Don't forget to add up your daily chores as exercise!

bigbugboo
bigbugboo Posts: 161
edited October 3 in Fitness and Exercise
I know that many of you 'old hands' will already be doing this, but I am only on day 2, and it dawned on me that i should be totting up the cleaning and other chores as part of my exercise routine. I have swept through the kitchen/diner, mopped the floor and washed the car which added up to a whopping 250+ cals used. I would have completely ignored this before, but now am looking for opportunities to clean things just to use up calories! Who knows, I should soon be fit and lean with the cleanest place in town. I can't lose (except weight and flab of course)! :laugh:
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Replies

  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    What are you going to do with all those extra calories?
  • Misiaxcore
    Misiaxcore Posts: 659 Member
    I never count chores as exercise. I feel that they fall into my daily burn, even if I don't clean hardcore everyday.

    Edit: I'm set to sedentary as I'm a student and spend most of my time reading and studying.
  • DKev
    DKev Posts: 266 Member
    Yes, especially if you have your activity set to 'sedentary' cleaning and such makes a big difference in your calories.
  • tmiqueen
    tmiqueen Posts: 254 Member
    I never count daily chores as exercise, unless it goes above and beyond what I'd been doing. I'd need to break a serious sweat to ever include it.
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    Your daily chores should already be considered in your calorie goal for the day - you choose an "activity level" when you set up your goals. I wouldn't log them.
  • wutamunkee
    wutamunkee Posts: 440 Member
    If you log them, at least don't eat them back.
  • avsingleton
    avsingleton Posts: 98 Member
    counting ur daily chores as exercise almost seems like cheating...just doesn't seem right :noway:
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    I know that many of you 'old hands' will already be doing this, but I am only on day 2, and it dawned on me that i should be totting up the cleaning and other chores as part of my exercise routine. I have swept through the kitchen/diner, mopped the floor and washed the car which added up to a whopping 250+ cals used. I would have completely ignored this before, but now am looking for opportunities to clean things just to use up calories! Who knows, I should soon be fit and lean with the cleanest place in town. I can't lose (except weight and flab of course)! :laugh:

    Please tell me you're making fun of people who actually count cleaning as exercise calories. Please..
  • Kalrez
    Kalrez Posts: 655 Member
    Your daily activities are already added into your activity level. If you count daily chores, then you're adding those calories twice.

    Now if you're doing some seriously heavy cleaning where you're moving furniture, scrubbing, climbing, lifting, etc, then add it. That's not normal, everyday cleaning.

    But if you're talking about doing a load of laundry, washing dishes, and sweeping the floors .... no. Just no.
  • clarech82
    clarech82 Posts: 244 Member
    I don't log it as that's what I do all day being a stay at home mum. I just set my activity level to lightly active.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    What are you going to do with all those extra calories?

    store them for winter.
  • vintx
    vintx Posts: 34
    I would only count them if you chose "sedentary" as you lifestyle. i'm a recovering facebook-aholic and would sit on the couch most of the day, so i chose sedentary when filling out my profile. so i do enter cleaning and chores since normally, i wouldn't do them before.

    and for me, if i get to log something, it is motivation for me to get stuff done.

    good luck and do what works for you! :)
  • chrissym78
    chrissym78 Posts: 628 Member
    I never log them! I clean everyday, therefore it's already figured into my daily activity level. If I ate every calorie I'd earned cleaning I'd be huge.
  • bigbugboo
    bigbugboo Posts: 161
    I have decided to log my chores as I have my activity level set to sedentary. I work from home with an online business, so I sit for quite a bit of the day. I don't intend eating more because I have used more calories, but keep well within my allowance. I'm trying to do more activity by doing something productive, rather than exercise for exercise sake, therefore my home and family benefit from my activity as well as myself.
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    I don't clean often, and my activity level is sedentary, so I definitely count it as calories when I clean. And I eat them. AND I'm still losing weight. Oh, snap.
  • chelekaz
    chelekaz Posts: 847 Member
    I agree, I don't put daily chores in because it is part of daily routine. Now, that said Sunday I will be logging them. Fall housecleaning along w/ moving out all my youngest's stuff from his room and setting up bunk beds and moving our oldest in with him... so not our idea but they want to share a room so....
  • sexforjaffacakes
    sexforjaffacakes Posts: 1,001 Member
    I would say daily chores come under your profile anyway....I mean my bmr is like 1600 cals but my overall cals used are 2000, those 400 calories ave to come from somewhere...like housework....
  • rettab773
    rettab773 Posts: 15 Member
    I log them i just don't use them to eat more.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I never count chores as exercise. I feel that they fall into my daily burn, even if I don't clean hardcore everyday.

