally understand but another factor you are not considering is you were not doing STEADY STATE cardio/aerobic exercise. you did not hold your heart rate at a constant elevated number for an extended period of time. HRMs use formulas and estimates and if you were at 135bpm for 5 minutes then 155bpm for 7 minutes then back down to 130bmp for 5 minutes (and so on and so on), it will not be accurate.

    you should also not count the calories you would burn anyway in those 43 minutes if you were not doing anything. a HRM would count those calories so technically you are double counting those.

    basically, all i'm trying to say is a HRM should be used as a tool to measure heart rate. the fact that it gives you the estimated calorie burn is just a bonus. it is a tool designed to make your workouts more effective by monitoring your heart rate while in physical activity. you can push yourself harder or take it down a notch based on your heart rate which shows how hard you are working.

    as an avid runner and someone who has used a HRM for many years, i can tell you right now...my weight loss had VERY little to do with how many calories i was burning. it wasn't until i changed my diet and focused more on how many calories i was consuming that i started to see the lbs coming off.

    just sayin'...that's all.
  • flynnfinn
    flynnfinn Posts: 209 Member
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    This is weird. I need like 30 minutes of squash to burn that much. I don't see how a little bit of hoovering equals up to squash which is an insanely active activity, which, after 30 minutes just makes me want to curl up and die...

    Maybe I just need to fire the cleaning lady then!

    It also has a lot to do with how much people weigh too and staying in your target heart rate zone.

    in order for me (5'6", 36yo female, 130lbs) to burn 400+ calories, i need to run for 60 minutes straight at a speed of 8mph. and trust me, running at that pace is a lot tougher than cleaning the house.
  • allforthethrill
    allforthethrill Posts: 108 Member
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    This is weird. I need like 30 minutes of squash to burn that much. I don't see how a little bit of hoovering equals up to squash which is an insanely active activity, which, after 30 minutes just makes me want to curl up and die...

    Maybe I just need to fire the cleaning lady then!

    It also has a lot to do with how much people weigh too and staying in your target heart rate zone.

    in order for me (5'6", 36yo female, 130lbs) to burn 400+ calories, i need to run for 60 minutes straight at a speed of 8mph. and trust me, running at that pace is a lot tougher than cleaning the house.

    Now I'm not trying to be rude, but could you please stop? I understand you're trying to get a point across but I really don't want to keep reading through all the negativity, pretty much telling me that what I'm doing is useless. Also, you're making assumptions on my heart rate, you don't know what my heart rate was and how long it had been elevated for, therefore you have no right to comment. Also, I had only had it on from the point where I was up really sweating it out until I stopped. You don't know how tough some things can be for other people because we're not all the same. And also you weight a lot less than I do so naturally I'm going to burn more calories than you would doing the same thing.
  • flynnfinn
    flynnfinn Posts: 209 Member
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    This is weird. I need like 30 minutes of squash to burn that much. I don't see how a little bit of hoovering equals up to squash which is an insanely active activity, which, after 30 minutes just makes me want to curl up and die...

    Maybe I just need to fire the cleaning lady then!

    It also has a lot to do with how much people weigh too and staying in your target heart rate zone.

    in order for me (5'6", 36yo female, 130lbs) to burn 400+ calories, i need to run for 60 minutes straight at a speed of 8mph. and trust me, running at that pace is a lot tougher than cleaning the house.

    Now I'm not trying to be rude, but could you please stop? I understand you're trying to get a point across but I really don't want to keep reading through all the negativity, pretty much telling me that what I'm doing is useless. Also, you're making assumptions on my heart rate, you don't know what my heart rate was and how long it had been elevated for, therefore you have no right to comment. Also, I had only had it on from the point where I was up really sweating it out until I stopped. You don't know how tough some things can be for other people because we're not all the same. And also you weight a lot less than I do so naturally I'm going to burn more calories than you would doing the same thing.

    fair enough. i apologize. i was only trying to give you the realistic side of HRMs. i just see a lot of people here with crazy amounts for calories burned and then eating back those calories and then wondering why there is no weight loss.

    once again, i apologize.
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    You cannot really open a topic on the internet and say : "but please only those comment who totally agree with me". It is not going to work trust me :)
  • Silvara_11
    Silvara_11 Posts: 133 Member
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    i totally understand but another factor you are not considering is you were not doing STEADY STATE cardio/aerobic exercise. you did not hold your heart rate at a constant elevated number for an extended period of time. HRMs use formulas and estimates and if you were at 135bpm for 5 minutes then 155bpm for 7 minutes then back down to 130bmp for 5 minutes (and so on and so on), it will not be accurate.

    you should also not count the calories you would burn anyway in those 43 minutes if you were not doing anything. a HRM would count those calories so technically you are double counting those.

    basically, all i'm trying to say is a HRM should be used as a tool to measure heart rate. the fact that it gives you the estimated calorie burn is just a bonus. it is a tool designed to make your workouts more effective by monitoring your heart rate while in physical activity. you can push yourself harder or take it down a notch based on your heart rate which shows how hard you are working.

    as an avid runner and someone who has used a HRM for many years, i can tell you right now...my weight loss had VERY little to do with how many calories i was burning. it wasn't until i changed my diet and focused more on how many calories i was consuming that i started to see the lbs coming off.

    just sayin'...that's all.

    I think you have been misinformed. I've been using an HRM for non-cardio exercise for many years (4+) and I do believe if you have a good HRM - I have one which I can do a fitness test with to gauge my own calorie expenditure at rest so can tell me with a greater degree of accuracy my caloric burn from activities that do not meet your very narrow criteria for HRM use and I've been eating back happily calories I burn and been loosing about a pound a week since I started this year.

    What is more, while I am heavier today than I was 8 years ago I'm fitter and slimmer today.

    I've read all that the various forum discussions on HRM and they are very useful but calorie burn is a calculation of exertion and if you are working up a sweat be it by sitting in a sauna, running or cleaning you are expending calories. If someone is able to stay consistently within their target heart rate zone (over 120bpm) then they will have a decently accurate calorie burn estimate regardless of activity.

    You are correct you results will be better when you start watching what you consume so if you eat back the 300 calorie burn in an ice-cream bar you will still see the same weight loss as if you ate a nice big salad. But you are likely not to shift the inches so regardless of what the scale says you won't like like you want.

    To the OP: WTG - clean baby clean!! Just remember the HRM is an estimate as much as the calorie counts you get on a ready meal so probably try and keep some wriggle room in the consumption.
  • MsTanyaRN
    MsTanyaRN Posts: 21 Member
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    I just started MFP and have been reading these message boards and I think it's really sad how many people want to be negative, rude, and tear someone down on their fitness/weightloss journey ESPECIALLY on a board and site that is meant to inspire, encourage, and build each other up!!! Who cares about the actual science and blah blah blah blah blah?!?!?!?! If this person has worked her tail off, upped her heartrate, and broken a sweat and feels good and proud of herself then let her be proud!!!!! Reading these comments as well as ones from other boards has made me realize that the only participation I want with MFP is my app on my phone because apparently there's no empathy and common respect and consideration here.

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