Thoughts about burning calories by cleaning?

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  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    It isn't anyone's business, but it's a good learning thread.

    What it DOES do is lead to an interesting conversation about what level of exercise logging works for a bunch of people, and what does not. It can help educate some frustrated newbies, for example, that MFP's calorie estimates for things like raking leaves, gardening, and cleaning can be somewhat ridiculously optimistic, without them having to post the "why am I not losing weight? I'm eating back my exercise calories" and get an insulting response about 3 hours of light cleaning not exactly being "worth" 2,200 calories. Well, how are they supposed to know? Easy - by reading a discussion like this one where we can all carp about the inaccuracy of logged activities without directing it at some poor newbie.

    Without a heart rate monitor, estimating calorie burn on continuous exercise is tricky. Even with one, estimating calorie burn on interval work like gardening and cleaning is iffy. Most of the exercise entries on MFP seem to be based on a fairly high level of activity, so it's a good lesson learned that logging everything can be counterproductive (as counterproductive as logging nothing, and ending up not refueling after a 6-hour, 4,000 calorie burn).

    It's all estimates. If what you are logging isn't working and you aren't losing weight, experiment with raising or lowering caloric intake. If you're fatigued and hungry all the time, that's a hint that increasing might be a good thing to try. If you're not, try lowering them.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    but sometimes when I see how many calories some people burn by putting "cleaning, moderate effort" into their diary it makes me feel like all the sweat pouring off of me when I jog at night is for nothing.

    Personally, I agree that it is dumb to track cleaning (I personally think of it as "extra" calories burned that I don't track). That being said, don't be discouraged about your own fitness plan. I'm pretty sure we both know who will be better off in the end. By tracking things like cleaning, they are only cheating themselves.
  • beckylawrence70
    beckylawrence70 Posts: 752 Member
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    I say it's poo-poo, lol, I never log anything like that, only conscious exercise.......I gotta laugh at the people saying it's no one's business, ha ha ha, then get off the site, it's a fitness site and we post questions and advice, duh! And to follow up on the cleaning house as exercise, nice try ladies, not buying it!
  • jkleon86
    jkleon86 Posts: 245 Member
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    I also use wash & wax car or polishing all the stainless steel at work I figure it would be about the same.
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
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    So, how do you feel about having "cleaning" as an exercise? Do you think it really burns that many calories?

    I log cleaning and gardening as exercise. Why? According to my Bodybugg:

    Cleaning burns significant calories (even just doing the dishes and I have a sedentary day job, so I'm set for sedentary).
    Gardening burns HEL.LACIOUS amounts of calories (even just weeding).
  • Broken420
    Broken420 Posts: 56 Member
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    I do if I wear my HRM. :)

    THIS exactly
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    To me, "cleaning" is (or should be) part of one's normal day. By adding these calories into an exceptional category, it is likely that they are hurting their progress... I only add exceptional exercise such as cardio at the gym... I don't even log weight training as "exercise" ... Just the cardio. It is all about the results.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    I often wonder how people log all the energy they waste sitting in judgment over what other people log as exercise. Getting on a high horse has got to burn quite a bit.
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
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    To me, "cleaning" is (or should be) part of one's normal day. By adding these calories into an exceptional category, it is likely that they are hurting their progress... I only add exceptional exercise such as cardio at the gym... I don't even log weight training as "exercise" ... Just the cardio. It is all about the results.

    No, I'm not hurting my progress, but thanks for the assumption. :flowerforyou:
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    So, how do you feel about having "cleaning" as an exercise? Do you think it really burns that many calories?

    I log cleaning and gardening as exercise. Why? According to my Bodybugg:

    Cleaning burns significant calories (even just doing the dishes and I have a sedentary day job, so I'm set for sedentary).
    Gardening burns HEL.LACIOUS amounts of calories (even just weeding).

