Do you count cleaning as exercise?

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Pheboh
Pheboh Posts: 88 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just spent the last hour cleaning and according to MFP, I burned 232 calories. It kind of feels like cheating to log it, since it's not really exercise. But, I already worked out for 75 minutes today, so it's not like I replaced a real workout with cleaning... Should I log it? Do you?
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Replies

  • violetlight
    violetlight Posts: 4 Member
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    Yes I do! I find that if you do enough cleaning, it burns quite a few calories!
  • Cheeky_and_Geeky
    Cheeky_and_Geeky Posts: 984 Member
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    I have my settings at 1200 so I log in cleaning & eat my calories back :)
  • emmaw0316
    emmaw0316 Posts: 3
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    I would, when I clean, sometimes I sweat more than I usually am when working out so yea....more cal.= more food....WOOT WOOT
  • taralc1
    taralc1 Posts: 98 Member
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    Every day cleaning, no, but when I scrub the whole house down, yes because It's not something that is done daily.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
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    I have a Bodymedia, so it just syncs and does that calculation itself. Otherwise, in my opinion, cleaning is just an everyday activity, not an exercise that needs to be fueled by eating those calories back.
  • jcmrax5
    jcmrax5 Posts: 133
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    unless you dont usually clean, dont log it. or if by chance you cleaned extra...like someone elses home. ran a car wash...something of that sort.

    i never count cleaning my home/doing my dishes. thatd be like logging sex as working out.
    silliness!
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
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    My calorie burn is already factored into my calorie goal so I don't count it but when I was wearing my BodyMedia Fit I was shocked that things like mopping, vacuuming, scrubbing the tub etc. burned so many calories. My apartment is much cleaner now so that I can eat more chocolate.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    unless you dont usually clean, dont log it. or if by chance you cleaned extra...like someone elses home. ran a car wash...something of that sort.

    i never count cleaning my home/doing my dishes. thatd be like logging sex as working out.
    silliness!

    I mean. I work pretty hard during sex, but maybe that's just me.
  • Pheboh
    Pheboh Posts: 88 Member
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    Yeah, this makes sense to me. It's tempting to log so I can eat more, but at the same time it's really just living, right? I won't log it unless I do a crazy big clean!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    No because I used to clean before I started to lose weight.
  • Lrdoflamancha
    Lrdoflamancha Posts: 1,280 Member
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    Nope... I never log normal daily activities.... Even the big 6 hour cleaning ones... Sort of makes up for the reading time before bed...
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
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    Do you count breathing as exercise too?
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    No because I used to clean before I started to lose weight.

    I used to jog before I started losing weight? Does that mean I can't log jogging?

    What if I jog everyday? Is it then a 'daily activity' and unworthy of logging?

    Just curious about the standards.
  • thatbelinda
    thatbelinda Posts: 94 Member
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    I've logged it once, when I scrubbed down both my balconies, moved out the couch and mopped behind and under it, cleaned the pantry, cleaned all the kitchen cupboards, etc.

    Normal cleaning - the stuff I do on a daily/weekly basis - I don't log.
  • FEMAZmolek
    FEMAZmolek Posts: 5
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    There are actually entire exercise routines built around cleaning the house. It looks a bit silly but when you're short on time it kills two birds with one stone.
  • Pheboh
    Pheboh Posts: 88 Member
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    These are all great comments, thanks!
  • Pheboh
    Pheboh Posts: 88 Member
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    Do you have a link or example? I doubt I'd actually ever do any of it, I'm just curious to see what it looks like!!
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
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    Do you have a link or example? I doubt I'd actually ever do any of it, I'm just curious to see what it looks like!!
    Hmm... I googled working out while cleaning and there's quite a few sites that have advice like: blast the music and dance around, do some squats and lunges, run up and down the stairs and generally put in extra effort when you're scrubbing and mopping. I'm not overly enthused at the prospect actually. Making cleaning more strenuous and difficult would likely make me want to skip it altogether. :laugh: Thank goodness there are far better ways to get cardio in that are way more fun. :happy:
  • FrauMama
    FrauMama Posts: 169 Member
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    I only did when I was moving, like a full-on, 4-hours at once house scrubdown. I wore a HRM one day and was surprised. Of course that was in the middle of summer in the tropics with no A/C. But, yeah, if it's vigorous and out of the norm, definitely.

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