You can burn calories with housework!

Your body is always burning calories, there has to be a line somewhere of what to count and what not to. I do not log normal routine housework....even loads of laundry up and down the stairs. I figure it's just bonus calories for all the time I've either over logged my calorie burn or underlogged my food intake.

The only exception I move make is if I'm moving furniture or heavy yard work.

Anything over and above my normal daily routine gets logged, especially if I've changed bedding, as I turn a king size mattress and that works up a sweat!

Once a month I do a whole house cleaning - roughly 7 hrs worth. I've logged it before, that's alot of moving (or other stuff) plus I live in a long trailer (72' long) so going from one end to the other, putting all the crap the hubby has left out over the last month adds up in alot of extra steps.

Also, look at yard work, mowing the lawn, gardening, house repairs & the lot. You'd be surprised how much you can burn doing 30min of yard work (mowing & weed-eating/edging).

And a big freaking "SORRY" to the ones that discredit housework/cleaning and the like as exercise.... if you are just starting out or do a marathon session like I do - it IS a lot. The last time I did mine I wore my FitBit all day - it recorded nearly 560 cals extra burnt (which was after the 400+/- I burnt at the gym before coming home to clean) , which I replaced w/ the "house cleaning, light/moderate". Every little bit counts and it is GETTING you moving and moving equals calories burnt.

This is the way I look at it, if I work up a sweat doing it, I get to log it in as exercise.

THIS exactly

doing dishes and preparing your meal should not break a sweat. For me, mowing the lawn doesn't break a sweat. Raking leaves and digging post holes, yeah, that's harder and unusual work so I may log that as 'exercise'.

If you want to count literally every little thing you do as burning calories you should set your daily calorie limit to '0' and then you only get to consume the calories you burned off the day before. If you do 1200 calories worth of little b/s jobs then you can eat 1200 calories back for maintenance.

Logging housework is just an half *kitten* excuse that people use for not moving their body by truly exercising. This whole process is about lifestyle change and developing your life to be an active fit person. On my side of MFP land lighthouse cleaners, dog walkers, 15 min xbox players get blasted publicly and then deleted.

#Itsbigpimpinovaherechurch

Mostly agree with you, however I do a 1 mile walk at a 3mph pace in the evening and MFP logs 3mph as 'walking dog' even if you don't have a dog with you.

Logging housework is just an half *kitten* excuse that people use for not moving their body by truly exercising. This whole process is about lifestyle change and developing your life to be an active fit person. On my side of MFP land lighthouse cleaners, dog walkers, 15 min xbox players get blasted publicly and then deleted.

#Itsbigpimpinovaherechurch

"Logging housework is just an half *kitten* excuse that people use for not moving their body by truly exercising. This whole process is about lifestyle change and developing your life to be an active fit person"

Thank you!!! Well said!

Logging housework is just an half *kitten* excuse that people use for not moving their body by truly exercising. This whole process is about lifestyle change and developing your life to be an active fit person. On my side of MFP land lighthouse cleaners, dog walkers, 15 min xbox players get blasted publicly and then deleted.

#Itsbigpimpinovaherechurch

Yeah but some of us are only trying to lose baby weight such as myself. I have never had a weight problem but I have a 10 month old so and stuck in the house now days so housework is a burn for me..... I don't think it's a lazy *kitten* excuse especially when I also exercise....and I don't eat back my calories but I am only trying to lose vanity weight... my health is just fine... pffft

I have my doubts about this.........

I brushed my teeth for 3 minutes today and burned 13 calories. I think I'll log that.

Believe it or not, we are NOT all here for the same reasons. I came to this site to track my food intake after being ill for more than a year (really bedridden for most of that time). And as I have gotten better I am tracking my increasing activity level.

For me, my focus has been becoming stronger and functional again. Any sustained activity that gets me breathing hard and my heart rate up counts in my book. As things become easier I will be able to raise my general activity level and stop counting some of the activities I count now. But just because you have gotten something done (a clean house) doesn't mean that all the bending, lifting, reaching done in housework isn't also working your body.

I myself have never logged house chores but maybe I'll start if it's something out of the ordinary, like 3 hours of deep cleaning. And 800 calories is no joke!
On a side note, can anyone tell me what a HRM is??

I don't log it, but a few weeks ago I read this really nasty response about logging exercise so I decided to do a full house clean and wear my HRM just to see.

In the 3 hours it took to deep clean my kitchen, office, living room and bathroom - I burned over 800 calories. That's more than I would have burned had I gone for a 3 hour walk.

Still I don't log it, because I did that before I decided to make changes.

Before I started MFP, I was for the most part sedentary. I did not clean or cook often. For 3 1/2 months I had tenants or family here that helped with cooking/cleaning while I attended school and studied. Before those 3 1/2 months I was also in a deep depression on top of keeping up with a toddler and very active teenager. So, yes, I do log my cleaning as exercise (this is part of my lifestyle change). I also log shopping as exercise because: a) I am pushing a buggie full with a 30lbs toddler inside, or b) I am out for more than 30 mins. I do not count quick shopping trips, nor do I count showering, fixing hair, brushing teeth, driving, studying, sleeping, or watching tv (which I found a website where you can calculate each of these things) Sometimes, I don't count all of the cleaning that has been done, just the times that i pay attention to the time. And as you can see, it has not affected my weight loss. I have lost these 61lbs since February. I will continue to count my cleaning and cooking calories.

** My profile is set to Sedentary and for the most part I do not eat back my exercise calories**
**I also do other exercise such as Jillian Michael's NMTZ, Zumba, ab workouts, and the occasional weight training session***