If you’ve ever worked up a sweat while vacuuming, or got a bit breathless while mopping the floors, it perhaps won’t surprise you that cleaning is actually a great way to burn calories and tone up.
You’ll never shun your chores again when you see how many calories an hour of each activity actually burns!
Calories burned doing household chores
Sweeping carpet or floors: 156 cals per hour
Washing the car or house windows: 250 cals per hour
Mopping the floors: 170 cals per hour
Dusting the house: 170 cals per hour
Washing up dishes: 88 cals per hour
Vacuuming floors: 200 cals per hour
Mowing the lawn: 350 cals per hour
Cooking or preparing food (with some walking): 102 cals per hour
Putting the food shopping away: 102 cals per hour
Ironing: 88 cals per hour
Knitting or sewing: 34 cals per hour
Doing laundry (while standing): 68 cals per hour
Making the bed: 68 cals per hour
Scrubbing the bathroom: 190 cals per hour
Watering plants: 102 cals per hour
Walking the dog: 180 cals per hour
Sweeping burns 156 calories per hour!
How housework effects your body
Head: For mild depression, physical activity, like cleaning, can be as good as antidepressants, lifting your mood and giving you a sense of being in control and in touch with other people.
Arms: Lifting shopping bags as you walk will strengthen your arm muscles’ size, power and endurance.
Bum and thighs: Squatting is one of the most effective strength building lower body exercises you can do. Have a go while doing the laundry or emptying the dishwasher.
Mouth: Singing while cleaning has a positive effect in reducing stress levels to improve mental and physical wellbeing.
Heart: Researchers from Queen’s University in Canada have found that incidental physical activities, like cleaning the house can boost your cardiorespiratory fitness.
Abdominals: Cleaning the floor and practicing the plank position an help strengthen and tone abdominal muscles.
This article first appeared on Yours.
