Cleaning = burning??

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  • NittanyLion95
    NittanyLion95 Posts: 65
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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! :-)
  • Cndressing
    Cndressing Posts: 36
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    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.
    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?
  • good2bthaking
    good2bthaking Posts: 325 Member
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    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!!
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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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.
  • Cndressing
    Cndressing Posts: 36
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    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.
    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.
  • Jers43
    Jers43 Posts: 100
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    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!
  • TheNakedHouseWife
    TheNakedHouseWife Posts: 28
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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.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    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.
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
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    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.
  • docturtle
    docturtle Posts: 156 Member
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    I log it if it's a rest day and I've done some cleaning that is not part of my every day routine.
  • Jers43
    Jers43 Posts: 100
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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 deal
  • twinmom1993
    twinmom1993 Posts: 52
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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).
  • ForeverIrish
    ForeverIrish Posts: 232 Member
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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?
  • dragomom
    dragomom Posts: 88 Member
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    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.
  • Sharyn913
    Sharyn913 Posts: 777 Member
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    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.
  • NewChristina
    NewChristina Posts: 250 Member
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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.
  • Miss_E_
    Miss_E_ Posts: 45
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    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 x
  • shamr0ck
    shamr0ck Posts: 296 Member
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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.
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
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    I haven't logged cleaning but you bet I'm going to log mowing my lawn :)
  • Cndressing
    Cndressing Posts: 36
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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.

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