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is heavy cleaning legitamate exercise?
Evamutt
Posts: 2,997 Member
sometimes I do out of the ordinary heavy cleaning where I volunteer. Today I cleaned for 3.5hrs. sweeping, putting things away, making several trips to the trash bin & lift up heavy bags to throw in, lots of raking, mopping, cleaning kennels non stop, drenched with sweat the whole time. I don't do this every day & don't log my hour walk or anything else I do at home. Is this legit to add as exercise?
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Yep. If youare sweating and working harder than normal, it definitely counts.2
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I think that the difference is when it is as you describe out of the ordinary of everyday activities. When I am moving furniture around and moving around lots of heavy objects mopping my hand etc. I don't log it, but I allow myself to go over a little on my calories knowing I burned more then usual that day. I think what annoys people on MFP are the folks who log everyday light cleaning, and then complain about not losing any weight3
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There was another thread on this board a couple weeks ago that discussed this. It was a pretty good discussion with a lot of relevant posts.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10586292/the-cleaning-entry-under-exercises0 -
IMO, it should be logged, in the circumstances you describe.1
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If it isn't something you do on a regular basis, don't mark it off. If it is something daily, change your daily caloric intake.0
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Thank you all, I'll look that other thread up when I get home, I'm doing heavy cleaning again today. Again, I don't do this much heavy cleaning at our rescue center every time I go & don't log it, but a few ppl are not able to be there today, so I'm doing it. Yesterday I took 4 bags of trash out that I rolled out in the can & had to use all my effort to haul it into the big trash bin. One of the bags was full of dog poop & as I grabbed it, it started to rip & I used all I had to throw it in there before it ripped all the way, bin is over my head lol ew1
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I thought this discussion was going to be about something else...
as to the question, it is activity that is in excess of what your normal activity level is...I wouldn't view it as exercise per sei for the purpose of fitness...but if it's activity beyond what your activity level is set to then it should be accounted for...10 -
I don't personally feel it is.
If you did it while you gained weight, was overweight and stayed overweight then no it's not to be logged.
and I will give you more examples...
I have a garden and have had it for years...it's only weeded/planted/harvested during certain time periods and it's hard work...I did it while I was fat and got fatter over the years...it didn't help me lose weight.
we burn wood, I help throw it in etc...I stayed fat and got fatter while doing it even though it's a once a year thing and not my normal day to day.
Just because something is out of the ordinary unless it's being done for the sole purpose of losing weight then I don't recommend logging it ever.
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Avocado_Angel wrote: »I used to work as a cleaner & my Samsung watch told me id done a 'dynamic workout' so yeah, pretty sure it counts.
so if you did such dynamic workouts why are you on here trying to lose weight?10 -
sometimes I do out of the ordinary heavy cleaning where I volunteer. Today I cleaned for 3.5hrs. sweeping, putting things away, making several trips to the trash bin & lift up heavy bags to throw in, lots of raking, mopping, cleaning kennels non stop, drenched with sweat the whole time. I don't do this every day & don't log my hour walk or anything else I do at home. Is this legit to add as exercise?
If your MFP activity level is set to sedentary, then I say yes. Your net calorie allotment, in that case, would have been calculated assuming you were not on your feet working physical labor for several hours.2 -
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Avocado_Angel wrote: »I used to work as a cleaner & my Samsung watch told me id done a 'dynamic workout' so yeah, pretty sure it counts.
so if you did such dynamic workouts why are you on here trying to lose weight?
I still took intense dance classes and taught dance when I was quite overweight and staying overweight. Once I started trying to lose weight and aiming for a calorie deficit I logged those calorie burns and still lost weight. Just because you can do a physical activity while you're overweight doesn't mean it has no impact on your calories out. When I was overweight, if I had stopped dancing but kept eating at the same level I would have gotten even larger than I ever did. It all just comes down to the net calorie balance.20 -
I'd also say no. It takes me 2 hours to mow my yard and I don't call it exercise. A workout should be targeted and efficient. Calories lost from cleaning are an extra bonus.1
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KatieJane83 wrote: »Avocado_Angel wrote: »I used to work as a cleaner & my Samsung watch told me id done a 'dynamic workout' so yeah, pretty sure it counts.
so if you did such dynamic workouts why are you on here trying to lose weight?
