Counting cleaning as exercise

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Replies

  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    Uh.

    No.

    I would never consider cleaning, or yard work, or even last week patching my asphalt driveway where I wielded a 25lb tamper hundreds of times as exercise.

    Some do, and more power to them. Seems like they want to count it to go towards the exercise notion but to me that is just normal every day life. Just because you sweat doesnt mean squat. I was sweating last weekend trying to go to sleep!


    I dont want this to sound bad, but from my personal experience it seems like many of the people who really want to count these things as exercise want to point to it as true exercise and should be the same as actually exercising.

    I just dont see it. Even when I was working my *kitten* off on the driveway that doesnt seem like exercise nor would I count or log it as such. That is just BONUS burns if you ask me. That is up and beyond actual exercising.

    In the end it really is just used to make them feel good, feel them like they actually exercised.

    Want to count it? More power to you, but I wouldnt expect a lot of people who religiously exercise to jump on board 100%.

    I'm just assuming but I don't think she was counting it so as to eliminiate bonafide exercise. I personally counted my own mopping session cuz i wanted to. Just like every calorie consumed counts, then I think every calorie burned counts.
    [/quote

    ]I have seen many people on here and other sites, and in real life, complain about not losing or losing fast enough, or gaining, and point to the calories they burned doing housework and yard work.
    My statement may or may not ring true about her case in particular, but there are many people out there who are guilty of thinking the calories burned by every day routine things = legit calorie burning exercise.
  • MrTolerable
    MrTolerable Posts: 1,593 Member
    I am a crazy cleaner, I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning while baby is sleeping. I do feel hot and like I am about to sweat by the time I sit down.

    I found cleaning is in the exercises.

    Any one actually use this??? My husband questioned me about it when I told home he helped me clean and rearrand a room that he should input 2 hours in his MFP for cleaning. He could not be leave it was considered a exercise
    it is an exercise sure... I count it - but only as light walking and use a walking app - typically 45-65 calories.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Cleaning? Count it!
    power-clean-techniques.jpg

    Off topic, but what is the next move after the squat....does he stand up? Seriously....does he? I'm saving this picture.

    Drive hard up to the heavens in a front squat of glory.

    LOLOL Can you narrate all my gym sessions? hahaha Can you do a Morgan Freeman voice??? :)

    Yes, and while I can try for a pathetic Morgan Freeman, I think I could do a crackerjack drunk russian/ imperious putin.
  • DymonNdaRgh40
    DymonNdaRgh40 Posts: 661 Member
    I'd say if you're going to go down that road you'd be best off getting a FitBit and just counting the steps you take cleaning so you have a better idea of what your activity really is during that time period. Otherwise don't count it.

    This is what I do. I know I'm getting a workout when I clean my floors because the entire house is covered in tile. I so miss having a carpet. It takes me just close to two hours to do the entire house because I sweep first, then mop, and sweep again. I'm sweaty and my abs are on fire when I'm done. However, I don't log it as exercise, I just let my Fitbit sync my activity.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Cleaning? Count it!
    power-clean-techniques.jpg

    Off topic, but what is the next move after the squat....does he stand up? Seriously....does he? I'm saving this picture.

    Drive hard up to the heavens in a front squat of glory.

    LOLOL Can you narrate all my gym sessions? hahaha Can you do a Morgan Freeman voice??? :)

    Wow, I found another pic where the move is completed. Amazing. He looks like he's going to go backwards but he doesn't
    It is a potentially awkward looking lift, but I haven't seen many folks do it with a lot of weight.

    I can do it, but I'm holding off until I really nail my squat form, as I'm having some knee problems as of late from a climbing injury.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 762 Member
    I count them and eat them. I work the program how it is designed. Two hours of cleaning, I would absolutely count it. Ten minutes, not so much.
  • zcb94
    zcb94 Posts: 3,678 Member
    I am a crazy cleaner, I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning while baby is sleeping. I do feel hot and like I am about to sweat by the time I sit down.

    I found cleaning is in the exercises.

    Any one actually use this??? My husband questioned me about it when I told home he helped me clean and rearrand a room that he should input 2 hours in his MFP for cleaning. He could not be leave it was considered a exercise

    I do, with my vigorous activity with family laundry. I find it burns quite a few cals.
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
    I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning


    Sounds like you have a dirty house.

    No it sounds like she has a family. Houses suddenly get much messier when there are kids involved.:smile:
  • mandimahoney5
    mandimahoney5 Posts: 93
    .
  • mandimahoney5
    mandimahoney5 Posts: 93
    I will spend 2 hours a day cleaning


    Sounds like you have a dirty house.

