am i cheating by counting cooking and cleaning as cardio?

Only you can know that, really. On Saturday I cleaned the whole house (2 levels) switched out all the clothes for our family (5 people) from winter to summer, tons of laundry and climbing up to the attic - I logged it because it took 4 hours (I only counted half the calories it said) and I was WIPED out after, I had exercised.

Now last night, I did the kitchen, but it was 15 minutes and I didn't feel like I had done anything, so I didn't log it. If you honestly feel like you've worked out, log it. If you haven't, don't.

This is the same way I approach cooking/cleaning. I usually don't log cooking because I make most dinners in under 30 minutes, but when I spend a whole Sunday cleaning I definitely log it!

My theory is that it has to be over and above what your normal lifestyle was to count as exercise - but that is me. And really the answer is up to you - only you can tell what is cheating and what isn't.

I feel like that is cheating... is your heartrate really going fast when you are cooking? Minde doesn't when I do. Cardio is usually an exelerated heart rate.... and cleaning, maybe but not really. Sorry i think you should put in some real cardio... this is probably not what you want to hear, but need to know.

I count my cleaning if I do 30 continuous minutes but not if I just pick up things for 5 minutes. That being said, I have an office job where I am required to sit and a commute so I chose sedentary for my activity rate. Also I log shopping as walking leisurely pace. Before I started MFP I didnt consider that to be a workout but after 2 hours of shopping and then lugging the sfuff in I was too tired to do a regular workout and a lot more hungry. This has been working for me so far. Part of the problem with being overweight is we kick ourselves everytime we think we didnt do something the way someone else does it.

^^ This

If I do anything outside the "norm" for me, I count it. And when I shop, I marathon shop.....I can be walking for 2 or more hours, so I count that as leisurely walking (there IS a shopping entry in the cardio area If I am doing BIG cleanups, or laundry (as I have to walk a long flight of stairs and outside my apt building to a laundry room), I count that.

But the day to day stuff? Nah, I don't count that.

Do not count it...plain and simple.

I wouldn't count it. Perhaps bump your activity level to lightly active to take into account the 'on your feet' time.

The problem with doing chores and walking at work etc is that we don't really know how many calories we burn by doing those things. On the treadmill we know excactly how many we've burned. Everyday we all do burn calories with our lifestyles but how much? probably not enough to cover very many extra calories were allowed. If your not breaking a sweat or getting your heart rate up, cooking and cleaning more than likely isn't doing much.

That's what's behind ideas like bodybuggs and fitbits.

cleaning no, cooking yes, but that's my opinion

I log it as I only do this on the weekend...cleaning. I sit all day...desk job but when Im home on weekends I have so much to do Im usually non stop from the time I get up to the time I got to bed! So yes I log mine!

I would still count it! moving is moving! however I would probably NOT eat those calories back!

I have my activity level set at sedentary, but only count cooking & cleaning if its above/beyond normal daily activities.

3) Aren't we all smart enough to know not to eat our exercise calories? And on that topic, does it irritate anyone that our daily diary automatically adds those into our available calories. Then you have to subtract them to see what's really left, if you journal after every meal and exercise routine.

Actually, many of us are smart enough to know that the daily calorie allotment we are given already includes a deficit to allow us to lose the weight we want each week WITHOUT exercise. If you don't eat back the exercise calories, you are increasing that deficit and that could, depending on how large a defict you are creating through exercise and how long you go without eating those calories back (among other variables), hinder your your results.

There are plenty of topics in the forums that address the reasons we should be eating our exercise calories back and a search of the forums will yield plenty of results.

As for the question posed by the OP, many others have already stated the same, but if what you are doing is working, continue to do it. You are the only one who can say if what you are logging is helping or hurting your results.

if it's not normal count it, I count it as light stretching

If it were me, yes I would feel that it didnt count and in the back of my mind I would be cheating myself. I dont log that type of activity, if I did I probably wouldnt be as motivated to get to the gym. If I get a lot accomplished around the house, I think of it as a bonus.