House work Calories

Kazren
Kazren Posts: 88
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all

i know this might be a silly question, but this is the first time that i have tried this way of dieting and want to make sure i record everything, what i would like to know is i have noticed people logging housework, how do you know how many calories you burn doing different types of house work?

Replies

  • epj78
    epj78 Posts: 643 Member
    The official answer is to wear a heart rate monitor. Or you can go to a website that gives you estimates based on your weight.

    For the unofficial, just my personal opinion answer - housework is included in your "normal" calorie burn. I wouldn't eat these calories back. I don't think you'll lose weight if you are eating calories, such as housework or normal daily activities back. It is just my opinion and others will disagree. I would only count purposeful exercise in those that you are eating back - such as a brisk walk.
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    The info form epj is correct, (imho) but I will disagree on one point. IF and only if, the housework performed is above and beyond the "normal" I count it. For example, on Saturday we cleaned out basement after it flooded. It was hot, heavy work. I lifted soggy boxes that weighed about 50#, I hauled, I scrubbed, I cleaned...

    Today, I need to do a lot of housework to prepare for a party. I know that I will be doing some back breaking work between the house and yard. I plan to count some of that as well.

    Normal housework, like doing dishes? No way, don't count that. But if you are "spring cleaning" and doing a lot of lifting, bending, going up and down stairs a million times, and scrubbing. I think it is OK.

    I wear a HRM and turn it on only when I am doing something big.

    D
  • jenism
    jenism Posts: 31 Member
    I guess it depends on the type of house work... I like to dance and do housework. :P

    I say if you work up a good sweat, count it. If not, don't.
  • dlrcpa
    dlrcpa Posts: 114 Member
    Hi. I would say it depends. If I spend the occasional 5-10 minutes I do not log it. However there have been times I set a goal to work continuously for maybe 2 hours. Look at the start time, start working, do various things. My rule is don't sit down and keep moving. Sweep, mop, wash windows, carry laundry up & down stairs, water the plants, make the beds, etc. I can easily do this for 2 hours and then I log 2 hours of light housework.
  • 1harleygal
    1harleygal Posts: 226 Member
    :smile: Under the Excercise tab where you enter your excercise they have Housework listed as either light /moderate or heavy / vigorous and I just usually use the light / moderate for my cleaning I do so that I am say even when it is scrubbing floors and washing windows. :smile:
  • CrazyCatLadee2
    CrazyCatLadee2 Posts: 65 Member
    I agree with Harleygal. I log mine as light housework. I tend to clean for more than 2 hours at a time as it is, but even 30 minutes continuous burns calories. I tend to burn a lot of calories this way and I do work up a good sweat. My lifestyle thing is set for sedentary so this kind of moment is not included in what my calorie intake should be. Now if it was just doing dishes or just making a bed or something, then I wouldn't log it. I only log if its at least 30 minutes continuously moving while cleaning.
  • hjackson6
    hjackson6 Posts: 30 Member
    The only house work I log is when I am cleaning a clients house. Thats what I do clean a few houses. But then I only log as light house work and cut the time. I donLt want to take the chance of eating calories I really did't burn.
  • hjackson6
    hjackson6 Posts: 30 Member
    The only house work I log is when I am cleaning a clients house. Thats what I do clean a few houses. But then I only log as light house work and cut the time. I donLt want to take the chance of eating calories I really did't burn.
  • shipleyak
    shipleyak Posts: 65 Member
    I guess it depends on the type of house work... I like to dance and do housework. :P

    I say if you work up a good sweat, count it. If not, don't.

    I agree with that. I do alot of dancing while I do housework, also. I have a heart rate monitor and have counted my calories burned from it. If I do anything that is above my avrage daily chores I count it. I would like to add a question here. When I count my calories on my HRM should I be subtracting my BMR for that period since it is already calculated on the site?
  • Kazren
    Kazren Posts: 88
    Thanks everyone for your help, my carolie thing is set at its lowest as i am a housemum, i have three kids who keep me busy, i would not have thought i would have burned any calories for washing and stuff like that, but on the odd occasion when the two who are not at school sleep at the same time i have 1.5 hours to do something, with and i really need to get my but of the chair as i would happily either sit and play with my middle child (youngest is only 13 weeks so he is kept happy with wriggling fingers whilst i talk and interact with middle who sits next to youngest, so he can still hear everything), or sit and watch tv, i miss the urges to clean when i was preggers i had major nesting instincts i gutted the house one day when my hubby went out he was going to his mums i was ordered to rest and in four hours i had pulled everything out of every cuboard in the kitchen and scrubbed every surface there was in their until it sparkled, put everything back a bit ocd like, scrubbed the floor with scrubbing brush as my flash mop was not getting 100% grime up, them moved and did same in living room and bathroom, but then they all came home and interuped my flow!!! kids ehh
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Some people seem to count their calories the way my wife spends our tax refund--she spends each dollar about 4 different times.

