Logging 'cleaning' and 'shopping' cals burned etc

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  • Phoenix24601
    Phoenix24601 Posts: 620 Member
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    I only log it rarely. If the cleaning is my bathroom and I am taking over an hour.
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
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    I log everyday activities only if I do more than what I would do on an average day. And I am very careful to be conservative. For instance, this week I was going up and down stairs putting away christmas decoration boxes. I logged it as walking slowly for 15 minutes.

    I think you have to just be sensible about this.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    I will occasionally log a particularly LONG/BIG cleaning day that is way above and beyond what I would normally do. Or maybe a particularly long day on my feet (major Black Friday Shopping:-). But even if I do several hours of it, I will only log an hour or so.

    Otherwise, I just log exercise.
  • TriedEverything
    TriedEverything Posts: 173 Member
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    I don't generally tend to log the odd bit of cleaning, but if I think Iv'e made more effort than usual (& for longer than usual) then I might. Re shopping - well, I might log it as a gentle walk or something. Really big shopping sprees (where you trail round for several hours) must surely burn a few calories, so I would say that's worth logging! (especially if you don't do it very often).

    But I do agree that the figures MFP gives for calories burned is very unrealistic, and I've heard many other people say that too! (although it would be great if they were correct! :happy: :ohwell: )
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I never clean my own house, we pay my MIL to clean for us. So if I actually run the vacuum, sweep and mop floors, dust and clean toilets, then I promise you I will work up a sweat.

    I personally find these kinds of threads insulting and demoralizing. I don't understand WHY anyone else cares what someone logs as exercise. If you have a very obese person who manages to move around their house and do some activity, then why look down on them for logging that as exercise. If same person then complains they are not losing weight and can't understand why, that may be a different story. But to just judge based on what some deem as exercise can be hurtful to those who feel a sense of accomplishment. Try to remember not everyone is in the same place as you.
  • Hambone23
    Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
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    Like some others have said: I've led a sedentary lifestyle, and for me to get up and do a big cleaning, I sweat, I get out of breath, I'm exhausted afterward. It -is- exercise for me. A light go around the house? I'd never log that. But if I'm heavy cleaning for a 30 minute period of time and breaking a sweat, I know my heart rate is up, and dangit if I'm not going to log that. :P

    Sometimes, too, people need to take their small victories where they get them.
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
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    Regular day-to-day cleaning no...but the every couple of months big clean ohhhhh yes!!

    On a kind of side note but similar thing...I also log standing...yep you heard it...standing!! I work with an animal rescue and occasionally we do stalls at events and I am literally on my feet chatting away to people for 2-7 hours.

    On the very rare times that I do go shopping, if I'm out for a few hours wandering around I'll probably log, something like, 1 hour of walking at a slow pace.

    I've got my level set at sedentary so anything that really isn't sedentary or day-to-day gets logged :-))
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    My question for you is, why does it matter? Why do you care? And if you're not being judgmental, why would you ask if we praise people for their cleaning/shopping? Your tone clearly suggests that you think they are unworthy of praise for doing such a mundane bit of exercise.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    what i meant was like couple's extra cardio activities LOL :)
  • Want2weigh165
    Want2weigh165 Posts: 31
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    I feel that cleaning/shopping are regular activities for ME and I DONT log them BUT others who will clean and want to burn extra calories by scrubbing harder or longer, vacuuming more vigorously etc so they can burn more cals I can understand them logging it. maybe someone who was not in charge of cleaning before or now is cleaning more often b/c it's the only exercise they get I say hey go for it and keep up the good work! I don't look down on any form of exercise b/c what is most important is getting that heart rate up and moving around!
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
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    Don't log this in.
    It's NOT exercise.
  • SeaSiren1
    SeaSiren1 Posts: 242 Member
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    I do not log anything other than training. However, I have MFP friend's who have been very ill, doing those things are a challenging and they log them. Those things are an accomplishment for their daily life and I cheer them on :smile:
  • mseper
    mseper Posts: 3 Member
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    I don't add cleaning, deep down I know I'm moving which is better than sitting on the couch. Why do you want to give yourself credit for burning calories, so you can eat more? Personally I rather under estimate workouts, cardio etc and take the pounds off the scale.

