Cleaning = burning??
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I think if you are losing or achieving your fitness goals by all means log it. If you aren't losing, you're not in a calorie deficit so this is definitely one area you could look at at changing, either by not eating those calories or by not logging it.
Personally I don't. But then I don't do much cleaning either!!!0 -
It irks me when people post "cleaning" as their only workout for the day. It just seems like the exercise that should be logged is that intended for the purpose of... exercise? Anyone agree?
I dunno.... I managed to clean my house and work in my yard and remain fat.... Haha. Just a thought. Totally not ridiculing anyone or anything!!
You probably can cure that "irk" you're feeling by not looking at what other people log for exercise, since it's really not your business anyway. And saying "Totally not ridiculing anyone or anything!!" really doesn't negate your condescending, better-than-you-are attitude, and certainly makes it clear you intended to ridicule people you have determined are not as "motivated" or "admirable" as you are.
I agree with this 100%. You hit the nail on the head. Do you!0 -
From OP's profile:
"The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly" -Henry David Thoreau; Walden"
This is not a race against each other (grief, how many times have I written that in posts!!). This is a personal journey for some of us, and we are looking for support, not judgement. I have to say the biggest weight drops I got were when I was cleaning & painting our house ready for sale. I agree with the poster who said that your body burns when you move your muscles, whether it is on a treadmill / kickboxing / or vacuuming & mopping floors and polishing windows. Movement is movement.0 -
I never, ever clean.
You cannot see the floor in my room, and i seem to have the entire houses collection of towels, plates, cups and cutlery..
So when i do clean for the day every 3 to 4 months.
You best believe i log it!!0 -
I can see your point, but here is mine. I, for one, loath house work. I am big on hiring that sort of thing out. I would rather spend my hard earned money letting someone else burn the calories to clean after me and the family. Now that I am on a healthier lifestyle track I see how ridiculous that is. Also, I almost equally loath exercise. So- for me to wake up and sweat for an hour or more cleaning- I want to claim it as exercise. I truly wish I naturally wanted to be active, in the gym, running, biking, etc. It's certainly not fair that I have to really fight myself to do what others do without a second thought. Those are not the cards I was dealt. Some days housework is all I get a chance to do to raise my heartbeat. Please, don't judge.
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I don't log normal day to day cleaning, however because I try to do some exercise activity each day I do get behind on cleaning as there's less time to do it! So once or twice a week I do a 'sprint clean'. High speed, lots of effort things get individually jogged back upstairs, clean the windows trying to jump to reach the highest parts ( luckily not overlooked at the back of the house!) etc.
I make sure I've got my HRM on and that it's on at least 65% heart rate to mimic a proper workout.
I didn't used to include cleaning in my workouts but you have to adjust to fit everything in and in the long term it would have been the
Workouts which suffered not the cleaning ( unfortunately)0 -
I'm with you OP.. Cleaning, and things like grocery shopping/walking around the mall do not get logged in my exercise diary. My view is they were a part of your life before.. and you did it without thinking it was exercise, so why is it suddenly exercise?
If I do happen to clean, shop, w/e and I'm more hungry then I eat a bit more.. if I'm not, then I don't.
Also as you found out.. this is a very controversial topic. People are very sensitive about their cleaning calories... and how dare anyone ask a simple question about logging them or not.0 -
I log anything that is more than what I would normally do in an average day. For example I sweep and vacuum every day but don't log it, however if I take out all the window screens and scrub them I would consider entering that since it's only something I do once in a while and is a little more work.0
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I totally agree with you! If I worked in the yard really hard that day, I'm not going to work out that night. But I'm also not going to log it as exercise so I can eat more.
