Nowhere near a gym? Don’t have the time to exercise? Put on your yellow, latex gloves and get down to some housework. Depending on the task, an hour of domestic chores can burn off between 150 – 500 calories per hour. That’s a free workout and a clean kitchen all in one – fantastic!
Mow the Lawn
Calories per hour: 325
If you’ve got your own gardeners, ditch the professionals. Attack your own lawn with a manual mower. If you’ve ever pushed around a lawn mower on a hot summer’s day, you won’t doubt the effectiveness of this chore as a calorie busting workout.
Cooking
Calories per hour: 150
In a huff because you always cook dinner? Hopefully the calorie burning factor of this task will have you chucking on your chef’s hat with gusto.
Strange to think that something so sedentary can whisk away so many calories, but next time you’re watching a competitive cooking programme, the dynamic effort which goes into making a complicated dish will make you feel tired just watching it from your living room sofa. So don’t hang up your apron strings just yet!
Sweeping and Mopping
Calories per hour: 240
This activity targets your upper and lower body. Start with the grimiest areas first and pan out to the cleaner segments for a super workout that will leave your floors sparkling (not with sweat, we hope).
Audrina Patridge from television programme “The Hills”, swears by cleaning in your heels for an intense leg workout. Although it’s true that heels focus the muscles in your bum and calves, you’ll increase your heart rate and burn more calories by wearing trainers, as heels impede movement.
Shovelling Snow
Calories per hour: 415
Winter brings about so many wonderful things: slippery ice, colds that spread like the plague around the office, and snow-ins, are just a few of the treats we can look forward to in the countdown to Christmas. But shovelling your own snow (instead of charming your partner or neighbour to do it) will get your heart pumping and your waistline slimming down.
Painting
Calories per hour: 290
Stop leafing through paint catalogues and looking longingly at your walls. Pick up a paintbrush and get that shade that you’ve always wanted. Painting really works your arm and leg muscles, toning from the word go; plus you’re left with a fantastic looking house: win-win.
Gardening
Calories per hour: 250
By now you’ve definitely got rid of your gardener, haven’t you? Good. Didn’t doubt you for a second.
Burn calories and grow your own healthy food! Cultivating a garden is not just great because of the physical activity, but it’s a chance to slash your food shopping bills and create a wonderful space to relax on sunny days (/show off to your friends). Fresh vegetables, packed with nutrients, are a one-way ticket to fitting into a smaller jean size, so grab a fork (a gardening one, that is) and start growing your own produce. At www.nuffieldhealthcareers.com, you can learn the value of getting your heart pumping for greater fitness potential.
Zoe is a twenty-something Brit blogger who loves to share tips on how to achieve a toned bod and healthier diet. Zoe is currently writing for Nuffield Health Careers – find out more about a career in the health sector by visiting their website.
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