Cleaning(Light/Moderate)(Heavy/Vigorous) What's the differen

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Replies

  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    I count house work as cleaning but add it as light just to be on the safe side. I clean houses and detail cars which takes several hours and I'm often drenched in sweat so I'm pretty sure it is exercise.

    Sweat doesn't mean your burning more calories!! I live in Florida, just sitting outside I sweat. If that was the case everybody living in Florida would be skinny.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,412 Member
    Housework, I only count it if it is heavy, like spring cleaning, rearranging furniture etc. And I use my HRM. Same for working in the yard, I use the HRM!
  • sheldonz42
    sheldonz42 Posts: 233 Member
    If you count cleaning your house as exercise, you don't understand exercise.

    Perhaps, having sat on my fat rear for far too long, for me, cleaning house can be exercise. But thanks for judging.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I would set your activity level to lightly active, or even moderately active, and then not log the normal cleaning stuff.

    I logged cleaning a few weeks ago. I was helping my mom clean out her old apartment after she moved out. A lot of work ... I logged it as light even though it was probably heavy. I also only logged 1/2 the time I worked. But that day was an exception, I don't log my normal at-home chores like laundry (even with the stairs), vacuuming, or cleaning the kitchen or bathroom.
  • vvendy_darling
    vvendy_darling Posts: 75
    Make sure to count sex as exercise too.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Don't count cleaning
  • Armagan123
    Armagan123 Posts: 72 Member
    I have to disagree a little with the ones saying that it isn't a workout to clean. As far as being sedentary, it would mean sitting and watching tv most of the day (in my opinion) and probably doing as little as possible. I personally work up a good sweat when I clean, but I add a little pep into it by "racing against the clock" to get it done before the hubby and kids get home. And if you really get down to what should and shouldn't count, than should you really count walking as an exercise since you do it everyday?

    Agreed! One burn calories even during sleep, our bodily functions needs energy/calorie to fulfill their jobs. There is not such a thing that something has to be named as "exercise" to burn calories. One needs to have a calorie deficiency to lose weight, how you manage that deficiency, eating less or being more active or eating a little less and being a little more active, is a personal choice. And how you be more active is also a personal choice.

    To be on the safe side, I log all type of cleaning as light, and never eat all that amount back, maybe just 1/3 or half of it.
  • KeshiaBanks
    KeshiaBanks Posts: 24 Member
    Cleaning shouldn't be count IMO
  • KeshiaBanks
    KeshiaBanks Posts: 24 Member
    I don't count this, as I was doing it before and it made no difference, I only count what is extra to my day : )


    I so agree.
  • Armagan123
    Armagan123 Posts: 72 Member
    I count house work as cleaning but add it as light just to be on the safe side. I clean houses and detail cars which takes several hours and I'm often drenched in sweat so I'm pretty sure it is exercise.

    Sweat doesn't mean your burning more calories!! I live in Florida, just sitting outside I sweat. If that was the case everybody living in Florida would be skinny.

    Just sitting and breathing burn some calories and it is called Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)!
  • twinkles2121
    twinkles2121 Posts: 137 Member
    I use them interchangeably and manually change the calories to what the HRM says. (or calorie labs website) That being said I don't usually count every day house cleaning unless it was something additional. (spring cleaning, moving furniture) I work full time (7-5 desk job) but clean houses after hours 2 days a week part-time, that I do count as my work out. You can work up a pretty good sweat trying to clean someones entire home in 60 mins. :wink:
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    I count house work as cleaning but add it as light just to be on the safe side. I clean houses and detail cars which takes several hours and I'm often drenched in sweat so I'm pretty sure it is exercise.

    Sweat doesn't mean your burning more calories!! I live in Florida, just sitting outside I sweat. If that was the case everybody living in Florida would be skinny.

    Just sitting and breathing burn some calories and it is called Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)!

    Agree.

    But sweating doesn't mean your burning more calories. Some people sweat more than others. that's what I am saying.
  • KeshiaBanks
    KeshiaBanks Posts: 24 Member
    The reason you break out in a sweat cleaning dishes, is the hot/warm water. The vapors/steam from your water and the fact that your hands are in the hot/warm water cause you to sweat just like sitting or walking on a warm day makes you sweat even if you aren't really doing anything that takes a lot of effort.

