How to Burn Calories While Doing Chores
If you find you don't often have enough
time to hit the gym due to an overwhelming list of chores piling up, you
may be in luck. This is because you can actually burn heaps of calories
by carrying out many common types of chores. Keep reading to find out
more:
1. Gardening
Calories burned in an hour: 272
Gardening is an excellent way to burn some calories quickly, especially
when it comes to weeding which clocks in at 306 calories an hour. Garden
for a couple of hours to burn off that 2-scoop hot fudge sundae with
whipped cream (550 calories) you had for dessert.
2. Tidying Up
Calories burned in an hour: 238
An hour of bending to pick up things on the floor, reaching into
cupboards and tidying the house can easily get you into shape. An single
hour of tidying up will burn off the equivalent of a small portion of
McDonald’s fries (230 calories).
3. Vacuuming
Calories burned in an hour: 238
Get out your vacuum cleaner and instead of focusing on a single room,
why not do your whole house, instead? One hour of vacuuming will burn
off the equivalent of a whole slice of chocolate cake (235 calories).
4. Mopping
Calories burned in a half hour: 119
Mopping can work your legs and strengthen your arms. Although you
probably won’t end up mopping for a full hour (238 calories), a half
hour can work off those pretzel sticks you ate as you were watching TV
(110 calories).
5. Taking Care of Kids
Calories burned in an hour: 204
If taking care of your kids or grandchildren involves getting them
dressed, helping them take a bath, and even spending time playing with
them, then you're doing your body a lot of favors at the same time too.
This is because an hour of babysitting can burn around 204 calories,
which is more than a single slice of pepperoni pizza (180 calories).
6. Mowing the Lawn
Calories burned in an hour: 408 with a hand mower
Mow the lawn by riding atop a power mower and you'll end up burning
around 170 calories. Mowing by walking with a power mower will allow you
to burn around 374 calories an hour, while using a hand mower will let
you burn a staggering 408 calories, almost as much as a large bag of
potato chips (425 calories).
chores
7. Washing the Dishes
Calories burned in a half hour: 85
Well, you’re not going to fully transform your body by simply washing
dishes, but you will burn enough calories to burn off a single homemade
chocolate chip cookie (80 calories).
8. Shoveling Snow
Calories burned in an hour: 476
Shoveling snow sure is hard work, but it's also the king of chores when
it comes to burning calories. That's because an hour of shoveling snow
is enough to burn off a whole slice of apple pie (411 calories).
9. Doing the Laundry
Calories burned in an hour: 68
Like with washing dishes, doing the laundry isn't going to have a
massive effect on your waistline, but it's still enough to burn off 3
Hershey's kisses (66 calories).
10. Painting a Room
Calories burned in a hour: 306
If you're into DIY, then your body is probably fitter then the rest of
us. This is because an hour of painting a wall will burn off around 306
calories, equivalent to the amount of calories found in 2 regular slices
of garlic bread (300 calories). Refinishing furniture or laying a
carpet will yield similar results.