    Counting housework as "extra" assumes that you consistently expend your "activity" calories every day without fail.

    That obviously does not happen. The base calories used in figuring out your program include an "activity factor". That is meant to represent an AVERAGE level of casual activity over time. It is important to choose the right level that matches your lifestyle. However, as I said, it is an average, not an automatic amount . Some days you might expend a little more, I suspect that many days we expend a lot less. Yet many people only seem to remember the days they do "more", and conveniently overlook the days they do "less". That one day of "spring cleaning" might be making up for several more sedentary days. The "casual activity" part of the equation is the one that's the least precise.

    Ultimately, all the rationalization doesn't make any difference, because your body is going to keep score, regardless of what you put on paper. Most of this stuff is just mindgames anyhow--so if it motivates you to give yourself "calorie credit" every time you get out of a chair AND you are successful in your program, then do whatever you want. My personal opinion is that, especially as a beginner, you are better off not counting any casual activity so that whatever you do expend is an extra little boost in the overall effort, but that's just an opinion--there's no real science behind it.

    What IS a fact, however, is that wearing an HRM to track these kinds of calories is totally useless--you are just draining the batteries. They are not designed for that type of monitoring--once again HRMs do NOT count calories, nor do they measure energy expenditure in any way. HRMs can only ESTIMATE caloric expenditure under those SPECIFIC CONDITIONS during which an elevated heart rate reflects an increased energy expenditure--i.e. steady-state aerobic exercise.
  • kylielouttit
    kylielouttit Posts: 512 Member
    I don't count household chores. To me, its cheating. Cleaning my house is something I would do anyway and so I only count my actual workouts.
  • bjshooter
    bjshooter Posts: 1,174 Member
    I don't add all house work, but every now and then I do a mad burst and work up a right old sweat, if it feels like hard work I count it, if not I dont bother.
  • LainMac
    LainMac Posts: 412 Member
    I only count housework exercise calories when they are "more" than usual.

    Cleaing the kitchen ~ nope, I do that several times a day regularly. Doing laundry ~ not unless, I did all of it in one day and went up and down

    Lifting furniture so I can vaccum underneath, squatting down to pick up all the legos that would destroy a vaccuum, and vaccuming ~ yes but I count at about 1/2 to 2/3 the time I actually do it because I think the exercise calories are a bit high.

    I don't like housework, yardwork, or gardening all that much, but will push myself to do these things for a little wiggle room at the end of the day.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    I don't count it because I never do any.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    I don't count it because I never do any.

    Only kidding, I have a raging stomach ache and have gone mad :laugh:
  • mworld
    mworld Posts: 270
    What azdak said.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    What azdak said.

    I second azdak. Now I understand that some housework is hard, like cleaning your soggy basement up, but regular cleaning? That falls under the same category to me as the "how many calories does sex burn", well unless you are going for hours and doing gymnastics at the same time it really doesn't count. I would chalk up housework to a pat on the back for getting it done and then go about your day.
  • missjo113
    missjo113 Posts: 52
    I don't count it because I never do any.

    I LOVE it!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!

    I work full time outside of my home at a job where I am sitting in front of a computer all day. I purposely park 8 blocks away from my work so I get a 15 minute walk both morning and afternoon. That is just about the only thing I do every day so on Saturday or Sunday when I do ALL of my housework... vacuum, wash floors and bathrooms, etc, I include those in my exercise. Don't get me wrong... I also do Zumba, pilates reformer, and have just started running so I'm not a total couch potato.
  • mamaDaisyJ
    mamaDaisyJ Posts: 395
    I agree~ we all have to clean our houses on a daily basis. It should be included in our daily activity.
    I have counted mine once ~ 30 minutes, did the whole house, top to bottom, in a fit of rage~ and still only counted it as light/moderate. Anything else seems like cheating.
    If I cleaned house on a regular basis in a manner than I felt warranted logging for calories, I would just up my daily activity setting and leave it at that. Which is why I am set at lightly active instead of sedentary. I am SAHM going to school on a computer~
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