i have a question

alapoint89
alapoint89 Posts: 632
edited December 18 in Success Stories
can i use my chores as working out because at this point in time i cant afford the time to go and work out.... i have a mommy loving baby and a 4 year old and a house to clean and yes i do put a challenge to the things that i do?


this is how my day is... i clean and take care of the kids and by the time i sit down its almost midnight and i wish that i was joking but that is how it is when you have young ones
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Replies

  • osewcute
    osewcute Posts: 244 Member
    it helps if you have stairs- be inefficient and clean half a bath, go downstairs, clean something else, go back up, etc. or if no stairs, start at one side of the house and go back and forth.
  • Hjbaker
    Hjbaker Posts: 165 Member
    If it will help you stick with MFP and feel good then yeah go for it girl... personally i try not to, but my activity level is set at sedentary so I don't really see the harm :)
  • alapoint89
    alapoint89 Posts: 632
    it helps if you have stairs- be inefficient and clean half a bath, go downstairs, clean something else, go back up, etc. or if no stairs, start at one side of the house and go back and forth.
    oh yes that is what i do i do not have stairs but i sweat more when i clean then when i workout... i do my best to put a challenge to myself when i clean
  • ahatcher0905
    ahatcher0905 Posts: 20
    Any exercise is better than none. When you are cleaning just go from one chore to another without breaks in between. Also working outside in the yard is a good exercise because you sweat more. Not sure what area you are from but there are some gyms that let you workout for free for 30 days to see if you like it. And also some of them have daycares.
  • alapoint89
    alapoint89 Posts: 632
    Any exercise is better than none. When you are cleaning just go from one chore to another without breaks in between. Also working outside in the yard is a good exercise because you sweat more. Not sure what area you are from but there are some gyms that let you workout for free for 30 days to see if you like it. And also some of them have daycares.
    i dont have my car enough to do those only one car and hubby takes it
  • kikakiss
    kikakiss Posts: 7
    There are things u can do at home. Get a jump rope. It should only cost u $15 and is super effective at gettting you moving. But I must warn you, if you haven't done it in a while it can be hard And very tiring. I'm trying it and it is hard work. Good luck!
  • alapoint89
    alapoint89 Posts: 632
    There are things u can do at home. Get a jump rope. It should only cost u $15 and is super effective at gettting you moving. But I must warn you, if you haven't done it in a while it can be hard And very tiring. I'm trying it and it is hard work. Good luck!
    this is how my day is... i clean and take care of the kids and by the time i sit down its almost midnight
  • LReneeWalker
    LReneeWalker Posts: 213 Member
    Because I rarely do chores, I use mine. Mind you, when I do chores its to spring clean a room. My hubby and kids do the cleaning and laundry for me (I am truly blessed). When I do chores I work up a sweat! If I do laundry, I hang it on the line. If chores was something I did daily, then I wouldnt count it.
  • sweetpotatofry
    sweetpotatofry Posts: 209 Member
    I think chores can be pretty physically taxing! Standing over the sink doing the dishes for an hour gives my lower back a workout (though not the kind you'd want :mad:) Also if you mop the floor with a piece of cloth it's kind of like doing a plank... :huh: But seriously I think keeping active throughout the day does add up! :bigsmile:
  • LisaKunz
    LisaKunz Posts: 73 Member
    When I first started, I did count my chores, grocery shopping, EVERYTHING. I have a very sedentary Monday-Friday job, so on the weekends I am BUSY. Those chore-burns sure added up quickly and were a great incentive for me to slowly start actually exercising. Now, I will not log anything other than on-purpose exercise. I think I had an hour of high intensity/aerobic exercise today, as well as another 20 minute brisk walk. It wasn't all at once... 30 minutes here, 20 minutes there... but the inches and pounds are coming off, so it's working for me!
  • kikakiss
    kikakiss Posts: 7
    If the kids nap u could try something then. I remember when my kid were little my day was the same as urs. Now I work all day 12 hrs+ and when I get home it's making dinner,eati, cleaning then pass out on the couch. I don't get time to work out either, but Instarted walking at lunch and breaks, and jump rope 10 min when I can. It's not much, but more than I was doing before and it's helped.
    I don't know how old your babies are but maybe you can go for walks with them. Put them in the stroller and start walking around the block. Cleaning is great but squeeze in a little time to take a break and go for a 15 or 30 min walk around the block a couple of times. Walk fast. It will be nice for u and the kids. :smile:
  • alapoint89
    alapoint89 Posts: 632
    If the kids nap u could try something then. I remember when my kid were little my day was the same as urs. Now I work all day 12 hrs+ and when I get home it's making dinner,eati, cleaning then pass out on the couch. I don't get time to work out either, but Instarted walking at lunch and breaks, and jump rope 10 min when I can. It's not much, but more than I was doing before and it's helped.
    I don't know how old your babies are but maybe you can go for walks with them. Put them in the stroller and start walking around the block. Cleaning is great but squeeze in a little time to take a break and go for a 15 or 30 min walk around the block a couple of times. Walk fast. It will be nice for u and the kids. :smile:
    10 months and 4 year old and they make it hard to do any of those because they dont nap
  • tyabd
    tyabd Posts: 87 Member
    actually home chores are a very good exercise... mopping especially... you can count these activities as working out at moderate pace...
  • angel79202
    angel79202 Posts: 1,012 Member
    what about an exercise video, or doing a routine on the fitness channel?..the 4 year old may want to "play" too.. I don't log chores but that's me, I count those as my "insurance", if I measure something wrong etc.... but.everyone has to do what works best for them :)
  • alapoint89
    alapoint89 Posts: 632
    what about an exercise video, or doing a routine on the fitness channel?..the 4 year old may want to "play" too.. I don't log chores but that's me, I count those as my "insurance", if I measure something wrong etc.... but.everyone has to do what works best for them :)
    i still dont have time to do those because of the little baby and a house to keep clean
  • kikakiss
    kikakiss Posts: 7
    Ok, well sorry, I'm not sure what to suggest except when they do fall asleep you could do like 15 mins of exercise. Like burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, squats, run in place, push ups, lunges. Like my friend tells me. No excuses, a little is better then nothing. Try getting then on a schedule. And I'm sure your 4yr old would love to go for a walk with u and the baby. Give it a try tomorrow.
  • wheezybreezy
    wheezybreezy Posts: 313 Member
    I have a 6mo, 2yo, and almost 4yo. This may sound harsh, but you gotta get it in where you can fit it in. I have made a lot of sacirifices these past few months to treat my body with more respect and finally take care of myself. As you're playing with your kids, do squats/lunges/burpees/jumping jacks/pushups. It's hard to motivate yourself when you're so exhausted by giving your all to being a wife and mama, but you'll start to increase your energy by choosing your priorities. And dang, ask your man to pick up the slack for 22 minutes so you can do a quick DVD like 30 day shred! You can do it.