    This.

    I also skip calories burned lifting weights, and walking I do that's part of my day and not specifically for exercise. I personally then feel better about eating back my exercise calories and I don't feel quite as bad if I go over by a little bit on some days.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
    It's part of my activity level, so it's not counted, unless it's something beyond like painting a room, or heavy snow shoveling.
  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
    did you clean when you were overweight? i'm not sure if i would count this unless i was seriously power-cleaning...because if you did it when you were overweight and it didn't help the cause then why would you count it now?
  • cloneme_losehalf
    cloneme_losehalf Posts: 356 Member
    I only put cleaning down if it is something out of the norm, like shampooing the carpets, scrubbing baseboads, something I only to once a month or less that takes some extra time and energy.
  • ScarletKuriboh
    ScarletKuriboh Posts: 24
    I say that you should include or exclude them depending on how you feel.

    I personally clean my house every morning and count them into my cals burned, but I don't use it as exercise only. I still work out every day and try to get the most optimal cal burn. Things like washing the car yourself i would def include, because sooooo many people just go to the car wash (so kudos to you).

    I understand that activity level should be accounted for, but then I don't think this site would include it as a cardio exercise if it didn't consider it as such.

    So do what u feel is right for you, and keep working out. Best of luck to you!
  • DKev
    DKev Posts: 266 Member
    I would only count them if you chose "sedentary" as you lifestyle. i'm a recovering facebook-aholic and would sit on the couch most of the day, so i chose sedentary when filling out my profile. so i do enter cleaning and chores since normally, i wouldn't do them before.

    and for me, if i get to log something, it is motivation for me to get stuff done.

    good luck and do what works for you! :)

    I agree with this.
  • BGabbart
    BGabbart Posts: 173 Member
    I have decided to log my chores as I have my activity level set to sedentary. I work from home with an online business, so I sit for quite a bit of the day. I don't intend eating more because I have used more calories, but keep well within my allowance. I'm trying to do more activity by doing something productive, rather than exercise for exercise sake, therefore my home and family benefit from my activity as well as myself.

    I also count them because i really only do them once a week and I do sweat. I leave my house M-F at 6:30 a.m and return about 6:00 pm and than fix supper, and do dishes and my workout so I don't have time during the week to clean. Saturdays are my busy day and I use my cleaning as my exercise. I have never eaten back my exercise calories though I stay between 1200-1500 calories and so far this is working for me. But I would really count washing the car as burning calories.
  • busywaterbending
    busywaterbending Posts: 844 Member
    no, you are not suppossed to add chores as exercise. You already set your calories for the day depending on if you are moving allot or alittle thoughout your day.

    If you count chores, and everything else, that means you have to set your movement rate at couch potato, very little to no movement, and then count every little bit of exercise to get a correct reading.

    it's better to just set the amount of movement you do (sedentary, if you must!) to moderate and then adjust.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    did you clean when you were overweight? i'm not sure if i would count this unless i was seriously power-cleaning...because if you did it when you were overweight and it didn't help the cause then why would you count it now?

    That's the way I look at it. Fat or thin, I have always vacuumed, dusted, done the dishes, cleaned the toilet, and scrubbed with the same intensity. I only count out of the ordinary events, like snow shoveling, hours of raking up leaves...things that I don't do in a normal week. Otherwise, where do you draw the line?
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
    Your daily chores should already be considered in your calorie goal for the day - you choose an "activity level" when you set up your goals. I wouldn't log them.

    I agree with this.
  • Misiaxcore
    Misiaxcore Posts: 659 Member
    did you clean when you were overweight? i'm not sure if i would count this unless i was seriously power-cleaning...because if you did it when you were overweight and it didn't help the cause then why would you count it now?

    That's the way I look at it. Fat or thin, I have always vacuumed, dusted, done the dishes, cleaned the toilet, and scrubbed with the same intensity. I only count out of the ordinary events, like snow shoveling, hours of raking up leaves...things that I don't do in a normal week. Otherwise, where do you draw the line?

    Well put. Also, if regular chores were real exercise, why would you need to be here ?
  • bigbugboo
    bigbugboo Posts: 161
    did you clean when you were overweight? i'm not sure if i would count this unless i was seriously power-cleaning...because if you did it when you were overweight and it didn't help the cause then why would you count it now?

    I've just moved from a small house in the city to a much bigger house and a few acres of land in the styx, so much more cleaning and general activity and a very muddy car to clean also!
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