Household Chores To Burn Calories

Burning calories is a huge part of weight loss and weight management. We need to get rid of as many calories as possible, while still eating a healthy diet. Often times this means moving. One great way to burn calories in our everyday lives is to get to work on the house. After all, most of us enjoy a clean house, and with burning calories as a great excuse for getting to it, we have few good reasons left to put it off.

Get Moving.
While there is very little that is actually easy about weight loss, the concept in its self is an easy one. We need to eat a well balanced diet in order to function well. We need to burn calories in order to get rid of what we consumed and to burn the fat that has been stored on our bodies. We burn a number of calories without doing anything, but this number increases greatly when we get up and get moving. Of course, moving can and should include some exercise (it is recommended that we participate in at least three thirty minute workouts of some sort each week), but it can also include things that really need to get done around the house (or other household chores).

Cleaning the Floors.
It is best if we take the time to have clean floors. Not only does this make our house look loads cleaner, it is also healthier for us, and our families. Vacuuming the floor is the start. You should take the time to vacuum the whole house really well. If you spend one half an hour doing your vacuuming then you are burning between 376 calories and 752 calories (depending on intensity and your weight). The next thing you should do to keep your house clean or to get your house clean is to mop all the smooth surfaced floors (whether they are wood, tile, or linoleum). Get down on your hands and knees if you can. Not only will this increase your workout, but it will also get your floors a whole lot cleaner. One half an hour of mopping burns between 111 calories and 222 calories.

Washing the Dishes.
Whether you wash by hand or simply rinse your dishes and put them in the dish washer you are burning calories. Washing by hand takes longer and is more likely to burn additional calories. It also makes it less likely for you to have to rewash dirty dishes, but the choice is yours. For every half an hour you spend washing dishes you are burning at least 63 calories, but your could burn as many as 126!

Laundry.
It is definitely easy to let the laundry pile up and become overwhelming, but even doing this chore (which most of us don't really enjoy) can be great for your health. For every load that you take to the washer, wash, dry, and then take care of you are burning 75 to 100 calories. This is a chore that definitely needs to be done and it can help you out a whole bunch!

Cleaning the Windows.
Window washing isn't something most of us do real regularly, however that once a year (or twice if you are really good at keeping on it) chore can really add up to a lot of burned calories. For every half an hour that you spend washing windows you will burn about 150 calories. This number can increase if you are climbing up and down a latter or step stool. Additionally, if you do a really good job and or have a big house it is likely you will spend more then a half an hour doing this chore!

Making the Beds.
There is something that looks great about a made bed. Sure it isn't as easy to get into, but boy does it look good. It makes the room feel and look neater and better taken care of. Plus making the beds burns calories. Making the bed burns about 70 calories every half an hour and if you make your bed everyday and change the sheets once a week you will burn over 2,000 calories each year!

Outside Chores.
Nothing gets us moving quite like the chores that we can (and often should do) outside the house. We have a lot of things we can do to maintain our yards, our car, and our garden. These things are some of the biggest calorie burning chores there are.

• Mowing- Some people actually enjoy pushing the mower around the yard, others despise it. However, one half an hour of mowing (with a push mower) burns at least 135 calories. Often this number is higher and can be as high as 268 calories. Whether your yard is small or large it can help burn your calories.
• Raking- Raking can be a yearly chore (in the fall when the leaves fall) or a regular chore to get grass clippings out of the yard. However, often you do it, it helps you burn a lot of calories. Raking for one half an hour burns about 150 to 220 calories.
  
• Shoveling- Not everyone gets to shovel and it is certainly a seasonal chore. However, every half an hour your shovel you burn 175 calories or more (up to about 345). This is a great reason to stop putting this chore off and get out there and shovel whenever you can, especially since winter is a time when many of us put on weight with the holidays and the less active lifestyle.
  
• Washing the car- Getting the car washed regularly is good for it. It will help make it last longer and it will look nicer. Going through the car wash may be easy, but you will save money and burn calories if you do it at home. Every half an hour it takes you to wash your car (waxing counts as well) you will burn about 150 calories.
  
• Gardening- People who take the time to garden (be it flower, vegetable, or herb) gain a lot of great benefits. It is often very relaxing to do, can produce great results, and it burns a lot of calories. In fact, each half an hour of gardening will burn 150 to 300 calories. This is a great reason to start a garden even if nothing else has enticed you into doing it before now.
  
• Shopping- Some people wouldn't add shopping to their list of household chores and it could be scary for some men to find out that their wives burn calories shopping, but it is true. Shopping burns at least 75 calories for every half an hour and it could be up to as much as 150 calories.
  

To Maintain Your Current Weight.
If all you need to do is maintain your current weight then it is estimated that you need to do about two hours of various household chores each day to do so. That's it! You don't need to exercise more, eat a tiny amount, or anything difficult. Just clean the house and maintain the lawn and you are well on your way!

Compared to Exercise.
One should never replace all exercise with household chores, but if you are looking at burning calories you may want to compare exercise to household chores. In most cases a half an hour work out will burn at least 250 calories. This means most of your household chores do indeed burn less calories then a good walk or workout, but you are also being productive and a super clean house and a great yard will help you meet your calorie burning needs.

There are no more excuses. It is time to get up and make sure the house is super clean. Time to vacuum, mop, dust, and get the dishes done! I am off...