    And while cleaning, do some jump squats and make it more physically tiring on your body.. Just remember to be honest with yourself when logging your exercise because you could easily end up with tons of extra calories consumed!

    Good luck to you mama!
  • mmk137
    mmk137 Posts: 833 Member
    I have a 5 y/o and a 3 y/o and I'm a single mum, and I find time to work out... at 5.30am... do i like getting up then? no esp now it's getting colder, but I do it cause it's important to me.
  • kazzari
    kazzari Posts: 473 Member
    I started doing exercise videos when my first son was a baby. He was a fussy baby and rarely slept more than 20 minutes at a time. If he woke up during my workout, I would go get him and continue working out while nursing him. I had three more children...so 4 kids 5 and under. I was a stay at home mom and found opportunities to work out when I could. I would get up before my husband left for work, and before the kids woke up, and either do videos or go for a vigorous early morning walk. That said, by all means log your cleaning...or don't log it...it will help either way.
  • Vixen0113
    Vixen0113 Posts: 78 Member
    Im a single mom of a 2 year old daughter, study for school, clean the house, laundry , drive family places and still find time to get some sort of cardio in...30DS, taking my child out for a walk in the jogging stroller..It can be done..like the other person said, it may sound harsh but you have to stop making excuses for why you can't find 20 minutes out of your day to do something..you can do it! good luck
  • jenj1313
    jenj1313 Posts: 898 Member
    I'd suggest getting a heart rate monitor. Wear it. You can technically log anything above your calculated BMR, I would think.

    If you use the MFP calorie calculators, the numbers tend to be high (per my experience anyway), so be careful... you probably don't want to eat all of your exercise calories back in that case. When I use MFP numbers, I always cut them in half based on the time I'm active.

    The other thing you can do is set your activity level at "moderate" or "high", then just eat the calories MFP gives you. I know it suggests 1 lb per week, but for me that number of calories were unrealistically low and I'd always end up binging in the evening b/c I didn't have any calories left over so I'd just give up. I'm now set for 1/2 lb per week and it's easier to stay on track.

    Just suggestions that work for me... you'll probably have to tweak things a few times to figure out what works for you.

    Good luck!
    Jen
  • Daphnemomof9
    Daphnemomof9 Posts: 113 Member
    I believe any activity is burning calories, you might not get really toned though. Something I used to do for getting a little bit of toning was to do lifts with canned foods while I was cooking oatmeal or coco wheats at the stove. While I was stirring I would do side leg lifts, bicep curls, inner thigh lifts, etc. Now I use a fitbit to track all the steps I take in a day which might be useful for you to track how much you're really burning.

