Beware the cleanng "exercise"

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Replies

  • needamulligan
    needamulligan Posts: 558 Member
    Cleaning burns more calories than sitting at a computer! Also, the number of calories burned depends on a number of factors, including your weight! I don't usually log it but happened to log cleaning yesterday. I did think that the number was too high but it made me feel a little more successful at this! I just may go clean something now!
  • CarolHudson11
    CarolHudson11 Posts: 372
    I don't log my cleaning because I was doing that prior to joining MFP. But, I'm certainly not going to tell someone else not to. I'm worried about my weight loss and health and I'm going to let everyone else worry about their's. I did log painting the walls in my dining room and living room, but that is something I very rarely ever do and I was sore for a couple of days afterward. To each his own - if one of my friends logs their cleaning and feels good about those calories burned, I'm going to cheer for them as if they'd run the treadmill for an hour or completed a round of P90X. JMO.
  • knittygirl52
    knittygirl52 Posts: 432 Member
    The point is: be careful. Obviously if you NEVER clean and it's above and beyond, that could really be exercise for you. But if you clean daily, that's just part of your normal activity level. If you look like you should be losing weight and you aren't, start thinking about this: maybe you are logging exercise calories that don't really "count" for you. Maybe you aren't logging calories you eat that DO! (True confession: I take a calcium supplement in the form of one of those chocolate chewables. I never log it. Hey--it hasn't kept me from losing.) Don't check your brains at the door here, people.
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
    I think "cleaning" is an everyday activity, part of my "lightly active" lifestyle so calories like that are balanced into my daily goal anyways. It is up to each person whether or not to log their cleaning or cooking...but if they aren't losing weight and they are wondering why...:ohwell:
  • mariasheehan
    mariasheehan Posts: 335
    I know this has been addressed before, often...but just wanted to mention it one more time! If you count your house cleaning as exercise, beware the actual calories you might be burning. Today I shampooed the carpets in our house, 3 rooms, took a little less than 90 minutes and my HRM said I burned 101 calories, which I probably won't count in my daily total. When I punched it into the "cleaning, light, moderate effort" exercise data base it told me 267 calories. So, a pretty good discrepancy, IMHO.
    Let me just add this quick disclaimer too, I do run and my resting heart rate usually stays between 45-65 bpm most of the time, so getting my heart rate up does take a little effort, but I would also think pushing and pulling a Rug Doctor is a bit more than "light, moderate effort".
    Just my 2 cents, if it is worth that much to you!

    ***Sorry about the typo on "cleaning", using a small keyboard on a netbook.

    actually, do you mind if I ask you a question about that?? I usually use my HRM when I'm cleaning to see how many calories I've burned, but I read that a HRM should only be used for real cardio physical activity and now I'm very confused as to whether I should trust it or not. I have the Polar FT4, do you mind me asking which HRM you have? and do you use it for other activities other than just cardio etc?? many thanks....Maria.
  • JillyBean819
    JillyBean819 Posts: 313 Member
    That's why I feel like an HRM with a chest strap is an awesome investment.
  • needamulligan
    needamulligan Posts: 558 Member
    all of the exercise calories burned are on the high level. Not just cleaning!! I only count my cleaning when I do heavy cleaning because I lowered my activity level down to sedetary even though I have 5 kids and am always running around

    lots of good points here. the fitness level we choose assumes a certain number of calories burned per week. have you ever looked at bowling or gardening? those seem crazy high!
  • sylvia1970
    sylvia1970 Posts: 134
    if i'm on the go and on my feet from the moment i get up to say about 7am then there is nothing that states how many calories i've burnt in a day.

    Its obvious that you have to approach this in a very logical way.

    What i tend to do is if i'm on the move constantly, all morning doing various activities then i would log it down as an hour or two. That would compensate for the rest of the day being actively busy.

    It also depends on how big you are as weight affects metabolism so each individual would burn off fat at different rates.

    Keep it real and it works
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    I don't think the takeaway here is that you shouldn't log cleaning. i think the takeaway is that MFP can overestimate cleaning or any other activity that you log. It can also way underestimate things, too.
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
    I don't think the takeaway here is that you shouldn't log cleaning. i think the takeaway is that MFP can overestimate cleaning or any other activity that you log. It can also way underestimate things, too.
    That was definitely the point the OP was making. Several people chimed in to state that logging cleaning was cheating yourself... I agree with the OP's point, overestimating exercise calories will wreak havoc on weight loss if you eat those calories back.
  • sylvia1970
    sylvia1970 Posts: 134
    having only joined just under 2 weeks ago, i find the conversations a way over obsessive? regarding how much calories we all burn. I may not be on the same path as alot of people on here but i do think that one obsession leads to another where you are trying to log every little detail going just to make you feel better.

