Cleaning!?

13

Replies

  • kaylovluvz
    kaylovluvz Posts: 32
    Well I think the whole idea of actually getting up off the couch and putting your body to work, regardless of the level of intensity is something. There are a lot of people out there that for most of their life considered turning the t.v. on or doing little lifts here and there exercise. I myself took advantage of this idea well I still do from time to time. Now I've done some serious cleaning that involved constant moving, bending, twisting. squat like moves etc. So There you go it should be considered a form of exercise. I really wish they would add work on here to. I work in a nursing home and 8 hours of my day I'm running back and forth lifting bending etc. There are days I sweat like a roasted pig and I go home feeling like I just worked out. So all in all any physical activity should be counted for something.
  • jenism
    jenism Posts: 31 Member
    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.

    This. Like I said, I'm not counting that 15 minute mid-week vacuum, or a single load of laundry but for big cleans I work harder to turn it into a good workout.
  • loztredders
    loztredders Posts: 142
    I added it to my diary yesterday as I never really clean so my bathroom needed a damn good scrubbing and I was exhausted after, I put a lot of effort in and danced along while I was doing it! My activity level is set to sedentary.
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    I just want to say that if you think about it many years ago we didn't have the things that keep us distracted like television. People didn't really need to work out to be fit they just were because they were moving all of the time. I don't think many people in even the early 20th century jogged or did work outs often. I think people were just generally more active and spent less time doing things like sitting around the tv eating (which I do a lot or used to). So now that I think about it maybe cleaning should be considered exercise in a way. Just something to think about I guess.
  • southernlady82
    southernlady82 Posts: 2
    I don't count the day to day cleaning (or tidying up) but I do count the days when I'm scrubbing my house top to bottom... if I'm breaking a sweat then I think it's justified in my opinion.
  • paulsmisses
    paulsmisses Posts: 178
    My daily upkeep I do not log. But for instance, Friday, I spent 2.5 hours cleaning house top to bottom, doing the things that get put off. I always log those big cleaning sessions. I wore my heart rate monitor and it calculated 713 calories. Now tonight when I get home and cook dinner, tidy each room, clean the kitchen, chase the kids around, I will not log that.

    ^^ this, i dont count daily upkeep but put a good few hours in on a sat or sun to gut house out and count that, as i move furniture strip beds and gut out toys etc, so i count this.
  • raindance_maggie
    raindance_maggie Posts: 150
    it doesnt matter what ANYONE else logs as it doesnt appy to YOU. get past it. get over it. worry about yourself. what they do doesnt matter to waht you do.
  • jcrowe1
    jcrowe1 Posts: 5
    You clean everyday for an hour or two??? How big is your house?

    I never clean, unless you count loading and unloading the dishwasher and laundry.

    I cannot do it. I have to pay someone to come in 2 hours a week to help me or it would just become squalid.

    and I don't understand people who vacuum everyday, weird.

    so yeah, if I actually did some cleaning I'd log it.

    If you can't see the lines, it's time to vacuum.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    Most count cleaning, because they're too lazy to exercise and want to eat more.
    It's more activity than exercise.
    I want to count it too.
    So, I discovered a way I could count it and still call it exercise. I bought a weighted vest - 70lbs.
    When I have to do some miserable task around the house either inside or in the yard, I put on that vest.
    For a lady, 25 pounds would do - whatever...you decide.
    Anyway, I count house cleaning and yard work as exercise when I wear that 70lb vest.
    Works for me....:bigsmile:
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    You clean everyday for an hour or two??? How big is your house?

    I never clean, unless you count loading and unloading the dishwasher and laundry.

    I cannot do it. I have to pay someone to come in 2 hours a week to help me or it would just become squalid.

    and I don't understand people who vacuum everyday, weird.

    so yeah, if I actually did some cleaning I'd log it.

    If you can't see the lines, it's time to vacuum.

    I have Berber with no padding underneath. It doesn't make lines. :sad:
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Factor it into your general activity level but don't log it as exercise, because it isn't exercise.
  • AriesGrl
    AriesGrl Posts: 174 Member
    first of all I am a total neat freak so I clean my house every mon and fri...my house is 2500 sq ft and 2 stories...my cleaning takes 2-3 hrs of non stop work and I def work up a sweat cause I clean everything!!!! Windows (which I have a ton) , fans, walls, etc....I damn straight log those calories cause it is ALOT of work...BUT....I do not eat back those calories...I jus log them so I can see how much work I did......to each their own=)
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    Most count cleaning, because they're too lazy to exercise and want to eat more.

    You're the first person in this thread to actually be judgmental. Go you! You must be super awesome. :drinker:
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    it doesnt matter what ANYONE else logs as it doesnt appy to YOU. get past it. get over it. worry about yourself. what they do doesnt matter to waht you do.

    Maybe it does apply to me. Sometimes getting soemone else's perspective adds to your own perspective. :wink:
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 839 Member
    I count it. I sit all day at a computer at work. I do exercise when I get home, which I count as exercise. When i clean house (try to once a week), it's a big job - hauling a vacuum cleaner up and down three flights of stairs, same with laundry. It takes hours and I work up a sweat. It is definitely a workout for me. If I did it every day (who has time?), then I would have a more physically active profile and probably not count it.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    it doesnt matter what ANYONE else logs as it doesnt appy to YOU. get past it. get over it. worry about yourself. what they do doesnt matter to waht you do.

