Yesterday I decided to do some “fall cleaning.” Yes, I like to be different. Instead of deep cleaning my home in the spring (when I would much rather be outside), I do it in the fall. It helps prepare my home for the upcoming holidays and I like it to be really clean when I am going to be spending so much more time indoors.
I only tackled my living room yesterday but it took me a good 3 hours. There was a lot of scrubbing (I have hardwood floors), wiping down walls, dusting and wrestling with these new sofa/loveseat slip covers I purchased.
I also moved furniture around and took down every picture from my walls. I was really working it. In fact, I was sweating and exhausted by the time it was done.
It got me thinking about the calories you can burn even when you do housework. Not just the work you do inside the house but outside. Here are some chores you might do where you can burn some calories:
Scrubbing (sinks, bathtub)
Mowing the lawn
Raking
Shoveling
Gardening
Mopping the floor (especially if you do it on your hands and knees)
Laundry (especially if you are going up and down stairs frequently)
Vacuuming
Now of course I’m not talking about burning tons of calories but every little bit helps. It may even make cleaning more of a motivator for you, if you think of it as a way to burn some calories.
Just think…not only do you end up with a clean house but you feel better because you have managed to accomplish two things at once. And if you really want to get crazy, put on some of your favorite music (crank the volume up) and dance while you clean. Dancing really does help burn calories.
Do you have other ideas on how cleaning can be turned into exercise?
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Photo by striatic in Flickr