I still took intense dance classes and taught dance when I was quite overweight and staying overweight. Once I started trying to lose weight and aiming for a calorie deficit I logged those calorie burns and still lost weight. Just because you can do a physical activity while you're overweight doesn't mean it has no impact on your calories out. When I was overweight, if I had stopped dancing but kept eating at the same level I would have gotten even larger than I ever did. It all just comes down to the net calorie balance.
I didn't say it didn't have an impact on the CO part but at the same time it's not exercise for the purpose of losing weight...otherwise again you wouldn't be trying to lose weight...
For example your dance....part of activity level not purposeful exercise. Did it help you lose weight? I contend no...it was the CI being lower that did that...per your own statement...so obviously dance is not the reason for weight loss..nor is cleaning...or gardening...or throwing in wood.
Those are activities in your daily life that you did previous to losing the weight.
But hey if you all want to count them have at.8 -
thanks everyone0
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I don't personally feel it is.
If you did it while you gained weight, was overweight and stayed overweight then no it's not to be logged.
and I will give you more examples...
I have a garden and have had it for years...it's only weeded/planted/harvested during certain time periods and it's hard work...I did it while I was fat and got fatter over the years...it didn't help me lose weight.
we burn wood, I help throw it in etc...I stayed fat and got fatter while doing it even though it's a once a year thing and not my normal day to day.
Just because something is out of the ordinary unless it's being done for the sole purpose of losing weight then I don't recommend logging it ever.
What you did (or didn't do) while fat is irrelevant. Why you did the exercise is irrelevant.
Weight loss by calorie counting involves setting up an arithmetic formula of estimates.
You estimate your calories in (CI) via food logging.
You estimate your calories out (CO), when using MFP's core methods, by giving MFP profile settings that it plugs into formulas.
MFP uses your current size, age, and activity level to estimate your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). "Activity level" is defined to be based on your daily life outside of intentional exercise - your job, routine chores, etc. MFP then deducts calories from your NEAT, based on how much weight you said you want to lose weekly, to give you a daily calorie goal that has weight loss built into it.
If you do intentional exercise, that's extra calories burned but not otherwise accounted for, therefore you eat those calories back to keep the same deficit and the same estimated weight loss rate. Individual results vary because all these values are estimates. So you adjust based on your results, once you have enough data.
You know all this.
But where in there does MFP specifically (or calorie counting generally) distinguish exercise you did for the purpose of losing weight from exercise you did for some other reason? Or distinguish exercise you do now, but didn't do before you started calorie counting, from exercise you did before and during calorie counting?
Answer: It doesn't distinguish. Because it's irrelevant to the calorie counting formula. CI minus CO equals body weight result (gain, loss, or maintenance).
Saying the purpose of the exercise makes a difference, or how long ago you started doing the exercise makes a difference, is like saying food you eat for pure nutrition counts differently than food you eat for fun, or foods you've always eaten count differently from foods you eat only when you're trying to lose weight. Not true.25 -
If it's something you don't do on a regular basis: ie move the fridge and stove and scub behind/under. Then yes, log it. If it's part of your everyday routine, that is part of your activity level.0
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I would say yes,, it burns calories and if you break a sweat, sure why not0
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Avocado_Angel wrote: »I used to work as a cleaner & my Samsung watch told me id done a 'dynamic workout' so yeah, pretty sure it counts.
so if you did such dynamic workouts why are you on here trying to lose weight?
Your argument doesn't make sense. Back before I came to MFP and lost weight, I trained for a marathon and actually gained a couple of pounds over the course of it. That doesn't mean that marathon training doesn't count as exercise just because it was something I did before I lost weight. How absurd. It just means that in addition to counting my exercise, I need to be making sure I'm not eating back MORE than what I burned in exercise. 
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Avocado_Angel wrote: »I used to work as a cleaner & my Samsung watch told me id done a 'dynamic workout' so yeah, pretty sure it counts.
so if you did such dynamic workouts why are you on here trying to lose weight?
