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

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  • LC458
    LC458 Posts: 300 Member
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    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
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    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.
  • jigsawxyouth
    jigsawxyouth Posts: 308 Member
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    This is one of the many reasons why I own a FitBit, I get my steps counted when I walk and do daily chores, so I don't even bother adding them to my diary (I do log any cardio activity though), syncing with MFP, I noticed I get accurate exercise calories recorded
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    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.

    i work up a sweat driving in my car in the summer... guess I should log that to then.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Unless you are severely obese and only move 5 minutes at a time, then don't log cleaning. It's part of normal daily life.

    If you have a really long spring cleaning day with heavy work, then just allow yourself to eat a little more that day if you are hungry. You don't have to make this rocket science.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    I came in expecting to see a question about the olympic movement "cleans".... I am disappointed :(
  • gkauf744
    gkauf744 Posts: 128 Member
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    I hate cleaning, but it has to be done. It helps motivate me if I can count it as a workout. But I also do a regular workout, so its like a bonus workout, and maybe an extra cookie or something when I'm done.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    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.

    Thank you for educating me on how to lose weight. I appreciate it. I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong. I don't log walking, and sleeping, and cleaning my house, nor doing laundry, dishes, or even yoga. I'll be sure to log those things so I can eat more food, because, after all, that is the goal.

    How you "be more active" is a choice. You're right about that.

    Good luck.

    MFP gives you the calories you need for all normal daily activity. Living, breathing, fueling your heart, lungs, brain, getting up, making food, going to work or school, driving, thinking, walking around doing normal things like laundry, shopping, etc....... you set this when you told MFP how active you are. This is so you would lose weight even if you are unable to do extra exercise.

    MFP does NOT include things you do specifically for exercise. Walking for exercise, jogging, hiking, biking, swimming, anything you do for exercise, log this, and it gives you some more calories to eat.

    Unless you are truly sedentary, disabled, severely obese, and you barely move out of a chair, then don't log normal daily activity, it should be included in how you already set up your MFP profile.
  • peacefrog777
    peacefrog777 Posts: 1
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    I've been wondering about this exact thing lol. I am a window cleaner, so my job requires a lot of work. I move fast and work up a sweat even when it's cool out. I count this as exercise, but I count it as light. Sometimes I have to work a massive water-fed pole, and it's very heavy, so I count that as heavy cleaning. I have been counting my daily housework too, but after reading this thread, I suppose I will stop counting that. I think my job definitely counts as exercise lol. It's hard and I'm always starving when I'm finished!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I mean, you can count it as exercise, whether you want to eat those calories back is the real issue. I wouldn't, but I guess if you have like 100 pounds to lose you could. It seems like cleaning and errands are a normal and healthy part of every day living. Anyway, if you don't log that stuff and only eat back the calories you get from real burns, you'll see results quicker.
  • Atarahh
    Atarahh Posts: 485 Member
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    :noway: oh no not the cleaning is exercise thread

    count your cleaning towards your activity level since you do it often
  • Cathalain
    Cathalain Posts: 424 Member
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    The only thing that I count as exercise when I'm going about my routine is grocery shopping, because I count the walking that I do as exercise (after all, I'm moving, even if it's slower than usual). I use the TDEE method, so it doesn't much make a difference as to how many calories it is anyway, but I like to keep track of the miles with the RunKeeper app and it does state a calorie burn (even if I don't add it).

    Things like washing dishes and laundry, I don't count. Not enough of a sweat to work up. Climbing stairs, if you do it enough, I might count that as well, but it would depend on the circumstances.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
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    Did you clean your house prior to getting fat/while you were getting fat? Do you think the level at which you cleaned your house made any significant difference in your weight or body composition? The answer is probably yes to the first question and no to the second. Am I right? If that's the case, what makes you think it should be logged as exercise and will make a difference one way or the other in your weight loss this time?

    I try to be very honest with myself. I log the time I dedicate to exercise as exercise. I don't dedicate house cleaning as exercise time because I've always cleaned my house and yet, here I am, still 60 lbs overweight. I would log something like helping my dad out on the farm with mucking stalls and mending fences because that is an unusual way to spend a day for me. But otherwise, only dedicated exercise time gets logged. The rest is accounted for in my daily energy expenditure.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Just started tracking yesterday. How do you know what is considered light/moderate or heavy/vigorous? Trying to track "exercise" and as a Stay at Home Mom I clean quite a bit and need to know how to track it correctly. Thanks!

    Jess

    Just a good rule of thumb, every hour of cleaning is about 650 calories!
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    Eh screw it... I wasn't going to jump in, but I will anyway... OP, I would just set yourself to lightly active... if you are constantly moving around cleaning the house, cooking, running after kids... I would just forgo the sedentary all together so as to not have to log every instance of movement.


    As for whether or not one should log chores as exercise, that's totally up to you.

    Do people "get fat" even when they have done chores... sure... but that doesn't mean it doesn't count as "exercise" (read movement that expends energy)... the difference between now and then is whether or not they are watching what they eat... Even if one was doing vigerous exercise, if all that work is negated by overeating, it's still the same principle... does one then not log their 5 mile walk/run because they did it before they started to track their weight? No... same principle should apply to chores. Seeing as the recommended settings here for sedentary puts quite a few people (my 5'2" self included) under their BMR with 1200 calories... You better bet your sweet bippy that I'm going to log cleaning if I set my calories that low.
  • klkarlen
    klkarlen Posts: 4,366 Member
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    Eh screw it... I wasn't going to jump in, but I will anyway... OP, I would just set yourself to lightly active... if you are constantly moving around cleaning the house, cooking, running after kids... I would just forgo the sedentary all together so as to not have to log every instance of movement.


    As for whether or not one should log chores as exercise, that's totally up to you.

    Do people "get fat" even when they have done chores... sure... but that doesn't mean it doesn't count as "exercise" (read movement that expends energy)... the difference between now and then is whether or not they are watching what they eat... Even if one was doing vigerous exercise, if all that work is negated by overeating, it's still the same principle... does one then not log their 5 mile walk/run because they did it before they started to track their weight? No... same principle should apply to chores. Seeing as the recommended settings here for sedentary puts quite a few people (my 5'2" self included) under their BMR with 1200 calories... You better bet your sweet bippy that I'm going to log cleaning if I set my calories that low.

    I wasn't going to type either. . . but since I don't clean on a daily basis, when I do get around to the hours of cleaning chores required to "catch up" from working 9 to 5 to earn a paycheck, you bet I log it. Also because I picked the lowest setting here, which does put my calories way below.

    And this method works for me.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
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    Cleaning the house should be part of your NEAT, not counted as exercise. If you clean all the time, then it's lightly active. If you move 40 pound boxes for 5 hours straight, then feel free to count it.
  • Marbella29660
    Marbella29660 Posts: 71 Member
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    I don't know why i feel this way, but i personally don't count cleaning as an actual workout. I mean you do burn calories but yet I dont want to risk putting it into my diary without knowing if it is accurate. I consider workouts like cardio as exercising, certainly you can keep noting it down at MFP but it's just my personal opinion. :)

    Remember you can end up OVER eating if you rely too much on putting things like cleaning in diary since it might not be accurate.

    I agree with this

    I work on the basis I kept house before and put on weight, so I cannot legitimately say because I'm trying to workout the very same house work is exercise. Each to their own and good luck with that but the real nutshell is this:
    Remember you can end up OVER eating if you rely too much on putting things like cleaning in diary since it might not be accurate.

    I'd rather exclude housework burns and stay well under but its your call.

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