House cleaing and calories burned

whodatgrl
whodatgrl Posts: 111
edited September 25 in Fitness and Exercise
ok ladies we all clean everyday, however I have one day a week for major cleaning(bathrooms, laundry, sweep, mop, dusting, etc) you all know where you start at one end and clean to the other end of the house. Can I log my time under cleaning vigorous? How do you log your house cleaning?

Replies

  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
    I never log my house cleaning but I would check your HR a few times as you clean...if it's above 120-130 I would say that's vigorous cleaning.
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
    I don't typically log my cleaning but when I have cleaning days like you described I usually log it as light-moderate cleaning just because I eat my exercise calories and I don't want to eat all of them completely so I usually under estimate calories burned.
  • Mommy07inlove
    Mommy07inlove Posts: 21
    I only log my house cleaning if it is a TOTAL house cleaning like your talking about.I straiten everyday but like you theres that 1 day a week that i really dig in lol thats when i log!
  • Sedonafan
    Sedonafan Posts: 26 Member
    I agree with bstamps12. It sounds harsh (which I am not) but logging cleaning and "running after kids" and things like that that we do every day (even if we do it more one day) gives me an excuse not to work out because I think I already did it. A lifestyle change is bettering yourself. Personally, I would feel I was cheating if I logged my scrubbing the carpets with a potato brush (getting rid of fleas) the other day! If you really thought that it counts as a workout, go for it. But just make sure you don't cheat yourself!
  • whodatgrl
    whodatgrl Posts: 111
    i dont log my everyday normal cleaning however i have a 4BR 3 bath house and it's a big chore to clean(major) from one end to the other. Do you think this is a "cheap" way to earn cal burnred and count as exercise?
  • ravenclawseekergirl
    ravenclawseekergirl Posts: 342 Member
    :blushing: I always log all the cleaning that i do. He he he he. It's not something that i usually do so...Yeah i still live at home with a mother that refuses any help! Anyway it's excersize especially if it's not something that you do on a everyday basis e.g. fully cleaning the bathroom, hoovering the whole house etc. Log it :drinker:
  • DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo
    DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo Posts: 296
    I never log my house cleaning... I do major twice a week ( 5 kids, husband and animals dictate that if I let it go a week, I may as well move) ...I just count the extra calories burned as a bonus in my head...

    today so far, Ive cleaned my side-by-side fridge, 2 bathrooms ( with 1 bathroom yet to go) and washed 3 loads of clothes....still must dust living room & dining room furniture before I call it quits
  • penny5
    penny5 Posts: 148 Member
    I log all mine under light-moderate but I think if you break a sweat that the vigerous cleaning might apply to some of your cleaning time. Maybe split up your total time cleaning and put some under light-moderate and the some under vigerous. You should definately take credit for your hard work :) That doesn't mean that you always have to eat your calories burned though. Just listen to whether or not your body is hungry.

    Good Luck to you!
  • Sedonafan
    Sedonafan Posts: 26 Member
    I should rephrase my statement. I am a VERYYYYY lazy person. So I used to log every physical exercise I did (brushing my teeth/cleaning/ washing dog) to the point that I realized that I needed to actually go out and exercise. Like I said, it is all about how you are. I doubt anyone is as lazy as I am lol, but if you are, and this is a problem you are encountering, I would not log it if it will discourage you from exercising later and meeting those goals!
  • vanfox23
    vanfox23 Posts: 110
    I clean houses as a side job and it takes me about 2-2.5 hours to finish one house. I log that as light cleaning even though it is pretty vigorous. I even shave off some time too. That way I'm not over calculating and any extra that isn't accounted for goes towards my calorie burn for the day. I don't log my day to day cleaning of my own house. I figure that is part of my BMR already.
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I don't typically log my cleaning but when I have cleaning days like you described I usually log it as light-moderate cleaning just because I eat my exercise calories and I don't want to eat all of them completely so I usually under estimate calories burned.

    ditto
  • DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo
    DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo Posts: 296
    i dont log my everyday normal cleaning however i have a 4BR 3 bath house and it's a big chore to clean(major) from one end to the other. Do you think this is a "cheap" way to earn cal burnred and count as exercise?

