Good news for those of you who dread stepping into the gym for fear of being put off by super-slim gym regulars or of the massive fees some of them charge for membership. You can shed weight in the confines of your home as you make the most of the calorie-burning opportunities presented by mundane chores.
However, these gains pale in comparison to what you can get from a regular exercise routine, so instead of relying on vacuuming and laundry for your weight loss needs, use them to top off your fitness regime.
How much can I lose doing chores indoors?
* Starting from when you get up in the morning, you can drop 15 calories daily just by making your bed.
* Furthermore, did you know an hour spent giving your bathroom a thorough sprucing up can see you lose 250 calories in addition to the unsightly stains? And that’s just for starters.
* Work on your upper body by simply ironing clothes. You stand to shed over 100 calories when you do this basic task while standing. Pick up the vacuum and do your living room to help your arms lose that hanging flab. If you combine this with washing your clothes using a washing machine, you stand to lose close to 300 calories.
* The thought of getting down on your hands and knees to clean your floors may not warm the cockles of your heart, but it promises to rid you of over 350 cals per hour.
Lose more with outdoor chores
* In the mood to save the precious dollars you spend taking your car to the car wash? Do it yourself and watch your waistline shrink in the process as you burn an astounding 316 calories for every hour of work.
* You can even deliberately incorporate calf raisers as you shine the roof.
* Speaking of the car, why not leave it looking pretty and new in the furthest parking from the shopping mall and walk the rest of the way?
* And when you get to the complex, refrain from stepping into elevators or onto escalators; use the stairs. Believe it or not this little change of routine will see you burn more calories per minute than a jog round the block!
* When you get back home, don’t send Matt out to do the lawn; crank up the lawn mower and do it yourself. You are in more need of losing those 120 calories than he is.
* And when winter comes around, don’t just huddle around the fireplace under a pile of blankets; get out and scoop the snow from your driveway. Half an hour of this and you’ll already be less 180 calories.
Losing weight in the kitchen?
* The task of preparing meals costs your body calories. Just to give you some mouth-watering numbers, taking the time to whip up cookies for your family will see you burn over 250 calories!
* Routine tasks such as slicing vegetables and washing and drying dishes need to be done standing. This in itself is strenuous, but doing them while firming up your backside will see you lose close to 100 cals for every hour of activity.
George says
Household chores help you to lose the weight and reduce the maintenance cost of your house. If you appoint somebody to clean and wash, you need to spend a lot of money on these things. People assume that household tasks are heavy burden. It is completely wrong. Whenever you have time and mood to work, do it. that’s it.
BlissPlan says
But housework is no fun. :-)