    Maybe it does apply to me. Sometimes getting soemone else's perspective adds to your own perspective. :wink:
    ^^
    THIS
    I enjoy other people's take on various issues.
    At day's end, you're either moving toward your goals or away. If what you do is bringing you closer to success, I want to know your opinion - even when it goes against mine.
    Echo chambers are worthless.
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    if it is something that you do everyday then it really doesn't make a difference. if someone does a drastic cleaning once a week for a few hours where they are scrubbing and what not, then yes that would be added. in your case you clean every day after your kids so it is nothing extra.
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    Most count cleaning, because they're too lazy to exercise and want to eat more.

    You're the first person in this thread to actually be judgmental. Go you! You must be super awesome. :drinker:

    I've noticed a couple. I try to take it in stride! Lol!
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member

    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.

    but do you think it burns THAT many that it would really make a difference? walking, talking and moving about all burn calories, but its already built into your daily deficit. I just entered 30 mins of housework into my calorie calculator and it only said 86 calories burned. to me thats not really worth logging. and yes i understand people of all different weights will burn different amounts and clean for a longer time, but i think you should just stick to what makes you break and hold a sweat for 30 mins or more.
  • AndiJoy812
    AndiJoy812 Posts: 236
    I only count my heavy cleaning days...not normal daily stuff. I count the time when I am mopping floors, deep cleaning bathrooms, and windows. Those are long, marathon cleaning sessions, with constant motion/effort...and yes, I do work up a sweat. I don't have a hrm yet, but can't wait til I do. It will be interesting to see how much I really do burn on those days. I don't count my total time EVER because the MFP counts seem waaaaaaaay too high. But I do give myself some credit for it.
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    if it is something that you do everyday then it really doesn't make a difference. if someone does a drastic cleaning once a week for a few hours where they are scrubbing and what not, then yes that would be added. in your case you clean every day after your kids so it is nothing extra.

    Doing something "every day" doesn't make it worthless. Lots of people run every day, or lift weights every day, or do yoga every day, and it's still worthwhile movement. Cleaning is by no means anywhere near as effective as those activities, but it still does burn some calories, whether you do it once in a while or every day.

    If you don't want to log it, that's fine. But think about it logically before you make blanket statements like that.
  • bpetlock
    bpetlock Posts: 109
    it doesnt matter what ANYONE else logs as it doesnt appy to YOU. get past it. get over it. worry about yourself. what they do doesnt matter to waht you do.

    Maybe it does apply to me. Sometimes getting soemone else's perspective adds to your own perspective. :wink:
    ^^
    THIS
    I enjoy other people's take on various issues.
    At day's end, you're either moving toward your goals or away. If what you do is bringing you closer to success, I want to know your opinion - even when it goes against mine.
    Echo chambers are worthless.

    Word! I hear that. I always like to gain perspective. Someone might say something that you've never heard before! How else does one learn without the help of others?
  • shoobz
    shoobz Posts: 119
    I wouldn't log doing a load of washing - but I did log cleaning about a week ago, when I was moving house. Spent about 8 hours lifting, running around, scrubbing, vacuuming - I only logged 3 hours though, cos I know I wasn't massively active the whole time.
  • Reesecup312
    Reesecup312 Posts: 236 Member
    Why not? If you are doing extra cleaning or cleaning for exercise by all means count it. If it's everyday chores like washing dishes, wiping counters, I would say no.
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member

    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.

    but do you think it burns THAT many that it would really make a difference? walking, talking and moving about all burn calories, but its already built into your daily deficit. I just entered 30 mins of housework into my calorie calculator and it only said 86 calories burned. to me thats not really worth logging. and yes i understand people of all different weights will burn different amounts and clean for a longer time, but i think you should just stick to what makes you break and hold a sweat for 30 mins or more.

    It's only built into your deficit if you built it in when you set up your account. If you have your profile set as sedentary, an hour of vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and cleaning the bathtub is not accounted for in your calorie allowance.

    If you prefer to not log it, that's great! But it works for a lot of people to log it. It continues to work for me. *shrug*
  • dancecentral
    dancecentral Posts: 50 Member
    I counted it when my activity was set to 'sedentery' if it was at least an hour non stop.. but when I changed it to slightly active I stopped because I considered part of my normal activity.. exception being when I cleaned the garage a few weekends ago because I did some serious lifting, carrying, ect.. on a side note I don't count things like 20 min walks at a slow/ leisure pace as exercise anymore but I did in the begining when my fitness level was zilch
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    it doesnt matter what ANYONE else logs as it doesnt appy to YOU. get past it. get over it. worry about yourself. what they do doesnt matter to waht you do.

    ^^^ This. I got to much to do without worrying. Also that's why I have these guys.

    4-3.jpg
  • TRISTAR
    TRISTAR Posts: 105 Member
    I'm glad you said this, as I agree, and I got slated by the lean and green police for adding it
    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.
  • 115perfection
    115perfection Posts: 109 Member
    Once I saw showering...... come on.
  • Laner07
    Laner07 Posts: 100 Member
    I only count cleaning as exercise if I'm doing something heavy duty that I don't normally do.

Categories