This is assuming that everyone eats their exercise calories.0 -
If their profile is set to sedentary as though they're doing nothing all day, then yes, they would be burning more than they've accounted for initially. I've been decorating my house and ripping up and relaying my garden - I burn a lot doing it but that's not listed so I log it under cleaning. Lastly, what is it to you what people do / log their activities under? What irks me is people who spend more time questioning others rather than concentrating on themselves.0
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My profile is set as sedentary because I don't always get to work out and my job has me in front of a computer a lot. When I do work up a sweat from cleaning or gardening, I log it. I'm usually more hungry afterward (like yesterday). I typically cut the time and cals though. I was outside yesterday for over 2 hours in the garden but only logged 60 minutes. I don't have a HRM so I figure doing it that way lets me track it and prevents me from going over on my estimate. My legs and arms certainly tell me I was doing something different yesterday! :-)0
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I agree i do the same i also have a heart rate monitor and i do burn alot of calories and keep my weight even when i eat over my calorie goal. I also use it as exercise because i try to do it alot at for more than 30 min like if im cleaning the carpet(which i have to do alot, have puppys) it usually last for over 1 hr so to me it is an exercise I even try to make it as an exercise and do lunges while i clean or move alot of heavy stuff. I also wear a weight vest on some occasions and don't half *kitten* it. Speciall on a rest day like u. I think as long as ur moving for a long time not sitting down u are burning calories and the weather and gym wont be assesible all the time. Make due with what u got right?I wear a body media fit and I burn a lot of calories cleaning. I wouldn't discredit it. I burned an extra 400 calories on Monday just from cleaning and doing other chores. It was my rest day, too.0 -
I am a custodian at a college and although I don't log in cleaning as exercise everyday, somedays I do. There are days where I have to work my *kitten* off to get the building ready for classes and I am litteraly covered in sweat from hustling and moving chairs and furniture, etc. So, yes, I can understand why some people log it in. But I also don't log it in to say I can eat more as I am sure others don't either. If that was the case why log in exercise at all!!0
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Each day of the week, i have a specific exercise commitment, but on "recovery day", i listed it as "cleaning/chores day".
Mowing my lawn, vacuuming, and doing a bunch of various gardening work, over the course of several hours, is a descent low intensity workout. Plus, it's just necessary stuff to get done. If i spent everyday exercising, and had no time working on the rest of my life, that would be doing me no favors.0 -
U know making urself a victim of disrespect doesn't mean u actually were disrespected, as far as i can tell everyone here has given u all the respect they can they just disagreed with u or agreed, they all gave u their response and did it kindly. There was no ganging up on u and no insulting. This is what a discussion is like, no one is here to do an agree with everything u say party.It's not necessary to gang up on me or have attitude. I was just bringing up a point.... Of course certain exercises burn calories more efficiently than cleaning would. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. But as someone mentioned, I do notice people who only log that and then complain that nothing is changing. Log cleaning, by all means! I understand your ideas.
I'm a little surprised by the disrespect of some people, when this site is intended for support and discussion. I'm not here to argue with anyone, just to talk. Just relax and be kind.0 -
I'll add lawn work and special projects if they take up my work out time I worked outside for 14 hrs yesterday I can't say how much i burned i'll dial back the time I am sure i didn't burn as much as mfp sais . I think cleaning should be the same you know when you are burning and when your not! When real life gets in the way you have to use it to your advantage!0
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Sometimes I log it; sometimes I don't.
Sometimes I eat it; sometimes I don't.
Sometimes I reply to this question; sometimes I don't.
I have my profile set to make it look like I do diddly squat all day long, because my job had entailed a butt load of sitting. And now I'm a SAHW and I still tend to do nothing, because I can.
If I'm doing dishes; I don't log it.
If I'm on my hands and knees cleaning the house top to bottom for hours on end (with renovating our home while living in it; this is a major chore that happens a lot) and I'm moving furniture around - I log it. Because even though it is a commonly occurring chore, it isn't exactly normal daily cleaning. Actually, most people aren't lugging buckets of dry wall and stuff around. So yes I sweat and yes I log it.
The fact of the matter is - you don't live in people's homes. You don't see what people do every day. There are people who honestly don't do anything but if they clean and they are really working hard at it, working up a sweat, then let them log it. That is their business, not yours.
And no, a lot of people don't eat back the calories burned. I typically don't. And so what if someone DOES want to log all kinds of exercise just to eat it back; that's how the site is set up. It's kind of how it works.0 -
It's not necessary to gang up on me or have attitude. I was just bringing up a point.... Of course certain exercises burn calories more efficiently than cleaning would. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. But as someone mentioned, I do notice people who only log that and then complain that nothing is changing. Log cleaning, by all means! I understand your ideas.
I'm a little surprised by the disrespect of some people, when this site is intended for support and discussion. I'm not here to argue with anyone, just to talk. Just relax and be kind.
Your original post is oozing with judgement. When you go around disrespecting others with judgement you must expect to be "disrespected" in return.0 -
I'm with you OP.. Cleaning, and things like grocery shopping/walking around the mall do not get logged in my exercise diary. My view is they were a part of your life before.. and you did it without thinking it was exercise, so why is it suddenly exercise?
If I do happen to clean, shop, w/e and I'm more hungry then I eat a bit more.. if I'm not, then I don't.
Also as you found out.. this is a very controversial topic. People are very sensitive about their cleaning calories... and how dare anyone ask a simple question about logging them or not.
I walked my dogs around the neighborhood before I ever discovered MFP. I hike into neighboring towns on a regular basis.By your logic, I should not log these things because I did them before I start using MFP.
