Cleaning!?

24

Replies

  • EbAbYgONhArD2013
    EbAbYgONhArD2013 Posts: 77
    I clean my house on a daily basis I do not count that as exercise. I do however when I do a thorough job of cleaning which is every Thursday and Friday I wear my HRM and clean I keep my HR in the target zone and I do break a sweat as I am running up and down the stairs and constantly moving for over an hour. To each his own I suppose but if I am sweating and staying within my THRZ then I deserve to log that as exercise :smile:
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    If I break a sweat because I'm moving furniture, crawling around scrubbing, or whatever, I log it, but I only record 1/3 of the time I spend doing it. Sometimes I skip it altogether because I figure cleaning IS part of a sedentary lifestyle. Everyone cleans.

    Folding laundry, though? Never. I always side-eye that one when it pops up in my feed. If you're going up and down the stairs for a half-hour putting it away, okay. But just standing or sitting there folding towels? Nope.
  • jetabear10
    jetabear10 Posts: 375 Member
    I don't clean everyday so when I do...its a really good workout. (plus my activity level is set to sedentary)
  • BamaGirl_Tricia
    BamaGirl_Tricia Posts: 70 Member
    What is your activity level set to? If it's sedentary, you can add it, but otherwise it's already added to your daily calorie allotment.

    ^^^^^^^THIS!
  • mzkezh
    mzkezh Posts: 74
    I'm a mom of 2 boys and clean everyday as well, I dont log those calories (everyday normal activity), but once or twice a week (1 week day and or 1 weekend day) I heavy clean where I mop, dust, move furniture, laundry, change sheet etc......; I do log those calories because I do that nonstop for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  • Francesca3162
    Francesca3162 Posts: 520 Member
    I am set to sendentary so I log "extreme cleaning" .. things I consider extreme:
    1. Scrubbing and bleaching basement floor
    2. Powerwashing desk.
    3. Painting
    4. Hand and Knee scrubbing of floors
    5. Scrubbing shower, tub, toilets by hand.

    Not considered extreme
    1. Vaccuming
    2. mopping
    3. dusting

    I also log only have the calories or time it gives me.... and I only eat about 1/2 calories that gives me..
    so 25% of what it gives to me.

    So far I am happy with the results...
  • steplaj
    steplaj Posts: 586 Member
    Some things on this are to much. I do not log every singe activity I do. My rule of thumb, if it does not feel like excercise, its not burning like excercise.

    I strength train three nights a week which involves a lot of lifting. I only count half my time. I did yard work yesterday, mowing grass, planted flowers, etc. I did not count that.

    If I play softball or something like that, then I count it.....
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109


    Does it affect you? Are their cleaning habits going to affect the calories you can or can't eat or the weight you've lost/going to lose? I understand the reasons on both sides of the coin but what I don't get is why people make other peoples' choices their business.

    I was just curious as to whether or not I should add it to my exercise log. I don't have an "issue" with it. I merely wanted to know if that's something I should be doing or not. What other people do to lose weight is their business I just want advice. I want to know about whatever will help me with my weightloss goals.
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    BTW Everyone's comments have been very helpful to me. I just want you to know that this post was never meant to make anyone feel badly about the things that they track as their exercise, I just wanted to know for myself whether or not I should count it because I do it all of the time. I don't constantly do rigorous cleaning but the post didn't say that the person did "rigorous cleaning" it just said "cleaning". So I just wanted to put that out there. I was curious.
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    ... as it motivates me to actually do them.

    :laugh: And THIS is exactly why I set my profile to sedentary. So I could log cleaning calories, which would in turn motivate me to clean more. :laugh: Worked too! My house looks fantastic these days, and so do I, if I do say so myself. :tongue:

    Maybe I should do it for that reason too. I mean I clean all of the time but my house isn't exactly spotless if you know what I mean :wink: It could be a weightloss motivator and a house cleaning motivator.:tongue:
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
    My daily bit of tidying and doing the dishes I don't add, but I added today. I did 3 hours of cleaning and was sweating. Had a "Spring clean" and did the whole of my flat.

    Again, like others, I only add it if it's outside of my normal daily tidying. But then, what if you run 5K every day, would you start to NOT add that? It depends person to person, IMO.
  • ConnieB1979
    ConnieB1979 Posts: 239 Member
    I log cleaning, yard work etc....But only count half the time spent & only if it is stuff that is way more than my everyday things.
  • BryGuy2
    BryGuy2 Posts: 244
    I don't log cleaning the house unless its some heavy duty scrubbing, that will give me a good workout. Other than that, I only log when I am doing yard work such as mowing the lawn or tilling. Those are workouts for sure!
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    You clean everyday for an hour or two??? How big is your house?


    It's not that big but I have two kids one of them is only 2 1/2 so I do alot of picking up toys and doing laundry The laundry alone is hard to keep up with because of my son he's constantly a mess. My daughter is starting to do some of the chores although it is difficult to get her motivated and it usually turns into an argument. But between that and the kitchen which is a constant battle I would say throughout the day I clean about an average of an hour to two hours a day.
  • LadyOdd
    LadyOdd Posts: 26 Member
    I logged cleaning the past couple weeks. Logged as light cleaning because i am moving. I was moving boxes and furniture for hours and worked up a sweat. I dont log washing my dishes or straitening up thr house. I think if its deep cleaning and not part of your normal activity its okay to log it.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    You clean everyday for an hour or two??? How big is your house?


    It's not that big but I have two kids one of them is only 2 1/2 so I do alot of picking up toys and doing laundry The laundry alone is hard to keep up with because of my son he's constantly a mess. My daughter is starting to do some of the chores although it is difficult to get her motivated and it usually turns into an argument. But between that and the kitchen which is a constant battle I would say throughout the day I clean about an average of an hour to two hours a day.