    I find this really distressing and very distructive. I do hope that everyone on here finds that BALANCE they are looking for. Don't assume that one persons advice will be good for you. Listen to yourself and get on with it.

    There's alot of support on here but also some negatives. judge on your own merits

    good luck
  • mandykasase
    mandykasase Posts: 110
    I know i used to clean before MFP, but never with weights on, i strap on 1kg on my feet and 0.5kg on my wrists. So for that reason if i do i thorough clean including vac and moping then i log it. But i do tailor it so i imput my own calorie burn. I don't think i'm cheating as i am usually soaked in sweat by the time i'm done so no harm no foul.
    plus i never eat my calories back.
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    Interesting, I would never add my daily routines as exercise, just don't want a reminder of looking back and telling myself I need to do it again :)

    However, last week when I asked about my Yoga - which rarely gets my HR up there, if I should count it - because it is a specific time I took to do something in regards to my fitness, and it was 90 minutes - I was told NO to that. I never eat back those calories on my "rest" day because I'm used to burning 400-500 calories on my work out days. However I do still add it. But when it came to Yoga I was told not to count it either.
  • fatgirlslim47
    fatgirlslim47 Posts: 33
    I do add my cleaning exercise in but not until I have burned 2200 calories on my HRM. I put it on when I get dressed in a morning and generally take it off around 7pm when I go for a bath. I then log anything over 2200 as exercise.
  • catofisis
    catofisis Posts: 34
    I log cleaning IF it is something I wouldn't normally do, and if it feels like an effort - but my activity level is set to sedentary to allow me to add in these calories. This seems to be working for me.

    However, I just want to say that I think people who are just starting out on MFP should not be put off logging daily activities altogether. This site is about education and encouraging people to get active and I think it's a great tool for that. Adjustments can be made further down the line if something isn't working, and becoming more accurate in your logging is part of that. But at first, the idea of logging exercise calories can be a great incentive to get people started. It has been for me - and now I like to exercise for its own sake and how it makes me feel (which I never used to).
  • magz_weltha
    magz_weltha Posts: 35
    This is true with Elliptical Trainer too, I log in 45 minutes and MFP says I burned almost 500 calories! I usually burn 400 to 450 during a 45 min. elliptical workout, so have a re-calculate and enter in the correct amount of calories burned. Something to think about! Oh, and when I'm burning 450 I am hauling *kitten* in my workout...
  • tammy200678
    tammy200678 Posts: 201 Member
    I see a lot of people who log cleaning and everything to cooking as exercise, they are just cheating themselves.

    That sounds quite judgmental. I think it depends on how you have your activity level set to calculate your BMR. Mine is set to sedentary because I work at a computer all day and am, well, sedentary.

    When I clean, and my heart rate goes up, I do log it if it is more than 30 minutes. That said, I don't eat back my exercise calories on a regular basis, so am not sure just HOW I am cheating myself by logging the activities.

    Bottom line, anybody can log whatever they want, and eat whatever they want. If they are losing weight and getting healthier at a rate that satisfies them, who are you to claim they are cheating themselves?

    agree
  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
    I have my activity level set at sedentary and also will only count 1 hour of cleaning or whatever exercise, even though do 1 1/2 hours..Soooo I estimate low and since my level is set at sedentary I actually am burning more calories a day just taking care of my daughter.
  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
    having only joined just under 2 weeks ago, i find the conversations a way over obsessive? regarding how much calories we all burn. I may not be on the same path as alot of people on here but i do think that one obsession leads to another where you are trying to log every little detail going just to make you feel better.

    I find this really distressing and very distructive. I do hope that everyone on here finds that BALANCE they are looking for. Don't assume that one persons advice will be good for you. Listen to yourself and get on with it.

    There's alot of support on here but also some negatives. judge on your own merits

    good luck

    I agree!
  • pinkgigi
    pinkgigi Posts: 693 Member
    I ride my bicycle on the road for an hour 3 times a week, and 2 hours on Saturday. MFP estimates 1 hour at the speed I go as expending over 1000 calories and hour. I wouldn't eat all those back, as that's how I got fat to start with.

    I only log intentional exercise and then don't eat back all the calories, because I think the estimates are too high.

    GG
  • Nigel99
    Nigel99 Posts: 498 Member
    It only took my first week on MFP to realize that I needed to get a HRM to make sure I was accurately counting my cals burned. Between a few things I logged from databases online (not just MFP), and seeing what my Kinect Your Shape game was telling me, I figured the actual numbers were off. Having a HRM really does make a big difference.

    I don't log any cleaning in the house (and I'm the cook/maid/laundry king of the house) - that is all just part of the things I do when I'm not at work.
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