    I also have 4 BR-3Bath... I just saw a few dust bunnies the size of a raccoon so I'm thinking maybe I will log at least the dusting of the wood I'm gonna do today....I'm thinking, take HR before, during and after.... find the average & if I take 1.5 hours to complete it, I will log only 45 minutes at that HR
  • spikess
    spikess Posts: 113 Member
    i think it really depends on what you have set your activity level at, i've got mines set at the lowest, and prefer to just add in my activities by the time i've spent doing them. an i will log my house work, as it's movement above what i've set my activity level to, and it certainly hasn't stopped me from losing weight.
  • DorothyNorrington
    DorothyNorrington Posts: 123 Member
    I don't log mine because my feeling is that I have done this same kind of cleaning for the last 15 years, and I still ended up gaining weight. So for me I don't consider it additional exercise. However, when I do an activity that is drastically out of character for me such as yard work, or moving furniture, or such, I will log that on the rare occasion that it happens. I always log it as light cleaning though so I don't over estimate the calories burned since I eat my exercise calories back.

    There is not one right answer for everybody, it is a personal choice but this has worked for me.
    Dorothy
  • DonaGail
    DonaGail Posts: 190 Member
    ...house cleaning? What is this you speak of?
    LOL, I was actually wondering the same thing, I have been climbing ladders and scrubbing walls, taking down curtains and running up and down steps to do the laundry..I do log it as light to moderate only because I really work up a sweat.
    D
  • mpfand
    mpfand Posts: 98 Member
    I have never logged house cleaning. I just consider it a bonus. We live in a 2 story house and I don't log going up and down the stairs all day long, either. If I logged house cleaning I would probably never convince myself that I needed to go to the gym. LOL!
  • 3ur3ka
    3ur3ka Posts: 230 Member
    The only time I log cleaning is if I did a hell of a lot of work and then I usually cut the amount of time by at least half. Yesterday, we moved recliners, a broken futon, a full size bed, a lot of sheets of woods, broken branches (from the storms we had here this week.) ... We worked on the yard and house for almost 5 hours.. so I logged it as 2 hours of light cleaning. even though my legs felt like they were going to fall off and I was drenched in sweat. I don't have a HRM so I underestimate calories burned.


    One girl I used to be friends with would count wiping down her counters and vacuuming her tiny living room as 20 minutes of light cleaning. She was hurting herself as far as goals went.
  • whodatgrl
    whodatgrl Posts: 111
    I agree with bstamps12. It sounds harsh (which I am not) but logging cleaning and "running after kids" and things like that that we do every day (even if we do it more one day) gives me an excuse not to work out because I think I already did it. A lifestyle change is bettering yourself. Personally, I would feel I was cheating if I logged my scrubbing the carpets with a potato brush (getting rid of fleas) the other day! If you really thought that it counts as a workout, go for it. But just make sure you don't cheat yourself!

    I def dont want to cheat myself and I dont feel cleaning major or daily should be an excuse not to work out ever. I still do my normal excersie as well on my major cleaning day's and now knowing this do you think I would be cheating myself?
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    I have only logged housework once and it was because I was rearranging furniture all day. My feeling is that if it is something you do regularly and haven't been losing weight, then just cause you log it won't make you lose weight. I personally don't log anything that I did before I was trying to lose weight, I only log things I do specifically as exercise or are things I don't regularly do.
  • whodatgrl
    whodatgrl Posts: 111
    I should rephrase my statement. I am a VERYYYYY lazy person. So I used to log every physical exercise I did (brushing my teeth/cleaning/ washing dog) to the point that I realized that I needed to actually go out and exercise. Like I said, it is all about how you are. I doubt anyone is as lazy as I am lol, but if you are, and this is a problem you are encountering, I would not log it if it will discourage you from exercising later and meeting those goals!

    Brushing teeth LOL exactly how many cal do you burn doing this, just curious :). No it doesnt discourage me from exercising later at all. I think I might log my cal under cleaing light, shave off some time and only count it every now and then.
  • trailrunner_jules
    trailrunner_jules Posts: 15
    Want a really simple but sort of expensive solution? Buy a heart rate monitor. You can know for sure if you're really getting a workout from that cleaning! It's great for exercise and wonderful for fat-burning and a nice way to see if your heart is getting any healthier when you work out!
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Are you trying to lose weight? If so I would not log it. Just count it as "bonus" and it should help you in your journey.
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