    Heh, s'alright - i'm a dedicated slattern anyway. i'm just impressed.
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    I'm sorry but I don't understand the term "slattern" :blushing: but I'm guessing (and please don't be offended if I'm wrong) that it means something along the lines of a slacker. IDK just a guess. I just recently became unemployed (a personal choice because of my children) and I have been home everyday so it's easier for me to clean now than it used to be. I'm usually a procrastinator but lately I've had a lot of time on my hands:tongue: !
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I'm not advocating 'eating back' but I thought this was interesting. Sat. I was up and about all day, cleaning, etc. According to my Fitbit I logged 12500 steps and burned around 2250 calories. Sunday I logged about as many steps just based on 2 walks but sat around and read most of the day. It said I burned around 1850 calories.

    So 400 calories more with a similar steps count! Read up on N.E.A.T. (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). It adds up a LOT. If I set my GymBoss to chime every hour of the workday and I get up and do 5-10 mins. of light activity, activity monitors say I burn a lot more than I do when I just do that many minutes of a "workout" instead.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12468415
    http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/26/4/729.full
    http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-01-21-fidget-activity_N.htm
  • DarkFlutter
    DarkFlutter Posts: 336 Member
    I read yesterday that someone burned calories cleaning. Now I know that we burn calories evertime that we even move but should we be counting cleaning as a way to burn calories because I do that everyday for at least an hour or two a day (I have two kids). I just kind of thought that was normal every day calorie burning. What are your thoughts on the subject?

    I only count it if it's above what my normal is.
    IE: We did a major clean out on Saturday that wasn't a normal everyday thing. I counted it.
    When I have to take care of the animal cages/animals instead of my husband (his chore) I count it.
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 749 Member
    I don't count stuff like that, I think of it as a daily thing or a bonus, not as an actual calorie burning activity
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    I'm not advocating 'eating back' but I thought this was interesting. Sat. I was up and about all day, cleaning, etc. According to my Fitbit I logged 12500 steps and burned around 2250 calories. Sunday I logged about as many steps just based on 2 walks but sat around and read most of the day. It said I burned around 1850 calories.

    So 400 calories more with a similar steps count! Read up on N.E.A.T. (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). It adds up a LOT. If I set my GymBoss to chime every hour of the workday and I get up and do 5-10 mins. of light activity, activity monitors say I burn a lot more than I do when I just do that many minutes of a "workout" instead.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12468415
    http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/26/4/729.full
    http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-01-21-fidget-activity_N.htm

    That's interesting I'll have to look up those websites. I understand that the more you move the better. Obviously if I'm sitting all day as opposed to cleaning I'm not going to burn as many calories. I really have enjoyed reading everyone's posts. It gives me ideas of what I should consider putting on my exercise diary. Some of these things I might not have even considered. Thanks everyone!
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    I'm a mom of 2 boys and clean everyday as well, I dont log those calories (everyday normal activity), but once or twice a week (1 week day and or 1 weekend day) I heavy clean where I mop, dust, move furniture, laundry, change sheet etc......; I do log those calories because I do that nonstop for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

    That's something to consider. I think in these cases I might actually add cleaning. Thanks.
  • amyliz0226
    amyliz0226 Posts: 37
    I normally do log it because I clean from top to bottom every weekend. Kitchen, bathrooms, dust, sweep, swiffer (I have a cat!), mop, vacuum the furniture and floors. It normally takes me about 2 hours but I normally just log an hour or so. And I do break a sweat!
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,628 Member
    nah, definately not...it depends if u sweat your *kitten* off though


    This ....... I cleaned house & trudged up & down the stairs with 8 loads of laundry .....sweated my *kitten* off (oh, if only) ...... it was 90 degrees outside and there was no A/C on ........ I'm damn well logging for those measly few extra calories :drinker:
  • jenism
    jenism Posts: 31 Member
    I do not count day to day cleaning/tidying. However I do count my bigger cleans that I do once a week. These typically last 1-3 hours, I pump the tunes, dance around and work fast. It is definitely a workout.
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    WARNING!!! I've been called insensitive and condescending to bigger MFPs for suggesting to someone similar to me in weight and goal who was asking for such advice about this very subject on another post that I do not record my housework calories!

    So my answer is...

    Do what is right for you! :smile: (Yes, I'm still sore about it!)
  • Lkoblara
    Lkoblara Posts: 137 Member
    it really depends for me.... There is one day a week that I clean 3 houses. On those days you bet your life that I count it as exercise! Vacuuming for an hour burns about 300 calories. If it's just regular daily type stuff then definitely not, but if it's above the normal cleaning (think scrubbing the floors, moving heavy boxes, or something that makes you run up and down the stairs 20 times....) then I would totally count it as exercise.
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    WARNING!!! I've been called insensitive and condescending to bigger MFPs for suggesting to someone similar to me in weight and goal who was asking for such advice about this very subject on another post that I do not record my housework calories!

    So my answer is...

    Do what is right for you! :smile: (Yes, I'm still sore about it!)

    I don't think it's insensitive! I think everyone has posted helpful responses. :happy:
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    plus, if cleaning really did contribute to losing a lot of weight, we probably wouldnt have needed to lose weight via MFP in the first place. yes i know everyone is probably going to disagree, but i think its true. thats just normal activity.
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    plus, if cleaning really did contribute to losing a lot of weight, we probably wouldnt have needed to lose weight via MFP in the first place. yes i know everyone is probably going to disagree, but i think its true. thats just normal activity.

    It doesn't contribute to losing a lot of weight, but it does burn calories. See my earlier comment about people who go to the gym and work out hard and still don't lose weight. Movement burns calories, but if you eat more than you burn, you don't lose weight, regardless of what you're doing for exercise.
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