While many people hate carrying out household chores, they can actually be a simple way to keep fit.
In the UK, people spend an average of six days a year cleaning their homes. Like it or loathe it, there are tonnes of benefits to embracing a spring clean, and it can even be classed as exercise.
Reorganising a room can help burn the most calories, while vacuuming and changing the beds can also help to burn fat quickly. However, a number of factors determine how fast you can burn calories.
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Experts at Oceans said that how many calories you burn while cleaning depends on your gender, diet and age. They did some research to find the best fat burning household chores based on a 180lb person spending 30 minutes on each activity.
Best household chores to burn calories
Vacuuming: 138 calories
Spending 30 minutes vacuuming the floor can burn more calories than 15 minutes on a cross-trainer. This chore is a handy form of exercise as it requires lots of steps and is powered by both your arms and legs.
Mopping: 146 calories
Like vacuuming, mopping is a great way to shift calories as it relies on moving your whole body. You could even turn things up a notch by lunging forward instead of stepping, and make sure you’re really using those biceps as you move the mop back and forth.
Dusting and polishing: 96 calories
Despise the thought of dusting shelves and polishing furniture? Just remember that 30 minutes can burn as many as 96 calories.
From using eco kitchen roll to wipe down the kitchen counters, to grabbing the feather duster to access hard-to-reach places, the vigorous wiping and swiping will keep your arms in good shape. Jordan Kelly, brand marketing manager at Oceans, said: “Dusting can be one of the most annoying chores.
"Many people hate it because dust contains unhealthy particles such as allergens, pollen and mould spores, but that's all the more reason to get it done regularly and efficiently. And get your body moving while you do it.”
Putting away the shopping: 104 calories
Shopping is fun, but the putting away part? Not so much. A positive, however, is that this task can shift more than 100 calories.
Collecting the heavy bags from your car or front door, and then putting each individual item in the fridge, freezer, and cupboard, all contributes to a healthier you.
Watering plants: 104 calories
Spending 30 minutes hydrating your violas, veronicas, and various houseplants can burn 104 calories. Not only will your plants continue to stay alive as well as thrive, but you’ll give your body a light workout at the same time.
Changing bed sheets: 138 calories
Wrapping yourself in fresh bed sheets after a tiring day can feel like pure and utter joy. What’s more, the dreaded part that comes before the bliss can burn the same number of calories as a packet of crisps. Althought it might be hard dragging it out for 30 minutes, unless you do every bed in the house.
Organising a room: 200 calories
A staggering 200 calories can be worked off by spending half an hour vigorously decluttering and organising a room. Spend an entire morning dedicated to each room in your home and you could burn around 1,000 calories.
Washing dishes: 129 calories
Enjoying a delicious, home-cooked meal unfortunately means often returning to a kitchen that’s filled with dishes that need washing. But by the time you're done cleaning and all your utensils are gleaming, you could have burned off around 129 calories. That’s not bad considering washing dishes tends to be an unavoidable part of the day.
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