    Too each there own.
  • mlemonroe2
    mlemonroe2 Posts: 603
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    I'M A STAY AT HOME MOM SO I DON'T LOG LAUNDRY, COOKING, PICKING UP TOYS ECT. 1 DAY A WEEK I WILL TAKE A FEW HOURS AND SCRUB BATHROOMS, DUST, MOP ECT. I LOG THAT. I FEEL LIKE IF PEOPLE WANT TO LOG THEIR CLEANING/SHOPPING THATS THERE PEROGITIVE. IT'S NOT UP TO ME OR ANYONE ELCE TO JUDGE WEATHER OR NOT THEY SHOULD. I TRY TO JUST WORRY ABOUT MYSELF AND AS LONG AS SOMEONE IS MAKING AN EFFORT TO BETTER THEMSELVES, I'LL GIVE THEM A GOOD JOB!
  • latinahada
    latinahada Posts: 168
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    If it's working for a person to log it, good for them!!! Personally, I do log for cleaning, laundry and shopping...That being said, I don't log for a 15 minute grocery store run, but if I'm shopping for 2 hours you better believe that I will be logging it!! For laundry, I have certain laundry days, so it is NOT a daily activity and will usually take me 30-1 hr minimum to do this...Same goes for cleaning, I don't do vigorous cleaning every day so when I do it, I log it. The activity level I chose was not based on cleaning, shopping and doing laundry every single day...If someone wants to log these items, good for them, better than sitting on their a**!!!
  • HoLLyZ82
    HoLLyZ82 Posts: 467 Member
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    i log my cleaning too. yesterday for example i burned over 600 calories and had a TDEE of 3100 calories. most of this coming from cleaning my house for a few hours and shopping ( i wear a bodybugg so these numbers are very accurate). maybe people (like myself) log these things because we KNOW what we are burning. Also, if someone is bigger they can surely burn that many extra calories on a shopping spree.
  • cuddlyrunner
    cuddlyrunner Posts: 116 Member
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    I only log workouts and due to a bad chest infection haven't done any of them this past two weeks. Today, however, son number one finally found somewhere he hopes to move into this week so I've been moving beds, moving and packing boxes and generally doing extra up and down stuff. I won't log it though but I'm secretly hoping it helps!!!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I only log X-TREME!!!! cleaning now, but when I first started and listed myself as sedentary, I logged the walking I did while shopping and other normal household chores. It got me in the habit of logging, and thinking, "If walking slow for an hour burns XX calories, what about if I walked the dog FAST for an hour?" It was like... gateway exercise. :laugh: Now I call myself lightly active and log real exercise or anything above and beyond normal maintenance. If I have to move furniture to vacuum under it, I log it. Shoveling snow and mowing the lawn gets logged, too.

    TBH, as I wasn't truly sedentary, it's probably what kept me from undereating, feeling deprived, binging and quitting. I don't think many people really are truly sedentary. Especially when I see stay at home moms of kids below school age... unless you're a bad mommy and/or have the most boring children ever who never make messes or need chasing or picking up, you're not sedentary. :smile:
  • writtenINthestars
    writtenINthestars Posts: 1,933 Member
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    Considering I haven't even been home to clean the last two weeks, it will be an all day thing this coming week. I spot clean through out the week but when I am cleaning the spare room, the storage room and moving stuff all day and huffing and puffing, if I think about it and remember, I log some of it...because on a regular cleaning day, it's just light stuff.

    At the end of the day, doesn't bother me if other people do. I only do it when I KNOW I'm working my butt off....just because it's not on a treadmill doesn't mean it's not exercise. People log gardening and other things...so why not heavy cleaning? I will say though that MFP's estimates seem pretty high. I usually have on my HRM on the days I know I'll be going non stop up and down three flights of stairs.

    Plus...why does anyone care what others do?! lol
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    People who work up a sweat automatically assume they are burning a lot of calories, which I know first hand not to be the case.. but to each their own. No I do not log cleaning as exercise and most certainly not shopping but people do and that's their right... in some cases of heavy cleaning I can understand why, but general day to day stuff is not considered exercise in my book so I won't be logging it. I'm not going to talk down about those who do though.

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