    I'm actually concerned about how much sleep you're getting. Sleep is very important to your health and your kids. The ten month old definitely needs to be taking naps and when I had trouble with one of my kids at that age, a kind friend gave me the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". It saved me and my children. At one point, when some of my kids were a little older for a nap, I had them all lay down while I read Beatrix Potter books and the little ones would always fall asleep and the bigger kids and I would sneak out of the room, although sometimes we'd fall asleep with them. :smile: But this could be a restful time for you as well. Even if they don't sleep, they should have some quiet time during the day. I hope I didn't sound too bossy, but I've totally been there.
  • samanthastewart
    samanthastewart Posts: 20 Member
    you could always incorporate little workouts in your cleaning! like.. do lunges instead of walking as you vacuum, squat every time you put something in the dishwasher, calf raises when you are folding something or ironing.. be creative! If youre breaking a sweat and have that heart rate elevated then thats always great!
  • momto1g1b
    momto1g1b Posts: 118 Member
    Why not put the 10 month old in a sling or the stroller and go for a walk? The 4 year old would love looking for signs of spring, etc, and it will get you away from the house for a little bit. Even 10 minutes around the block every day will help! Do you have a family member or friend who would be willing to watch the kids for 30 minutes every other day? Pop in an exercise DVD or do a 12 minute www.bodyrock.tv workout. It's so important to take time out for yourself every day and just be YOU (not Mom, not the maid or chef, just you). I'm a mom of 2 as well, a 5 year old and a 14 month old - I made time for myself to workout almost every day and everyone has adjusted just fine ;) And I've got to say that 30 to 60 minutes of no one bugging me for anything is amazing, haha!!
  • LooseWheel
    LooseWheel Posts: 211 Member
    I have worn my heart rate monitor (HRM) for many chores, cleaning and housework. Mowing and vacuming is the biggest! They are a calourie killer and its fantastic knowing there's a bonus for you physically by doing all the chores. I know with being a Mum, some think there's hours free in the day. Hubby looked after my 2 littlies for 2 weeks while I drove the truck. At the end he said "I'll never ask why nothing has been done ever again, I didn't even get to a load of washing". It really does go quick with the little kids, feeding, cleaning, feeding, cleaning. And of all things, you do the cleaning in the kitchen, in the laundry and around the house and the very next day it feels like you are doing EXACTLY the same things again! Doh!

    Cheers and congrats on being a Mummy. Being on MFP means with focusing on yourself for lifestyle changes that are healthy means you are now a Yummy Mummy my dear :)


    Lou
  • mjanemorgan
    mjanemorgan Posts: 43 Member
    i would as i'm a mum of a baby that loves lots of attention and playing with too and do all the housework and i think it's easy to forget just how much hard work that it, sometimes just changing an extrememly wriggly baby is like a mini-workout for me!! i get worn out constantly running up and downstairs all day, getting things, putting washing on, hoovering, etc etc so I think you can definately count it. I know I don't ever get to work out apart from if I take my baby for a walk and I swear just being a stay at home mom/housewife helps me keep weight off so I can't imagine what it's like with more than one baby! but yes, i think you can count it :D

    http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-burned-child-care-sitting-kneeling-a104

    http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-burned-cleaning-a67

    i found this I don't know if it helps! :)
  • nishsuz
    nishsuz Posts: 55
    Definately count ur chores. Hoovering is good if u do it while squatting. On the floor while cleaning suck in the abs. Do press ups against the mantlepeice. Ironing is good fir the arms. X
  • Aleara2012
    Aleara2012 Posts: 225 Member
    Instead of logging chores just set your activity level to active. You sure are active with two children and a house to clean every day!
  • Molly_Pitcher
    Molly_Pitcher Posts: 84 Member
    I play loud music and dance like a mad woman while I clean! It ups the burn
  • alapoint89
    alapoint89 Posts: 632
    I believe any activity is burning calories, you might not get really toned though. Something I used to do for getting a little bit of toning was to do lifts with canned foods while I was cooking oatmeal or coco wheats at the stove. While I was stirring I would do side leg lifts, bicep curls, inner thigh lifts, etc. Now I use a fitbit to track all the steps I take in a day which might be useful for you to track how much you're really burning.

    I'm actually concerned about how much sleep you're getting. Sleep is very important to your health and your kids. The ten month old definitely needs to be taking naps and when I had trouble with one of my kids at that age, a kind friend gave me the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". It saved me and my children. At one point, when some of my kids were a little older for a nap, I had them all lay down while I read Beatrix Potter books and the little ones would always fall asleep and the bigger kids and I would sneak out of the room, although sometimes we'd fall asleep with them. :smile: But this could be a restful time for you as well. Even if they don't sleep, they should have some quiet time during the day. I hope I didn't sound too bossy, but I've totally been there.
    my sleep is between 3-5 hours or less
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