Doing Home Activities Burns Over 2000 Calories a Week

Doing household chores may not sound as exciting as going out for a dinner or a movie, but it surely adds a lot to your health and fitness. We have seen our moms doing all the household chores, getting tired and sweating; making us worried for them. But many of us are unaware of the fact that, doing daily household activities such as cooking, laundry, ironing, gardening, cleaning or washing can burn a lot of calories as compared to going to a gym or doing a rigorous exercise. All these activities make us energetic and are also beneficial in the long-run. Below are some of the household chores which can make you unexpectedly healthy. The calorie estimates are based on a person weighing 155 pounds.

• Cooking – Cooking for 30 minutes can burn 91 calories. Activities like chopping, dicing, cooking and cleaning your kitchen mess can surely burn a lot of calories.
• Laundry – Doing laundry can burn 78 calories in an hour, which equals to doing 100 sit-ups. You can also add a squat while loading clothes to the dryer or washer.
• Washing – Washing the dishes might not be your favorite hobby, but it can help you lose 225 calories when done for over an hour.
• Vacuum Cleaning – Vacuum cleaning for 30 minutes can burn 86 calories from a person weighing 155 pounds. This activity not only makes your house clean, but it also strengthens your upper body.
• Cleaning Windows – It’s not a bad idea to clean your windows to make your home more beautiful and also for your fitness. Cleaning windows for more than 60 minutes burns 218 calories.
• Ironing – Ironing our clothes not only makes us look smart but also healthy. Thirty minutes of ironing can burn 91 calories from us. Believe it or not, it is the same as Zumba class. Standing immobile for a long-time helps lose calories and strengthens our core muscles too. Take care to press down evenly and use both the arms one by one to strengthen them together.
• Dusting – Dusting, which can be considered an easy housework is capable of losing 98 calories within 30 minutes.
• Bed-making – Arranging bed-sheets and other bedding on a bed can help you lose 225 calories within 60 minutes, which is same as a long power walk.
• Sweeping and Mopping – Floor cleaning for 30 minutes can reduce nearly 90 calories from your body; it’s a great upper and lower body workout and will bring your waistline in shape. While sweeping and mopping, the exact amount of calories lost from your body depends on your weight and how hard you perform the chore. It’s a good idea to scrub floors by hand and involve your abs. This task makes your shoulders and biceps strong.
• Cleaning the Bathroom – Cleaning your bathroom for over an hour can burn up to 239 calories. This chore is helpful for building strong arms and shoulder muscles.
• Mowing the Lawn – Mowing your lawn is a good thing to make it look pleasant and also to keep you active. Cutting grass in your backyard using a regular push mower can decrease 165 calories in half an hour, which equals to 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
• Gardening – Doing gardening in your flower or vegetable garden is an engaging and healthy exercise and will give you a more welcoming outdoor environment. Half an hour gardening can help you lose 158 calories. Doing some heavy gardening or digging activities for 30 minutes can burn 197 calories and strengthen your arms, shoulder, abdominal and back leg muscles.
• Painting – Many of us are unaware of the fact that repainting is one of the ways to burn away the calories. Painting your house for 30 minutes requires 187 calories. Painting is a very effective way to make your arm muscles strong and to have a lean muscle mass.
• Car Washing – Car washing and waxing can bring your body into shape. By doing car washing, one can lose 167 calories in half an hour. This also depends upon the physical intensity with which the task is performed.

References:

1.http://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities

2.http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2015/03/030515_infographic-fitness-housework.php

3.http://www.weight-coach.org/caloriesburned.html

4.http://golf.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004797

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Source-Medindia