You can't out run the fork.6 -
I don't personally feel it is.
If you did it while you gained weight, was overweight and stayed overweight then no it's not to be logged.
and I will give you more examples...
I have a garden and have had it for years...it's only weeded/planted/harvested during certain time periods and it's hard work...I did it while I was fat and got fatter over the years...it didn't help me lose weight.
we burn wood, I help throw it in etc...I stayed fat and got fatter while doing it even though it's a once a year thing and not my normal day to day.
Just because something is out of the ordinary unless it's being done for the sole purpose of losing weight then I don't recommend logging it ever.
What you did (or didn't do) while fat is irrelevant. Why you did the exercise is irrelevant.
Weight loss by calorie counting involves setting up an arithmetic formula of estimates.
You estimate your calories in (CI) via food logging.
You estimate your calories out (CO), when using MFP's core methods, by giving MFP profile settings that it plugs into formulas.
MFP uses your current size, age, and activity level to estimate your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). "Activity level" is defined to be based on your daily life outside of intentional exercise - your job, routine chores, etc. MFP then deducts calories from your NEAT, based on how much weight you said you want to lose weekly, to give you a daily calorie goal that has weight loss built into it.
If you do intentional exercise, that's extra calories burned but not otherwise accounted for, therefore you eat those calories back to keep the same deficit and the same estimated weight loss rate. Individual results vary because all these values are estimates. So you adjust based on your results, once you have enough data.
You know all this.
But where in there does MFP specifically (or calorie counting generally) distinguish exercise you did for the purpose of losing weight from exercise you did for some other reason? Or distinguish exercise you do now, but didn't do before you started calorie counting, from exercise you did before and during calorie counting?
Answer: It doesn't distinguish. Because it's irrelevant to the calorie counting formula. CI minus CO equals body weight result (gain, loss, or maintenance).
Saying the purpose of the exercise makes a difference, or how long ago you started doing the exercise makes a difference, is like saying food you eat for pure nutrition counts differently than food you eat for fun, or foods you've always eaten count differently from foods you eat only when you're trying to lose weight. Not true.
and if you read my post I said I don't recommend logging it. And you are correct I know how MFP works and I know how weight loss works (that's why I don't recommend logging this stuff) and I know how maintenance works (another reason I don't recommend logging it) and I know how yo yo's work...main reason I don't recommend. So you telling me it again doesn't change my statement.
I do not recommend logging household chores as exercise and if you do it for a job aka cleaner then that should be part of your daily activity level.
The reason weight loss is happening has nothing to do with the cleaning...or the throwing in wood it's because you aren't eating calories like you did before...
and Yes I do feel that purposeful exercise is the stuff that you should log not activities that are not done for the purpose of burning calories. Exercise has a definition....it is movement or an activity done for the purpose of health and/or fitness
Even if it does burn an extra 100 or 200 for that one day then great consider it a bonus or a counter to not logging accurately...
and the bolded part is a misdirection. Food eaten for nutrition or fun is irrelevant for weight loss as well...and you know this...and to use this as a comparison to if movement that is not exercise should be logged so you can eat more is grasping and clouding the debate.Avocado_Angel wrote: »I used to work as a cleaner & my Samsung watch told me id done a 'dynamic workout' so yeah, pretty sure it counts.
so if you did such dynamic workouts why are you on here trying to lose weight? Your argument doesn't make sense. Back before I came to MFP and lost weight, I trained for a marathon and actually gained a couple of pounds over the course of it. That doesn't mean that marathon training doesn't count as exercise just because it was something I did before I lost weight. How absurd. It just means that in addition to counting my exercise, I need to be making sure I'm not eating back MORE than what I burned in exercise.
My argument makes sense when taken in totality instead of cherry picking certain parts of it like you just did...especially in the context of this thread. We are discussing non exercise activity such as cleaning or moving furniture
...marathon training is a very specific "exercise" it's not like you were mowing an acre every other week...exercise by definition is done to improve health and/or fitness...
