How do you count housework / yard work?

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jcas211
jcas211 Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Having a debate with someone on what constitutes light versus heavy cleaning. When I vacuum I move the couch, chairs, throw rugs, etc. My friend says I am crazy to count that as light housecleaning. If I am washing windows (yeah - right - like I am climbing a ladder outside) I would count that as serious cleaning. Same for when I wash walls. Those are things I do not do on a weekly or daily basis. What do you count as light housework? I count sweeping, vacuuming, making beds, doing dishes and laundry and cleaning the bathroom as general, light cleaning. Washing windows, walls, water-blasting the siding and deck are major tasks. Mowing the yard is also rather light duty to me since we use a riding mower. I do not do the weed eating.
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Replies

  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,841 Member
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    I don't. That pretty much plays into just general calories for me. The only time I would record anything is if my heart rate is up around 120 BPM for more that 15 minutes.

    My .02
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    I don't count cleaning or yard work, only real exercise!! Like walking/running, weight lifting, etc.!!
  • korrissa
    korrissa Posts: 1
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    I would say depending on how fast you are moving and how heavy your furniture is it could be counted as heavy. I know I would count that as heavy because I have very heavy couches and I don't usually clean that way so I would be working hard! I count what I usually do (laundry vacuum and dishes) as light because I'm use to that and it's not very strenuous for me.
  • kikityme
    kikityme Posts: 472 Member
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    Personally I don't count it unless I've worked up a serious sweat. Most of the time cleaning, I don't do that.

    Same as I don't count a day spent shopping, even if I am walking for 3 or 4 hours. :flowerforyou:
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    I don't....It is not exercise, just part of daily living...If it does not push your heart rate up to at least 120 and keep it there for a while, it does not count....
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Only if vigorous

    :laugh: :wink:
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    Yard work yes.
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    I wouldn't count it at all.
  • StraubreyR
    StraubreyR Posts: 631 Member
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    I count mowing the lawn with the reel mower, and things like digging new garden beds. I wear my HRM for those. The rest I just figure is daily activity.
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
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    If I spent a few hours pushing a lawnmower I would probably count it. But other than that, I just file it under Living. It would never cross my mind to count cleaning the house, I feel like I'd only be cheating myself.
  • hnsr1021
    hnsr1021 Posts: 58 Member
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    I clean a 2500-3000 sq ft house by myself in 3 hrs once a week. Including sweeping, mopping, cleaning tubs/showers, dusting, cleaning toilets, beating rugs, everything. I count one hour of my cleaning as light and log it. I have my activity level on Mfp set to sedentary so, when I work that hard for that long, I feel like I need a few extra calories for that day. So I can understand wanting to log cleaning especially if its more activity than your normal. Do I log cleaning my own house? No. Because that is my norm.
  • Spreyton22K
    Spreyton22K Posts: 323 Member
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    I personally don't count housework as an exercise....but if what you do makes you feel pooped and that bit extra hungry then maybe it's the right thing for you, especially seeing that you are moving furniture etc.

    As for the mowing....I definitely couldn't justify for myself to log it as burning any appreciable calories because of using a ride-on....kinda seems like logging the act of driving a car as exercise.....just be aware that MFP us very generous in it's allocation of calories burnt.

    Cheers (and much respect to the dedication to your house....can I get you over to give my place the once over). :drinker:
  • amightymanofgod
    amightymanofgod Posts: 8 Member
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    I count any extra activity , some light house work I don't log but as far as vacuuming and windows and sweeping it counts. Yardwork counts. Anything beyond the regular burn of calories counts even if its 5 minutes. Each person is different and what is counted as a burn for some does not mean it is a burn for another. For instance , a well fit person may burn 100 calories doing 10 minutes of yard work and a person not as fit may burn 50. So a burn is a burn and any extra activity counts for that individual is what I think.
  • iorahkwano
    iorahkwano Posts: 709 Member
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    Only if I've worked up a sweat while doing it. That usually means mopping, weeding, pushing a lawn mower, trimming trees & shovelling snow.

    I wouldn't count dishes, laundry, making beds or sweeping as exercise even though some of those things do make me tired.
  • iorahkwano
    iorahkwano Posts: 709 Member
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    Only if I've worked up a sweat while doing it. That usually means mopping, weeding, pushing a lawn mower, trimming trees & shovelling snow. Even then, I check the calorie count on MFP & estimate on the lower side.

    I wouldn't count dishes, laundry, making beds or sweeping as exercise even though some of those things do make me tired.
  • Just_Sha
    Just_Sha Posts: 61 Member
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    I don't cloud cleaning unless it is one of those times I am on my hands and knees scrubbing or deep cleaning. I count yardwork because it does work up a sweat.
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
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    if i sweep the floors or pull a few weeds, thats life , and is my basal rate,
    mow my lawn with a weedeater, (noise ordinances /and the time i have to do it , mines electric and quiet)
    it takes about 2 hours total, that whole time i am walking bending, etc, i count it as a half hour, because 2 things, i most likely would have been walking anyhow, and 2 the weedeater is only like 6lbs, so i dont think its nearly as vigorous burn as MFP gives us ...and if it is , so what. its only one day every 2 weeks

    for my sweeping we have tile floors, i move all the couches at least once a week, again , i count that as part of my basal rate, cuase , i would normally do it anyhow, if i felt really pooped after i might count half the time, but that would be about it ..

    vigorous, i think vigrous cleaning, i think , house keeping for money where youre really moving, or washing walls windows, packing a house to move... etc.. i mean sweating huffing puffing , thats vigorous...

    ETA - i also have watched my fit bit , i spent an hour in the kitchen this morning , making lunches , kids breakfasts coffee, etc , it counted 300 steps had i been exercising for that hour i would have had 2500-3000 steps, so nope , its not a "workout"
  • GreenIceFloes
    GreenIceFloes Posts: 1,491 Member
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    I only count it when I'm doing serious cleaning, and cleaning the whole house - scrubbing the bathroom down on my hands and knees till it's shiny, scrubbing the floor and walls, cleaning the ceiling, ceiling fans and light fixtures, washing all cushion and sofa covers (taking them off and putting them back on), beating the dust out of all the mattresses, scrubbing the kitchen and everything in it, dusting off every object in the house etc. I live in a very dusty place in a very dusty country so it is hard work getting rid of all the grime that settles in such a short time. It takes me a couple of hours to do all this, and I count it as light cleaning, but it has me sweating and panting within a few minutes and I'm pretty much as exhausted afterwards as after a regular workout.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    I don't count it
  • Anonycatgirl
    Anonycatgirl Posts: 502 Member
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    I don't count housework--that's figured into daily activities. I do count some yard work at this time of year because we have huge vegetable gardens and getting them prepped and planted is a lot of sweaty physical work. I'm still debating whether to raise my base calories a bit (like 75 calories/day) to account for the increased activity level of summer garden maintenance; once the gardens are in, the daily maintenance is less strenuous, but it's still activity I'm not getting the rest of the year..

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