(This is an article I read on the 17-day-diet blog: http://www.17daydietblog.com/housework-or-gym-its-about-being-active-and-burning-calories/ )
Over the weekend I helped a friend clean his client’s house for his home-cleaning business. This was a particularly dirty home as it hadn’t been cleaned in a long time and the client who just bought the home didn’t want to tackle the cleaning project by themselves prior to their move-in date.
We spent about 3 1/2 hours on our hands and knees scrubbing baseboards, cleaning doors, closet spaces, windows, toilets, mirrors, showers, floors, etc. There was a lot of squatting, getting up and going back down to the ground, reaching high, and stretching down low. What a workout cleaning this home was!
The next day my body was so sore! I woke to aching muscles, tired hands and a new-found appreciation for professional house cleaners!
To reach our fitness goals, we don’t always have to visit the gym. Using our own body weight while doing every day chores in the home can provide us with the tools we need to give our muscles a great workout! My quads are sore, but I am so happy they actually received a bit of a workout.
According to a calculator on healthstatus.com, a 140 pound person performing 3 hours of housework will burn approximately 554 calories while a person weighing 190 pounds can burn up to 752 calories! That’s quite impressive. What a great concept: burning calories while doing housework!
The next time you decide going to the gym is just not an option, think about getting your workout in at home– cleaning baseboards and trim around your doors is a great way to burn extra calories while using your body weight to tone your muscles.
If housework is not your gig (you’re likely to hire out your cleaning duties to professional home cleaners), there are some great online cardio courses for you to use for your “home gym” or even outings to your neighborhood gym if that’s your preference. I recently found a great 12-week cardio course that helps you achieve a lean look without bulking up–can’t guarantee the squats during your housework routine won’t bulk up your legs!
Whether your weekly household chores or your 12-week supercharged cardio workout session is your exercise of choice, one thing is for sure– you’re moving around and that’s all that matters!
(Me again: Good gracious, I really aught to clean my house! It is in sad need and I could use the workout time.)
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