How about your BMR? Your BMR is the amount of calories you burn while doing absolutely nothing but breathing and staying alive...certainly less burn per hour than a stroll in a mall, which you said should not be counted. By your logic, we should not consider our BMR as calories burned, either, although it is several hundred calories a day.
I log what I log because it counts, and I have lost the weight to prove it. Nothing like a little bit of basic math and science to make something happen.0 -
I log it if it's a rest day and I've done some cleaning that is not part of my every day routine.0
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i'm going for a jog..then i'll clean the house so my wife doesn't have to ..... Some times i do question when people put down cleaning but you know what people are busy maybe it is all they had time for life is hectic I can see both sides I have been guilty of judgy-ness and posting things like lawn work heck i'll post cleaning ... no big deal0
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i dont log cleaning everyday, im a newbie at this and never before really cared what kind of exercise i did. since i started this MFP i never hit my calorie goal and never touch my ecercise reserve calories. i truely am on this to see what i eat and to see how much i do. i only been doing it a week and i have lost 12 lbs. i always been a couch bum who would rather eat and watch tv. so my personal logging is just to keep me motivated.... (promise im not attacking anyone, just giving my personal review).0
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Ouch. This same post appeared on this site a week ago. She was instantly flamed by half the membership. Look up the old post.
I don't give a rat's rear end what people log. If they think they're moving and they are breaking a sweat, good for them. I don't tell anyone else what to log, and I certainly don't want anyone dictating what I should log.
I see many people logging 1200 calories in one workout. I've never burned that in a workout. Does this make me lazy?0 -
To tthe OP:
Do you know a persons personal lifestyle? Do you know for a fact that they are logging just to eat the calories? Do you know for a fact that these people are not handicapped in anyway? Do you know for a fact that these people have the means to go to a gym and get a workout? Do you know for a fact that these people are actually cleaning and not just putting the excersise as cleaning because what they actually did is not in the data base?
Until you can answer these questions about a person you should not even care what they log.
For me, I do log heavy cleaning (not done on a day to day basis), I have arthritis in my ankle (because of a car accident) and it is very painful, there are days that I can not walk or do much of anything. So on the "good" days I will deep clean and count those as excersise. I do not eat back those calories (like you assume everyone does), I log them to keep track of my "good" days, that is for my personal satisfaction, to see how many "good" days I have in a month.
So for you to start a thread like this then whine beacuse people disagree with you is very selfish of you. If you don't like what someone logs then defriend them, no need to make them feel bad for what they log.0 -
Ahh... Logging exercise. I personally will not log if they are things like folding laundry or cleaning my room. I do however log when I am scrubbing the bathroom top to bottom and I have sweat pouring down my face. I have also been doing yard work, so when I am raking and working up a sweat, and being so vigorous I am literally SORE the next day and have limited motion, I log. I also usually cut the time in half. If I do 4 hours of yard work, I count it as 2 hours. I figure the rest of the time is already factored into my TDEE/BMR numbers. This is what I do, others may all be different, and that is okay. This is my journey. Everyone's is different.0
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My profile is set as sedentary because I don't always get to work out and my job has me in front of a computer a lot. When I do work up a sweat from cleaning or gardening, I log it. I'm usually more hungry afterward (like yesterday). I typically cut the time and cals though. I was outside yesterday for over 2 hours in the garden but only logged 60 minutes. I don't have a HRM so I figure doing it that way lets me track it and prevents me from going over on my estimate. My legs and arms certainly tell me I was doing something different yesterday! :-)
Me too^^ I cleaned out the garage, did some heavy lifting, took tons of stuff to good will, laid flower beds and retaining walls. My legs are still sore days later... And to think someone is looking at my open profile and criticizing it really IRKS me.0 -
I never log cleaning because i use to clean my house still when i wasn't trying to lose weight, i just see it as a regular daily activity that i will always do whether I'm trying to lose weight or not, but that's just me personally, each to their own x0
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I don't generally log cleaning, but i *do* find it odd that my bodymedia registers a higher calorie burn on the days that i change the linens and clean the floors than it does for my regular 2 hour weight training sessions.0
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I haven't logged cleaning but you bet I'm going to log mowing my lawn 0
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My last point here is this. I have built alot of muscle since i have lost weight here and as I recall muscle burns more calories than fat when sedentary so if thats the case aren't we burning more calories than we are eating either way, specially from just moving? When i eat my calories back from a day of vigurous working out and i have my rest day my body feels like it's starving, so cleaning helps me eat a bit more. I was also wondering how often u clean and how hard? Do u have a household to run? If u don't u probably don't know what having to really clean is about.
Even cleaning burns more so I do firmly believe logging cleaning counts.0
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