Knowing how to burn calories with chores can really help you shed those extra pounds. We all have chores to do around the house. Some of us more than others depending on the size of your home, needs of family members, and how much care your outdoor property needs.
Whether you’re single in a small apartment or have a large family on a farm, there are many chores around your home that can help you burn calories fast at home.
Scrub-a-Dub-Tub
When I go to clean my bathroom, I need a couple of rags, a brush, and a couple bottles of different cleaners.
Scrubbing Bubbles isn’t on the list, because it’s my job to scrub everything that needs a cleaning. This is the first room in my house that benefits from some elbow grease and attention.
Scrubbing your whole bathroom will lead to a good sweat, since it takes a fair amount of work to get grime off of a tub.
I recommend using natural cleaners like baking soda and vinegar, to avoid chemicals that you may otherwise come in contact with.
But the tub is only the beginning! Getting on your hands and knees to clean the floor is some hard work. And you can integrate some flexibility challenges or yoga poses like cat-cow as you move around.
Alternate dominant hands while you work too, so your arms will get roughly equal attention.
Dancing Dishes
Listen, I love my dishwasher. But let’s be fair, it isn’t going to get the burned-on mess off of your pots, pans, and baking dishes.
Let these soak for less time than you actually want to, and use your muscles to scrub them clean. Take a few minutes after that to wash the dinner dishes…by hand.
It is fairly quick, and you can integrate things like calf raises or core tightening exercises without interfering in the effectiveness of your work.
Cooking a healthy meal? Not all of the time spent cooking is active cooking time.
So put some music on and dance in your kitchen instead of playing Candy Crush on your phone. You can even do bodyweight exercises while you wait for your ingredients to bake or simmer.
Vacuum Monster
Put away the Roomba! Walking through your home pushing and pulling a vacuum engages your whole body in a calorie burning bonanza.
You’re using all your major muscle groups in a focused activity, and you’re improving flexibility and strength.
Don’t forget to vacuum the carpeted steps, and sweep up the hard surfaces. Your kitchen and other rooms that aren’t carpeted offer you the same opportunity to hand-scrub that the bathroom did.
So take advantage and get down on all fours.
Outdoor Basics
Do you usually pay the neighborhood kids to shovel your walk and steps? Save a few bucks and spend calories instead.
Shoveling snow is an incredibly good workout, since it powerfully engages all your muscles, increases your heart-rate, and forces your body to regulate your temperature.
Keep yourself safe, but allow yourself to feel a little more cold than you might like, since exposure to the cold triggers your body to burn fat to keep warm.
Remember to lift those shovels full of snow with your legs and not your back, and when you bend, keep your knees behind your toes, just like proper squat form so you don’t cause any injuries.
Do you pay those same neighborhood kids to mow your lawn in the summer? Get outside and do it yourself!
Not only do you have the benefits of the physical activity, but the fresh air is amazing for you. The vitamin D produced in your skin also has numerous health benefits, most notably as an aid to bodyweight regulation.
If you want an extra calorie burn, get a push mower instead of a powered one. You have to do all the work yourself, and you will definitely be sore afterwards. But you can skip the gym and your lawn will be beautiful.
Gardening involves a lot of bending, stretching, and lifting. So keeping your flower beds pretty and your rows of vegetables sprouting is an easy way to burn some extra fat.
Wipe the Walls
This is a highly neglected chore in many homes, but cleaning the walls will burn a lot of extra calories.
Not only will you be shocked at how much dust and grime come off on your rag, but you’ll be working up a good sweat while you’re at it.
You’ll be using your whole body, but you’ll be paying special attention to your shoulders, knees, and ankles, as well as the flexibility in your lower back.
Reaching up and bending down as much as you will have to is great for your core, too.
Use all these chores around the house to keep your home clean and keep yourself fit! These can easily replace a gym day, and you’ll end up with a cleaner house than you started with, which is always a comforting feeling.
[Also Read: Simple Steps to Boost Your Metabolism]
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