Skip The Gym, Sweep The Floor
Thanks to the wonders of automated cleaning, many of us don’t experience the hard labor of washing our own clothes, cleaning all of our dishes, or polishing the silverware. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get a good sweat going with these household chores. Check out these everyday tasks that will keep you grooving and moving.
1. Vacuuming
On top of putting smaller floor-sitting items onto larger floor-sitting items, stretching your arm into the hard-to-reach places, and hauling that monster of a machine around your home, it’s no surprise that vacuuming burns an average of 90 to 200 calories an hour.
2. Mopping
It’s not as heavy as the vacuum, but it still works those arms and core if you’re pushing hard enough. Mopping burns between 100 to 240 calories per hour, depending on your size and weight.
3. Sweeping
The older sister to mopping, if you really think about it. Sweeping also requires the general movement of household items, and generally requires you to contort your body to get into those hard-to-reach spaces of your home. Sweeping for an hour will burn an average of 160 to 240 calories.
4. Gardening
Caloric output can vary wildly depending on what type of gardening you’re doing. If you’re planting or weeding, you can expect to burn between 200 and 400 calories per hour. If you’re working with the shovel, you’ll probably be burning 400 to 600 calories per hour.
5. Mowing The Lawn
Everyone’s favorite summertime activity! If you have a yard large enough to use a riding mower, this one might not be for you. For the rest of us, however, mowing the lawn for an hour or so will burn between 150 and 400 calories per hour.
6. Cleaning The Shower
Why must we clean the space that we clean ourselves in? It doesn’t make a lot of sense, and the effort of scrubbing down tile, stone, or porcelain is an effort unto itself. Luckily, you can skip the gym on bathroom cleaning day, as it burns around 300 calories per hour.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
7. Dusting
A light dusting won’t have you working up a sweat. However, a day that requires the ceiling fans, doorframes, and the nooks and crannies typically left forgotten during your weekly cleans will have you burning between 150 and 200 calories an hour.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
8. Washing The Dishes
In an automatic dishwasher-less home, the average person will burn between 75 and 200 calories per hour during this necessary cooking and cleanup. Think about it— it’s like a tiny workout every time you have to scrub a pan!
9. Washing The Car
Maybe more of a seasonal situation than an everyday one, but important nonetheless. Washing down your vehicle for an hour will burn around 250 calories, and if you include the interior, you’ll likely burn more. Skip the gas station carwash, put on that white t-shirt, and go make a music video in your own driveway.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
10. Laundry
Burning calories while doing laundry is entirely dependent on the amount, weight, and travel time of your clothes-washing journey. If your one-floor apartment has in-unit laundry, you’re probably not working up a sweat. However, walking to the laundromat with two weeks' worth of clothes in your bag likely means you can pass on cardio at the gym.
11. Pool Cleaning
Skimming a pool can be a workout in its own right, as you’ll be getting a pretty decent core burn if you do it long enough. When you start getting into vacuuming the pool, you’ve got a full-body workout on the books.
12. Changing The Bedsheets
We all know the stress of changing a fitted sheet, so you won’t be surprised that changing your bedding can burn between 150 and 300 calories every 30 minutes. It’s nearly equivalent to a 45-minute walk, so switch those sheets with gumption.
13. Raking Leaves
This fall-time activity burns around 250 and 450 calories per hour, and keeps your lawn looking fresh once the snow thaws. The best part is you then have a giant pile of leaves to jump in after the hard work is done.
14. Window Washing
Window washing and mirror cleaning can burn between 150 and 250 calories per hour, depending on the intensity of your cleaning. If you’re doing the exterior of your windows as well, you can expect to burn a lot more.
15. Cooking
Considered a light-to-moderate activity, cooking a meal can burn around 70-90 calories every 30 minutes, so you’re doing a short workout every time you’re prepping dinner. If you’re feeling particularly high energy during your cooking time, you can also have a dance party to get that heart rate pumping.
16. Emptying The Gutters
This somewhat gross task will have you burning between 150-250 calories every 30 minutes, due to the intensity of the work. Having to reach, climb, and scrape leaves out of your home’s drainage system will work your abs, shoulders, and back.
17. Walking Your Dog
Walking is working out, and walking a particularly active dog is no easy feat. A brisk walk with your furry friend will burn between 200 and 300 calories per hour. If you have an itty-bitty princess dog, you might get a better burn if you end up carrying them during the latter half of your walk.
18. Ironing
Ironing isn’t as popular as it used to be, but if you’re still working to get those crisp lines on your shirts, you’re burning around 100 calories an hour. You’re also working up a sweat due to the heat of your iron.
19. Scrubbing The Floors
Getting on your hands and knees to scrub floors, baseboards, and the bottom half of your walls will burn between 150-250 calories an hour, depending on how vigorous your movements are.
20. Pressure-Washing
Pressure-washing your home, driveway, deck, patio, and fencing to get rid of the pesky dirt, stains, and other mildew will burn around 250 to 300 calories per hour. It’s considered a moderately vigorous activity, so make sure to drink plenty of water when the work is done.
KEEP ON READING
20 Natural Ways You Can Boost Your Immune System
20 Ways To De-stress & Relax After Work
The 10 Most Common Diseases & The 10 Most Rare