ETA: and your response just proves my point even more...even purposeful exercise does not guarantee weight loss...you have to watch Calories going in...that is the key to weight loss...because exercise is not a requirement for weight loss...
and let me say this as well...even if you sweat doesn't mean you should log it...that is not an indication of effort...11 -
I wouldn't call it exercise but I would call it a legitimate extra activity that burns calories above your normal activity setting.
Totally irrelevant if you had the same varied levels of activity when you gained your weight.
Totally irrelevant the purpose of the activity if it's something not otherwise accounted for.
If I cycle to work because the trains aren't running it still burns the same calories as cycling for exercise. If I do 3 hours of heavy duty gardening that's on top of my normal activity level I'm still burning extra calories.
If you are calorie counting then count something that's significant. That level of significance is personal to you.
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I wouldn't call it exercise but I would call it a legitimate extra activity that burns calories above your normal activity setting.
Totally irrelevant if you had the same varied levels of activity when you gained your weight.
Totally irrelevant the purpose of the activity if it's something not otherwise accounted for.
If I cycle to work because the trains aren't running it still burns the same calories as cycling for exercise. If I do 3 hours of heavy duty gardening that's on top of my normal activity level I'm still burning extra calories.
If you are calorie counting then count something that's significant. That level of significance is personal to you.
I never said it wasn't extra activity that burns more what I said was I wouldn't log it as such.
I feel that way because it doesn't help you lose weight...it isn't about "exercise" or "earning more calories" it's something you do and have done for a while.
As for the cycle analogy I wouldn't count it either...I find that people that log these "extra" things when it's not exercise are doing themselves a disservice in the long run.
But yah the choice is a personal preference...as is everything else in life.8 -
I wouldn't call it exercise but I would call it a legitimate extra activity that burns calories above your normal activity setting.
Totally irrelevant if you had the same varied levels of activity when you gained your weight.
Totally irrelevant the purpose of the activity if it's something not otherwise accounted for.
If I cycle to work because the trains aren't running it still burns the same calories as cycling for exercise. If I do 3 hours of heavy duty gardening that's on top of my normal activity level I'm still burning extra calories.
If you are calorie counting then count something that's significant. That level of significance is personal to you.
I never said it wasn't extra activity that burns more what I said was I wouldn't log it as such.
I feel that way because it doesn't help you lose weight...it isn't about "exercise" or "earning more calories" it's something you do and have done for a while.
As for the cycle analogy I wouldn't count it either...I find that people that log these "extra" things when it's not exercise are doing themselves a disservice in the long run.
But yah the choice is a personal preference...as is everything else in life.
I'm extremely comfortable taking the opposite view.
And I was, and continue to be, very successful following my method both for weight loss and long term maintenance.
Not logging 36 miles of cycling because it gets me to and from work - hmm, now that would be a very strange idea of calorie counting to leave out about 1000 net cals burned.19 -
I log any "deliberate" activity, i.e. something I could NOT do if I preferred to sit on the sofa. So I log mowing the lawn - interestingly, now I'm lighter it takes me 10 minutes less than when I was overweight! I log my walks to and from work - as I could get a bus or drive - and I log cooking/food preparation if its something involving a lot of effort - I'd log making a lasagne, or baking (up til it goes in the oven), but not just taking something from the freezer. I do a lot of cooking from scratch but only log it if its over 1/2 hour effort (not an occasional stir!)0
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I wouldn't call it exercise but I would call it a legitimate extra activity that burns calories above your normal activity setting.
Totally irrelevant if you had the same varied levels of activity when you gained your weight.
Totally irrelevant the purpose of the activity if it's something not otherwise accounted for.
If I cycle to work because the trains aren't running it still burns the same calories as cycling for exercise. If I do 3 hours of heavy duty gardening that's on top of my normal activity level I'm still burning extra calories.
If you are calorie counting then count something that's significant. That level of significance is personal to you.
I never said it wasn't extra activity that burns more what I said was I wouldn't log it as such.
I feel that way because it doesn't help you lose weight...it isn't about "exercise" or "earning more calories" it's something you do and have done for a while.
As for the cycle analogy I wouldn't count it either...I find that people that log these "extra" things when it's not exercise are doing themselves a disservice in the long run.
