It depends on what I'm doing. An old housemate and I used to put on a CD when we were cleaning and dance around while we were at it and it certainly was a workout. I've only logged it if it includes vacuuming and if I feel like I've had a workout. I also only log half the time because the calorie burned figure is enormous and I don't believe it. As for the after dark logging, again it would depend on what you're doing and how rigorous it was LOL.

I don't see any problem with logging housework as exercise. HOWEVER
as it will be probably a fairly low energy exercise (with no afterburn effect) and might be longer than an hour or so depending on what you do.
If you do not subtract from your HRM reading (assuming you are using a HRM which i think would be the only accurate way of estimating) what your BMR would have been for that period of time, it would be easy astronomically overestimate the numbers of cals you burnt doing that activity. So use the tools in MFP to workout your BMR then divide that number by 24 and that will give your your BMR per hour. So if you did housework for an hour, minus that 1 hour worth of BMR from your HRM result, and log that new number in MFP.

I thought i was in a big plateau. Turns out though it was because i had been doing house rennovating work on the weekends, wearing my HRM sometimes for most of the day and logging that as exercise. The minute i realised (and bought a fitbit which is a far better way or working out daily activity cals), i've started losing again.

I'm a huge fan of the fitbit by the way. If you can afford one, then perhaps just get one of them which will take all the thinking out of it for you.

I've always logged cleaning, if I'm moving then I'm burning calories! However I don't log it to get more calories to eat! That just wouldn't make sense to me.

Not everyone's circumstances are the same as yours and logging cleaning is often a necessity in regards to calories burnt. Logging it helps me stay focused on the fact that I am moving as much as I can so I am moving positively toward to a healthy change of lifestyle!

I don't see any problem with logging housework as exercise. HOWEVER
as it will be probably a fairly low energy exercise (with no afterburn effect) and might be longer than an hour or so depending on what you do.
If you do not subtract from your HRM reading (assuming you are using a HRM which i think would be the only accurate way of estimating) what your BMR would have been for that period of time, it would be easy astronomically overestimate the numbers of cals you burnt doing that activity. So use the tools in MFP to workout your BMR then divide that number by 24 and that will give your your BMR per hour. So if you did housework for an hour, minus that 1 hour worth of BMR from your HRM result, and log that new number in MFP.

I thought i was in a big plateau. Turns out though it was because i had been doing house rennovating work on the weekends, wearing my HRM sometimes for most of the day and logging that as exercise. The minute i realised (and bought a fitbit which is a far better way or working out daily activity cals), i've started losing again.

I'm a huge fan of the fitbit by the way. If you can afford one, then perhaps just get one of them which will take all the thinking out of it for you.

I've just ordered a fitbit... Glad you has recommended it! Also agree with you post - I have been logging my heavier sessions of house work and I have previously logged heavy sessions of gardening and renovating but I never thought of removing the BMR figures. Now you mention it, it is so obvious!

Most fitness programs/people recommend logging it. You are burning calories while cleaning. Geez you're burning calories while sitting, hence why we should all work off of our Basal Metabolic Rate. The reason why cleaning hasn't helped most people lose weight in the past is because those people would probably clean then go out and eat KFC/Maccas and not do anything else. Cleaning is an exercise, but a very low intensity, so include it because it does burn, but also combine with healthy eating and some moderate to high intensity workouts

i wouldn't log it either unless it was enough to break out in a sweat and when for a long time.

i have logged gardening when i have spent hours outdoors, lugging pavers around and digging, but not 10 minutes of gardening.

today i am doing 4 school run walks, it's only 10 minutes there, but i'll be doing that 10 minute walk 8 times (there and back) so i'm logging it as 40 minutes walking (dog pace). if i did one school run, i wouldn't log it, it's hardley worth the effort, but 80 minutes of walking, even if it is slow is worth logging.

I don't count housework. But then I don't eat extra either for any other workout that I might do. It helps me to lose more weight and stay on track on what I need to eat every day. I just drink more water if I have had a medium to heavy workout. But then every one is different.
If the housework is to music with a lot of dancing etc, it would be a cardio workout wouldn't it.

For day to day stuff I wouldn't, however any bigger jobs that take some time and effort and really gets you sweating and a raise in heart rate I can't see a problem with.

Personally though, to date I've not logged any housework.

I log it, cause i clean for a living! lol. I do 4 - 5 hours a day, but i put it in as 'light, moderate effort' cause im not working up a sweat all day. Some things are easier than others. I dont log my own housework, cause i dont seem to do much of it! lol.

HI,
I don't think it is 'cheating', I like most others don't log light weight house cleaning but I do log heavy cleaning. I can clean two bathrooms, in 60 mins and burn 280 calories. (according to my HRM), If I minus my BMR hourly rate I am still burning 220 calories more than I would if I was sitting down watching a movie or having a coffee break. How is this any different than going for a walk?

For those who are overweight which is why most of us are here. I think it is a perfectly logical to log it as an exercise.

each to their own