housework counting as legitimate exercise

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grandma0561
grandma0561 Posts: 16 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone (: Just wondering today I put on my polar monitor while I worked around the house, ironed, etc and was surprised that after 2 1/2 hours I burned 615 CALORIES! Can I count these as calories burned eventhough it wasnt from a regime structured exercise ? It was done without even thinking and I feel like because I wasnt burning a sweat it wasnt REAL exercise. Please advise:huh:
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Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    I wouldn't. That's normal day to day stuff.

    Exercise is just that, not chores.

    I know when I mow for an hour it's a workout, I'm not going to log it though.
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
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    I count particularly vigorous stints of house cleaning, as do most of my MFP friends. Not just everyday stuff, but things like when I decided to tackle and deep clean a whole room, move things around, etc.
  • Peazwithin
    Peazwithin Posts: 41 Member
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    I have a light cleaning routine. I don't count that. When I have a truly heavy-move-furniture, mop&bucket, up-down-up-down-up-down doing laundry, clean both bathrooms, change bedding in al rooms cleaning day, I count it. Because I am moving. Constantly and it all counts. I walk the dog for a mile, it counts. I walk the dog for three miles, it counts too! Our regular walk, our default walk is a mile. So even if you didn't sweat your body knows you burned those calories and it counts. IMHO!
  • andiroot
    andiroot Posts: 43
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    I wouldn't. Your heart rate monitor may think swiping your hand vigorously while washing a window counts as cardio but it doesn't. Stuff like cleaning the house and showering burns calories but is part of your daily activity calculation.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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    I only count it if it's vigorous enough and consistent enough. In other words, I have to be on a cleaning task for more than say, 20 minutes, and although I don't have to be sweating, I have to think, "Woah, this is hard work" for it to count. Vacuuming is vigorous enough, but not consistent enough. Cleaning the kitchen floor, however, is vigorous and consistent enough for me (I scrub on hands and knees because I'm OCD and can't miss ANYTHING).
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
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    hrms don't work unless you're doing cardio. ignore it for cleaning.
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
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    Since I am not the primary house cleaner in my household, it is not part of my daily routine. So if it is vigorous and of long duration, then I count it.

    ETA: But I don't use a HRM for it, I just go by the numbers and knock off a percentage.
  • singlefemalelawyer
    singlefemalelawyer Posts: 382 Member
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    I guess it can count as exercise - I def. break a sweat when I go on a cleaning spree. But don't expect me to congratulate you for cleaning your house lol
  • sandy_gee
    sandy_gee Posts: 372 Member
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    If I'm hardcore hands and knees scrubbing floors for 2 hours, I might log 30 mins of it. Same story with things like raking the lawn, shoveling snow, etc.
    Otherwise I view it as an everyday inclusion and don't log it... Unless you're sprinting back and forth across the house to put things where they belong, one at a time... :glasses:
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
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    Back when I was logging exercise calories, I entered housecleaning as exercise once, on a day when I had to move furniture and rolled up giant rugs. It was like a strongman competition. Unless you are doing something like that, I wouldn't bother. If you have your activity level set to "lightly active", this kind of activity is included in your calorie goal.
  • Brianna716
    Brianna716 Posts: 303 Member
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    I don't count normal daily stuff, but a few weekends ago I spent about 6 hours cleaning and I was sweating most of the time. Had I been logging at the time, I probably would have logged 3 hours of that.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
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    You can count anything as exercise that you want to count.

    But if you find yourself in a month or so not losing any weight, remember this post.
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    Many women I know log work and housework. I don't because I gained all this weight while doing those things. I count the extra things I now do as exercise. Between lower calories, walking, biking, and yoga, my body is changing. This is a lifestyle change.:flowerforyou:
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    I think since you got the HRM you should just wear it for all sorts of things so you know what it reads. why not, right?
    personally I wouldn't could cleaning. If you want to, go for it.

    I used to count shoveling snow and mowing the lawn. I have progressed were that stuff doesn't make me work up a sweat, so I don't.
  • junejadesky
    junejadesky Posts: 524 Member
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    I log anything that is out of my regular routine. So those bigger chores that I don't do as often I log. However, I wear the fitbit, so if the fitbit adds calories burned from cleaning I certainly take those!!
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    If you log things like that, you are only fooling yourself.
  • leannerae40
    leannerae40 Posts: 200 Member
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    I count all of mine, however only on bad weather days and if I turn that into a workout. What I mean by that is, I will make sure that I turn my housekeeping into cardio by running from room to room, squatting while cleaning the floor, etc. I mean I am DRIPPING sweat. However, you can count whatever you'd like. Someone who is very out of shape (like me) does not take very long to burn calories. If you're fairly fit, you know what constitutes a WORK OUT and what doesn't. Be honest with yourself, and the scale won't lie back!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    It always comes across as a little desperate to me. Just my opinion
  • connie_messina
    connie_messina Posts: 495 Member
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    bump
  • Pollywog39
    Pollywog39 Posts: 1,740 Member
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    I have my profile set at "sedentary", (desk job), and yes, I do count housework...........not doing dishes or simple things, but more intense kinds of physical housework.

    I count everything I can!!!! lol.
    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

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