But yah the choice is a personal preference...as is everything else in life.
I'm extremely comfortable taking the opposite view.
And I was, and continue to be, very successful following my method both for weight loss and long term maintenance.
Not logging 36 miles of cycling because it gets me to and from work - hmm, now that would be a very strange idea of calorie counting to leave out about 1000 net cals burned.
36 miles is a fair amount I agree...but you didn't specifiy it was that much either...
for me it would have been 10miles round trip...and a lot of it down hill on the way home so not really peddling much so see why I wouldn't log it. And to be fair like I said I help with the winters wood and as a lark I did track it once...apparently it burns 750 calories each day and it's 2 days worth of work...I still don't log it. However I might go over my calories a bit that day but probably not...if I do it's from the beer.
moving the goal posts in that post wasn't really that fair but have at doesn't change the premise of the OP or my original post.
I still say logging "heavy cleaning" or "throwing in wood" or "gardening" is not somethign I would recommend.
But again personal preference. If people want to log these things have at. I don't agree and there isn't much that can be said for me to say Yes Log heavy cleaning while you are in the middle of losing weight it will help you with your weight loss goals.
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Avocado_Angel wrote: »Avocado_Angel wrote: »I used to work as a cleaner & my Samsung watch told me id done a 'dynamic workout' so yeah, pretty sure it counts.
so if you did such dynamic workouts why are you on here trying to lose weight?
So many reasons..... my love of food being 1
like the rest of us I am sure..my point with your post was that as a "cleaner" it's part of your activity level...0 -
I wouldn't call it exercise but I would call it a legitimate extra activity that burns calories above your normal activity setting.
Totally irrelevant if you had the same varied levels of activity when you gained your weight.
Totally irrelevant the purpose of the activity if it's something not otherwise accounted for.
If I cycle to work because the trains aren't running it still burns the same calories as cycling for exercise. If I do 3 hours of heavy duty gardening that's on top of my normal activity level I'm still burning extra calories.
If you are calorie counting then count something that's significant. That level of significance is personal to you.
I never said it wasn't extra activity that burns more what I said was I wouldn't log it as such.
I feel that way because it doesn't help you lose weight...it isn't about "exercise" or "earning more calories" it's something you do and have done for a while.
As for the cycle analogy I wouldn't count it either...I find that people that log these "extra" things when it's not exercise are doing themselves a disservice in the long run.
But yah the choice is a personal preference...as is everything else in life.
I'm extremely comfortable taking the opposite view.
And I was, and continue to be, very successful following my method both for weight loss and long term maintenance.
Not logging 36 miles of cycling because it gets me to and from work - hmm, now that would be a very strange idea of calorie counting to leave out about 1000 net cals burned.
36 miles is a fair amount I agree...but you didn't specifiy it was that much either...
for me it would have been 10miles round trip...and a lot of it down hill on the way home so not really peddling much so see why I wouldn't log it. And to be fair like I said I help with the winters wood and as a lark I did track it once...apparently it burns 750 calories each day and it's 2 days worth of work...I still don't log it. However I might go over my calories a bit that day but probably not...if I do it's from the beer.
moving the goal posts in that post wasn't really that fair but have at doesn't change the premise of the OP or my original post.
I still say logging "heavy cleaning" or "throwing in wood" or "gardening" is not somethign I would recommend.
But again personal preference. If people want to log these things have at. I don't agree and there isn't much that can be said for me to say Yes Log heavy cleaning while you are in the middle of losing weight it will help you with your weight loss goals.
I didn't move any goal posts - you just made an assumption. Why you would assume replacing a train journey with a bike ride would be an insignificant distance is a mystery to me apart from it just being your usual argumentative style I guess - the written form of "listening to respond". (Google that phrase if you aren't familiar with it.)
You could have asked what the distance or duration was but instead you want to "win" the discussion.
But it shows up one of the flaws in your thinking, your body doesn't have any sense of why you are burning calories so the intention is irrelevant. Estimating your calorie balance is the point of calorie counting.
For some poor soul on a very low calorie allowance the point extra activity or exercise becomes significant is at a much lower level than for me.
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