    Lol
  • lindzgayle
    lindzgayle Posts: 131 Member
    Make sure to count sex as exercise too.
    I was just discussing this with a friend. What if it's really crazy animal sex, for a long time - like 2+ hours? That should totally count as cardio. Especially if you're on top!
  • shoppingdiva2011
    shoppingdiva2011 Posts: 127 Member
    I consider cleaning the house a workout so I count the cals.
  • ThinkInOregon
    ThinkInOregon Posts: 283
    @Tilly... thanks for the reference! Been working on my house and have been painting so was wondering about the calorie burn. Living room is next, but thank goodness I already have the vaulted ceiling done! :-)
  • fsucrack
    fsucrack Posts: 68 Member
    Cleaning at any level or effort is considered daily activity and should not be considered as exercise. If you are a stay at mom this is part of your daily activity ans is already configured into your goals. There is a possibility that you will set yourself up for failure if you are only looking at this for exercise. I would set aside time for actually exercise like walking, running, strength training to see results.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    And if you really get down to what should and shouldn't count, than should you really count walking as an exercise since you do it everyday?

    pretty much- which is why a great deal of people do NOT log walking... I walk a lot- doesn't mean I log it. That's just silly.

    I only log it if it's above and beyond normal daily activity- and I low ball the hell out of it. Theme park- Magic Mountain- walking on my feet for hours- WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more than normal- even if I"m there for 6 hrs- I usually only log 2 hrs of light walking.
  • LC458
    LC458 Posts: 300 Member
    Maybe everyone is different but I clean like a mad woman and I would say I am relatively thin. So while it may not be an actual workout I am certainly burning quite a bit calories and I do log it. My mom is the same way. I do other exercises but not my mom and she has maintained an adorable figure all her life. Do what is right for you. And yeah about how to track it-
    If you work up a sweat it is vigorous and if you're just dusting or folding laundry I would say that is definitely light housework.
  • Armagan123
    Armagan123 Posts: 72 Member
    I count house work as cleaning but add it as light just to be on the safe side. I clean houses and detail cars which takes several hours and I'm often drenched in sweat so I'm pretty sure it is exercise.

    Sweat doesn't mean your burning more calories!! I live in Florida, just sitting outside I sweat. If that was the case everybody living in Florida would be skinny.

    Just sitting and breathing burn some calories and it is called Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)!

    Lol. Ok. So, do you count sitting and breathing?

    I think you miss understand how this works. Your daily calorie expenditure includes regular activity. Something like cleaning your house is not exercise. It's activity, but not exercise. Therefore, the "burn" isn't significant. It gets drown out into just daily activity. It's a small blip that doesn't make a difference over a week. So, logging it as exercise is doing yourself a disservice. It really is. For instance, I sweat my *kitten* off in an hour of yoga, but I don't count it because yoga doesn't really burn that many calories. I barely burn more than if I just sit in the couch for that hour. Seriously, check it out sometime. So, the are things you do in daily life that just are movement, but it's not really burning anymore than breathing.

    So, be careful. I took a look through this whole thread, and I notice that many of the very successful people her are saying, don't count them. Others, that maybe struggle, or aren't having success, or that have never been at maintenance are suggesting otherwise. What you should do, is look at those that have not only lost, but been at maintenance of or a long time, and listen to them.

    Cleaning your house is not exercise. As someone else said, if you're moving furniture and really getting in there for 6 or 8 hours, than yes, it might be something to log. But, if it's just your normal maintenance cleaning, that's just part of your normal activities.

    In the end, do whatever the hell you want to. I'm just saying that logging every little thing you do so you can eat more food is counter to the idea of being here.

    One burn calories even during sleep, our bodily functions needs energy/calorie to fulfill their jobs. There is not such a thing that something has to be named as "exercise" to burn calories. One needs to have a calorie deficiency to lose weight, how you manage that deficiency, eating less or being more active or eating a little less and being a little more active, is a personal choice. And how you be more active is also a personal choice.

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