Do Your Chores

Burn calories while you clean.

Who needs a gym when you can burn calories by doing household chores. The faster you move and the more you bend, stretch, and reach, the more your body will benefit. For example, a 150-lb person burns about 130 calories during a 30-minute 3.5 mph walk around the block or about 150 calories by washing the car. Not bad, especially for people who seem to think they have no time to exercise. Are you ready to get out the cleaning supplies?

Bend and dust and turn and wipe and . . .

Everything from washing windows to grocery shopping burns calories. The following numbers apply to a 150-lb person doing 30 minutes of activity. If you weigh less, you’ll burn slightly fewer calories. If you weigh more, you will burn slightly more calories. And the more muscle you put into it, the more calories you’ll burn.

•  Climbing stairs – 306

•  Rearranging furniture - 225

•  Shoveling snow – 214

•  Doing laundry – 210

•  Walking the dog – 147

•  Raking leaves – 144

•  Mopping the floor - 140

•  Vacuuming – 119

•  Weeding – 115

•  Washing dishes – 75

•  Ironing – 70

•  Surfing the Internet – 60

Other calorie - burning tips

•  Take the stairs instead of the elevator – 306

•  Park the car farther from your destination and walk – 227

•  Carry your grocery bags to the car – 190

Action Step

If you want to burn even more calories, move as much as you can throughout the day. Stand up and do side steps while you are on the phone. Squat while you are waiting for the washing machine to finish its spin cycle.

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