    Yep, and you can bet your bottom I log yardwork and gardening.
  • angijunbug
    angijunbug Posts: 205
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    I only use the cleaning calories burned when I am doing spring cleaning or heavy duty on your knees scrubbing and stuff. General day to day cleaning I don't count. I use these also because I have my activity level set to sedentry and don't want to dip too far below net calories of 1200. Gardening and raking I also use. I do go to the gym 5 days a week and get a good burn there as well.

    This ^ exactly because not everyone cleans the same either. Using a swiffer on a 200 square foot room is not the same as scrubbing a 400 square foot room on your hands & knees. And the MFP site gives too many calories for exercise. I have noticed that & need to get a HRM to be closer to accurate.
  • SinkTheBismarck
    SinkTheBismarck Posts: 133
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    I see it like this:

    If you're gonna do moderate cleaning EVERY DAY, then you could probably set your activity level as lightly active / active (depending on how much you do it) but NOT log it.

    If you do it ONCE IN A WHILE, then yes, it may count as extra exercise and then you just log it normally.

    But that's just my opinion (and what I do myself)
  • MonkeyButtMom
    MonkeyButtMom Posts: 1 Member
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    I think it all depends on the effort you put into it. If a person feels like they put in enough energy when it comes to cleaning to burn extra calories then what their body uses to survive, good for them. If you think about it, sweeping can be a killer workout...try doing it in a squat or demi squat position really focusing on twisting your core back and forth with the sweeping motion. Let me tell you, as a single stay at home mom with a 20+ pound 8 month old baby, cleaning can become quite the workout. Lol. As a side note...I take time out of my day (during nap time, when I can find a sitter, or with the stroller) to exercise, the cleaning is just an extra push to get me where I want to be.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    If I'm doing heavy cleaning I wear my hrm and count it, but I don't eat them back! Just gives me more of an incentive to something tedious! X
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I often wonder how people log all the energy they waste sitting in judgment over what other people log as exercise. Getting on a high horse has got to burn quite a bit.
    :drinker:
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    I often wonder how people log all the energy they waste sitting in judgment over what other people log as exercise. Getting on a high horse has got to burn quite a bit.

    It depends. I believe it's about 45 calories per foot for the height of the horse.
  • blowsfire
    blowsfire Posts: 76 Member
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    i clean for a living and i can tell you, it's a pretty hard job! but cleaning at home,unless it's vigorous and for a long time i wouldn't put it on there. i also live in a loft and go up and down stairs thru out some days, and go out to do laundry back and forth. i guess i could use that but those are hard to log so i just stick to:ohwell: workouts
  • AlyiEli2017
    AlyiEli2017 Posts: 81 Member
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    I don't think many of the activities MFP lists burn anywhere near the calories they claim, but I just lower the time to whatever I feel I was actually putting significant effort into it, rounded down a bit.

    For example, in the garden yesterday, I was digging up rows. That's 15 minutes of intense labor followed by 5-10 minutes of standing in the shade sweating and drinking water. I spent 3 hours, I logged an hour and a half. I really think I burned MORE calories than I came up with using that method, but the entry was "gardening - general" and I know I wouldn't have spent nearly as much effort running strings for the peas to grow on, or planting seeds (which I didn't count at all).

    I think guesstimating it the way I do works pretty well. I'm losing weight at the pace I set, so something's gotta be working right. :)



    I agree. I dont use the scale they use. I half EVERYTHING they say. Unless I actually go to the gym, then, I follow the machine!
  • antipanic
    antipanic Posts: 64
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    Yes, yes and yes.

    It's no different than walking - moderate (walking dog)
    or Mowing Lawn
    or Raking Leaves
    or Cycling 10-12 MPH, to the grocery store, which happens to be to 10 miles away!

    The fact that I get something done while burning calories is just an added bonus! Others may pooh-pooh it, but in my opinion, moving more is moving more. Kudos to the stay at home moms, working moms retired moms, women without children, and (gasp!) men who work up a sweat cleaning. :smile:
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
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    why does it make you feel like you've done nothing? If others want to log "cleaning" as exercise- they are only cheating themselves.

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