    No it sounds like she has a family. Houses suddenly get much messier when there are kids involved.:smile:

    Exactly, dishes, making beds, laundry, picking up toys, cleaning up the paint the kid put on the wall, vacuuming, cleaning the spilled food the toddler dropped On the floor, then vacuum again, dust, mop, ect.....
  • dedflwrs
    dedflwrs Posts: 251 Member
    If it's something you were doing anyway, before you started on your weight loss program, then I would not count it. If it's something new that has sprung along with all other kinds of changes then maybe yes?
  • Carlywiese
    Carlywiese Posts: 51 Member
    I would argue that it depends on your activity settings. I've put mine as lightly active, and if I work up a sweat while cleaning, I count it as exercise. If it's light (just dusting, doing dishes, etc.) I don't count it. Moving furniture and doing a heavy duty scrub? Yes, that will definitely burn some serious calories over time! I tend to only log half the time I've actually spent cleaning, as it's been known that MFP can overestimate the calories burnt for many activities.

    This exactly! Deep clean days that last 4+ hours and make you hot sweaty and sore and get your heart rate up should be logged IMO. But I never eat back my exercise calories...EVER so I feel like even if I'm wrong it's not gonna hurt because I didn't overeat thinking I had all these extra calories because of it.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
    If you've just lost 24 pounds while logging cleaning in your diary, then I'd say you're doing it right. You should be giving us advice:)
  • Hungry_Annie
    Hungry_Annie Posts: 807 Member
    I don't ever log anything like that as exercise because to me it *isn't*. It's physically demanding, perhaps, but it's just life. It's not something that I have to find extra motivation for, and schedule in on top of the rest of my day. If I get a few extra calories burned, great. It's a bit of an unplanned bonus. I feel like if I logged things like cleaning as exercise could really set me up to become complacent with exercise. Like, "Oh, I don't need to work out today. I cleaned the house yesterday."

    That's just how I see it for myself. Do what works best for you.

    I agree. Its just bonus calories burned. Its not exercise to me. The only house work I log is shovelling. Otherwise, its part of life.
  • Oi_Sunshine
    Oi_Sunshine Posts: 819 Member
    If it increases your heart beat for a prolonged period of time, it is exercise.

    If it is an activity not already accounted for in your daily activity level, it is exercise.

    If your calorie goal is under TDEE and over your BMR, you are at a healthy deficit for weight loss and should eat back exercise calories. Keep in mind that MFP overestimates calorie burns and people tend to underestimate calorie intake. So don't eat back all of them and be accurate in food logging by measuring and weighing things.

    And for people saying "you cleaned before you wanted to lose weight so no you can't", you're mistaken. Before trying to lose weight, people were eating at or above maintenance, eating more food than cleaning/ other activities burned. Just like if you eat more calories than you burn on the treadmill. Exercise isnt limited to certain activities. As long as the calories are not doubly accounted for, it doesnt matter.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    heck yes, you count that cleaning. I tell everyone who gives the excuse that they don't have time to work out that there is always something to clean at your house. I really get sweaty every few days trying to take care of these tiled floors and dust and cat hairs and messes we make. If I sweat I log it. You bet I do. As far as your activity level: you are not sedentary. if anything you are at least lightly active. if its an everyday thing then just include that cleaning into your activity level so you don't have to have to worry about mfp adding on extra calories to eat. it would be so much simpler.
  • twopeas2
    twopeas2 Posts: 81 Member
    I don't, but I'm not cleaning for 2 hours a day even with kids here ;) If I was doing 2 hours of full on cleaning a day, then I might log half??? If you're not eating them back though, I wouldn't worry about it.
  • Asaint63
    Asaint63 Posts: 4
    Should define toy count....so should yard work!
  • wildskies
    wildskies Posts: 129 Member
    I count cleaning if I can tell that I've actually raised my heart rate for more than a couple of minutes while doing it. I also do a lot of heavy lifting at my job and I count that too. But I also do other cardio and unless it's an extreme day I don't usually eat back any of my cleaning/lifting calories.
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    Only when it's heavy/vigorous cleaning. IE something I don't do every day that requires a lot of heavy lifting, or a lot of effort.

    Dishes, sweeping, things like that? Nope.

    But mowing the lawn? I might.
  • chadya07
    chadya07 Posts: 627 Member
    i recently stopped counting things i did before i started my weight loss. i figure if they didnt help me before they diet they wont help me after. and that it is just part of life. like... i dont drive and have always spent whole days walking around town on errands. sometimes six or 8 hours. i still ended up 280 pounds so i dont count it in my activity. i might count an hour of a 6 hour stint.

    i count when its something i dont do often. otherwise i count intentional out of the daily life routine exersize.
  • DWBalboa
    DWBalboa Posts: 37,259 Member
    If you do it everyday it is probably better to count it as part of your daily activity and make yourself lightly active or moderately active in your settings depending on what else you do. If you do it only sometimes then yes 2 hrs of cleaning could be logged but MFP is generous with calories burned so I would underestimate it a bit.

    Ditto!
  • xdannys
    xdannys Posts: 1
    I am a single dad to 3 kids - aged 2 1/2, 13 months, and 2 months. I work from home and clean our house for at least 4 hours a day, outside of any exercise I do. I wouldn't count it as exercise each time - it's just life. It does, however, change your activity level.

    Edit: It seems to be very split on whether it's exercise or activity... Always do what you're more comfortable with; you can always change your mind!

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