Cleaning As An Exercise.

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Pfauxmeh
Pfauxmeh Posts: 259
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, I'm sorry if I offend anyone out there...but cleaning is NOT an exercise. Yes, you burn calories doing it and sometimes you can even break a sweat doing it, but cleaning is apart of every day life and should be treated as just another thing tacked onto your daily activity level.

Anyone out there agree with me?
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Replies

  • BeautyCrys
    BeautyCrys Posts: 209 Member
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    I laugh when I see someone who posts that and then ask them to PLEASE COME DO MINE NEXT! lol
  • TexasNurseMom78
    TexasNurseMom78 Posts: 897 Member
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    I have counted it as exercise before, but only on days when I dont get any other work out in
  • Yooperm35
    Yooperm35 Posts: 787 Member
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    well, if you never clean - then it IS exercise to you! lol
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    Ok, I'm sorry if I offend anyone out there...but cleaning is NOT an exercise. Yes, you burn calories doing it and sometimes you can even break a sweat doing it, but cleaning is apart of every day life and should be treated as just another thing tacked onto your daily activity level.

    Anyone out there agree with me?
    I disagree to a point. While there's daily cleaning (wipeups, light dusting, laundry) things like scrubbing the floor, vacuuming, and cleaning the base boards or behind furniture isn't a daily thing for the average person. So this definitely would be extra activity.
  • Jade_Butterfly
    Jade_Butterfly Posts: 2,963 Member
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    This is a highly controversial subject and should be approached with extreme caution. . . . .I will tell you though when I spend 3 hours out in the yard weilding a weedwacker or mower. . with my HRM. . . I do count it. . . because it is something that I only have to do at certain times of the year. . .

    I really think that each person knows what they should be counting in their diary and that if it is a workout for them. . then others should have the respect to leave them alone. . .I know people that suffer with lifetime debilitating illness's as well as problems with weight. . .and just getting up can be major. . . just a thought.:bigsmile:
  • AHealthierRhonda
    AHealthierRhonda Posts: 881 Member
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    I agree somewhat. I agree that everyday cleaning is just that and if you have set your lifestyle accordingly you shouldn't count it as an exercise. However, when you are scrubbing, walls, floors, moving furniture around, and really doing a thorough cleaning that you don't always do daily, you can count it as an exercise. I add cleaning under exercise when I do these sorts of things, but not when I vacuum, dust, wash floors with a mop,... which I consider all normal weekly cleaning. Also, if you have your lifestyle set for sedentary then cleaning would be an exercise since you are more than just sitting at a desk. All depends on the person and the lifestyle!
  • Malloryrae1211
    Malloryrae1211 Posts: 60 Member
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    I have to agree to some degree. I clean my own house around the clock so I don't log that but once a week I spend 3 hours cleaning my dad's house for him. Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, scrubbing showers and toilets. Since I only do this once a week I do log it because I consider it an extra burn. Since I clean my own house all the time I just consider it part of my life just like sleeping or breathing! ;)
  • KPaden1221
    KPaden1221 Posts: 433
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    I only ever count it as exercise if it's like above and beyond cleaning.. like the other day.. i weeded my flower beds, we had a tree fall on the house, we cut that up and moved it, i clean our bathroom i MEAN SCRUBBED, moved furniture to clean under it and moved it back cleaned out closets, packed boxes of stuff to get rid of, moved those all over the place, and etc.. but it took me ALL DAY like 6-7 hours NON STOP but i only logged 2 hours of it.. and still did a workout for the day..
  • angiesteele
    angiesteele Posts: 366 Member
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    Ok, I'm sorry if I offend anyone out there...but cleaning is NOT an exercise. Yes, you burn calories doing it and sometimes you can even break a sweat doing it, but cleaning is apart of every day life and should be treated as just another thing tacked onto your daily activity level.

    Anyone out there agree with me?
    I disagree to a point. While there's daily cleaning (wipeups, light dusting, laundry) things like scrubbing the floor, vacuuming, and cleaning the base boards or behind furniture isn't a daily thing for the average person. So this definitely would be extra activity.

    I agree, daily cleaning is a no but my major overhaul cleaning i count
  • dipsl19
    dipsl19 Posts: 317 Member
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    well, if you never clean - then it IS exercise to you! lol
    hahhaha right?!

    its an exercise if you wear a HRM and burn more than 100 cal in 30 minutes, otherwise... not really
  • GettingFitterVicki
    GettingFitterVicki Posts: 82 Member
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    Yeah it is IF it's done at high intensity. For example, I was rushing around like a crazy lady getting the house clean before my friend came. I had an hour and did lots of sweeping, mopping and hoovering as well as floor cleaning on my hands and knees. I also rushed to get the bathroom cleaned (again, including the floor) and bedsheets changed. Did quite a lot of other bits too. I was sweating by the end of it.

    You're telling me that's not exercise?

    Cleaning is part of daily life, but doing it like that certainly isn't!
  • morganhccstudent724
    morganhccstudent724 Posts: 1,261 Member
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    I agree....I only count Spring cleaning. You know the crazy hardcore kind.

    I think it is pretty funny when someone logs cleaning everyday for 6 months.
  • TrotterHelen
    TrotterHelen Posts: 10 Member
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    I think it depends on what you're doing. I used to vacuum the hallways of the apt complex that we managed: two 3-story buildings with stairs. Each building took me and hour and a half. I counted that as exercise!
  • Trixtabella
    Trixtabella Posts: 471 Member
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    I don't log my cleaning, I also don't log my walk to and from the gym even though it takes me 40 minutes because these are things I normally do. I do however log my walk to work.
  • shelbygeorge29
    shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
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    The only reason I count it is that I set my activty level to sedentary, and then I add in activies to understand how many calories I burn in a day. It's kind of like wearing a Bodybugg; calculating your daily energy expenditure.

    I don't think of it as real exercise, but everything you do on a daily basis to get off yout tush and move counts. For me, real exercise is when I lace up my sneakers and really sweat.
  • AmberBarrios
    AmberBarrios Posts: 394 Member
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    I agree with some of the other posters. I only log it as exercise when I do deep cleaning, such as moving furniture to clean walls & base boards or getting down on hands and knees to scrub floors. The light every day stuff though I wont log, but if it took me hours and I am completely beat afterwards for sure I am logging it.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    Pants.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    I do hard-core cleaning once a week, and I do count it towards my exercise calories. It's a great motivator to clean, and some of us slobs really need that motivation! :laugh:

    Don't worry about what other people track as exercise, what good does that do you?
  • jinxywinx
    jinxywinx Posts: 38
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    I count it when I'm doing things that I know are above and beyond day-to-day things. If I'm moving a lot of furniture, or carrying things up and down the stairs (like our carpet cleaner, ugh).
    If it's just your average vacuum, dust and dishes it doesn't count to me.
  • microwoman999
    microwoman999 Posts: 545 Member
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    I actually do not agree with you completely. I do not count my laundry and dusting and picking up things but I do count it if I do an extra cleaning. It can even be spring cleaning which is not done all of the time only a couple times a year and other things like that. It is still the body moving in such a way that burns calories so I do not see why it could not count. Some people I know went from eating whatever they wanted and sitting around all day to watching what they eat and starting to move. So those are things they had not done in the past that the body now has to compensate for. It is overall burning calories. Total thought is don't starve your body and be happy for everything you do that is keeping you active...even if it as little as cleaning to some people. As long as you are loosing you are working towards a goal to loose weight and better yourself. Be proud of yourselves for that 30 minutes you cleaned and that 30 minutes you ran hard, or even that 30 minute workout you used to scream at but you continued to push and now can do it well!

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