Cleaning as exercise?

rosieflo
rosieflo Posts: 218
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
I've noticed several people listing cleaning as exercise. So, I was wondering, if my lifestyle is listed at sedentary and I just cleaned for an hour, and was sweating, should i count it. Would you count it? I have never counted any of my cleaning, but i've also never cleaned enough to make me sweat (I was on my hands and knees scrubbing floors...)

Replies

  • sarahs440
    sarahs440 Posts: 405
    I cleaned out my van today and man that was work! But I am not planning on logging it, I'm just seeing it as a bonus.
  • musicgirl88
    musicgirl88 Posts: 504 Member
    I count cleaning as exercise when I know I'm going to be doing a lot of work. I also sometimes turn it into exercise. I will stop and do 30 seconds of some type of cardio (i.e. jumping jacks, high kicks, jump ropes, etc.) It depends on how much work I am doing.
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    I count it, especially if I've spent more than 30 mins at it. Even the light/moderate cleaning still burns more calories than if you were sitting around watching tv and affects your calorie stats. Besides, it motivates me to clean the house and work on the yard because I like being able to add the calories, lol
  • jmminmn
    jmminmn Posts: 28
    i only count it when it's a BIG cleaning day and I know I've spent several calories.
  • SandyLee1961
    SandyLee1961 Posts: 133 Member
    I count it, especially if I've spent more than 30 mins at it. Even the light/moderate cleaning still burns more calories than if you were sitting around watching tv and affects your calorie stats. Besides, it motivates me to clean the house and work on the yard because I like being able to add the calories, lol

    I like the way you think!!! LOL I'll keep that in mind when I do my cleaning!
  • sammybey
    sammybey Posts: 72 Member
    I did spring cleaning today for about 3 hours- laundry, organizing, dusting, about 3 sinks of dishes. I sure as hell logged it (well, 2 hours of it). I am also set to sedentary activity.

    Do I log it every time I do dishes? Nope. But if it's an hour or more I will- same with food prep, if I'm in the kitchen for 2 straight hours, it's getting logged (unlike cooking my nightly dinner).
  • RDH0513
    RDH0513 Posts: 245 Member
    definitely count it!!!! I am almost using this as an excuse to let my room get really messy!! haha! but I would definitely count it. If you heart rate is elevated and your sweating, thats exercise! Now I don't for like making my bed, but heavy duty cleaning, yes! I don't do it under the "heavy/vigorous" unless I'm mopping the whole house or something.
  • SunLovin1
    SunLovin1 Posts: 682 Member
    Well, I vacuumed and cleaned and broke a sweat doing it before MFP and yet I'm still overweight. I figured if I wasn't burning enough calories to lose weight prior to MFP, I wasn't going to log it. I only log my regular workouts. Anything else I might burn is just bonus burn! :)
  • stacimusmax
    stacimusmax Posts: 172 Member
    The only time I have counted it I was sweating while cleaning. I think that should count!
  • darkrider42
    darkrider42 Posts: 5,413 Member
    I don't count it mostly because I personally believe it grossly over-estimates the amount of calories burned just like I don't count my strength training calories either. Even activities monitored via HRMs over-estimate because the exertion phase of lifting (and straining) causes spikes in blood pressure that don't translate accurately into burned calories.

    I'm sure extra calories are being burned but I, like others before me have stated, just view them as a bonus.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Hand scrubbing floors is definitely a work out.
  • sjmartinez
    sjmartinez Posts: 25
    I feel the same I don't log cleaning because i consider it bonus. if I am sweating for more than 30 minutes of heavy duty cleaning say vacuuming I may only log like 10 or 15 minutes just depends. same thing with yard work if it gets me sweating I sometimes only log half of it the rest is bonus...hope that helps :)
  • charlene77
    charlene77 Posts: 250 Member
    My rule of thumb......if it's something that I do regularly.....I do not count it. I am a Mom of five so I tend to be busy....sometimes I clean for hours...dishes, vacum, mop floors, glass, bathroom, laundry ect.....but that's normal. I do it all the time and don't lose any weight. My body is used to it. When I break a sweat and get my heart going doing something that isn't a part of my regular routine, l count it :)
    For instance, the other day I helped a friend move. Up and down stairs with boxes and stuff for hours.....I logged it as as moving household stuff for only 30 minutes.......376 calories! I don't want to fool myself .....
  • wanttogetskinny
    wanttogetskinny Posts: 194
    I count doing laundry............I do it once a week for myself and my boyfriend. I lug 3-4 loads of laundry down a long hallway, having to stop to open multiple doors, both ways (we live in a huge apartment complex). Included in doing laundry is the undoing and remaking of the bed, all the folding, etc. I guesstimate what it burns, but I DO count it.
  • kel798
    kel798 Posts: 17
    I never count cleaning, and go hard at it for about 2 hours everyday, cleaning 2 bathrooms, vacuming, mopping ironing etc, as this is part of if i was trying to lose weight or not, so for me it's an everyday thing, i only count exercise i have to make myself go out and do, because i do have the choice there, but cleaning i have no choice unfortunatley, it depends i suppose, if it is the norm or not to do heavy cleaning.
  • bbb84
    bbb84 Posts: 418 Member
    I have only logged cleaning and yardwork one time each... I spent well over 5 hours cleaning someone elses house and let me tell you it was a mess. Then another 3 and 1/2 hours doing yard work in 90 degree heat the next day. Other than that I see calories burned by these activities as a bonus, I just don't count them because they were things I was doing before I came to MFP.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    The key is what your activity level is set at. If it is set at sedentary, you'll want to be more generous in what you log. If it's at active, you have a lot more cals built in to your goal to account for those things.

    If it is a pretty heavy cleaning (ie 2-3 hours and you sweat) and you're on sedentary, it's a good idea to log it. In those cases, when I log it, I usually only log half of it to be conservative. But I definitely log it, as it's not part of a "sedentary" day.
  • kacka68
    kacka68 Posts: 79 Member
    As a general rule, I only log "purposful exercise" where I intend to do a specific workout activity. I consider cleaning, shopping, food prep and sex *lol* (and lots of other things I see people log) as part of everyday life and therefore not excercise. I would rather underestimate my calories burnt, than over-estimate them anyways. I guess it depends on what you've set your activity level at too.

    Good luck.
  • Peanut1026
    Peanut1026 Posts: 85
    I do cleaning once a day, sometimes I log it sometimes I don't, it really depends on how long I clean for and how much effort I put into it. Monday mornings are big cleaning days, after the weekend with a husband and the kiddies home, it tends to look like a tornado came through and left a path of mass destruction..lol. Once in awhile I log cooking also, but only if i'm making something that takes alot of time, like making pie crust, breading chicken, cutting vegtables....ect.
  • ramila12
    ramila12 Posts: 17 Member
    I think it a good idea to track your exercise calories i just tried it. what i did was put my stepper in every room that needed cleaning,
    jumped on my stepper every so often and put music on. I would see how many tracks it would take to finish one room. i have 5 bed rooms 4 reception rooms a big kitchen &4 bathrooms. I can never do that in a day but going to try to finish faster & do it in a day, aiming to do that now.
  • Nathmich2
    Nathmich2 Posts: 9 Member
    On heavy-duty cleaning days I wear a heart rate monitor so I know exactly how many calories I'm burning.
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