How Many Calories are Burned While Cleaning the House?
Get in shape doing housework?
The issue of “getting into shape” seems to be a hot topic in todays’society. Pick up any fashion or fitness magazine at the store and you will notice topics like, “lose weight fast by doing this exercise” or “work out tips that get you fit and toned”. If you fit into this crowd but can’t afford an expensive gym, here’s something to ponder, “How many calories are burned while cleaning the house? You’ll be surprised to learn just how many calories you burn while doing your everyday cleaning, and with a little added exertion great toning is possible also! Below is a list of common, everyday chores and how the calorie burning adds up.
Calories Burned in Daily Household Cleaning
Calories Burned Doing Housework
Activity———————————–#Of Minutes———————-Calories Burned
Waxing furniture ————————–30———————————–82
Washing dishes—————————30———————————- 79
Ironing ————————————– 30———————————–75
Cooking————————————–30 ———————————-85
Making the bed—————————-30———————————–68
Doing laundry——————————30————————————73
Window cleaning ————————-30———————————–112
Vacuuming ———————————30 ———————————–112
Painting————————————- 30 ———————————–144
Sweeping———————————– 30———————————– 112
Mopping ————————————30————————————127
Stair climbing —————————–30————————————210
Calculations based on a 150 pound person.
Daily household calorie cleaning calculations
Perhaps it doesn’t take you a full 30 minutes to complete these particular cleaning projects, so by splitting the time up and combining the cleaning projects, you can figure out the amount of calories you burn daily. For example:
Sweeping———-10 minutes—37 calories
Vacuuming———10 minutes–37 calories
Ironing—————20 minutes–50 calories
Mopping ————10 minutes–42 calories
Making beds——–10 minutes–23 calories
washing dishes—-10minutes—26 calories
Total time—–1 hr 10 minutes-215 calories
Tips and Advice
You may have learned that the proper way to mop was the circular “8” motion, well this was excellent advice. With this movement you not only work the biceps but the shoulders as well. This also yields better burn of the muscle than the regular back and forth method. (plus a cleaner floor)
Light dusting can give you a good upper body workout as you polish, brush, and sweep on surfaces. The great thing about dusting is you also get the back and abdominal muscles involved as you go back and forth and bend over. Try using a wax polish rather than a spray. You will have to rub a little harder than you would for the spray type, which will give your arms a better workout.
Modern technology is a great thing but sometimes it does nothing for our figures. Several times a week forego using the dishwasher and wash the dishes. With dish washing, you get the added bonus of softer hands and saving on dishwasher detergent expenses.
If you have stairs in your home, a great way to incorporate some aerobics with the household chores is by going up and down the stairs between cleanings. Do the dishes and then go up stairs and sweep the floor; come back down and clean in the dining room and back up again to make the beds. You will be tired at the end of your cleaning, but you’ll burn a lot of extra calories.
Dr Gary O’Donovan, who is an expert in sport and exercise medicine at the University of Exeter stated: “To prevent weight gain, most adults need to expend around 400 calories per day in physical activity, which is equivalent to around two hours of dusting and cleaning or 82 minutes of vacuuming and mopping.
Cleaning “Tools”
Knowing that you are not only cleaning the house but burning calories may make housework seem less like a chore but rather something to look forward to. The next time you ask the question “How many calories are burned while cleaning the house?” use one of many online calorie calculators and put some gusto into your cleaning.
Resources
https://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/exercise/tips/housework_workouts.htm
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-491797/Housework-help-burn-50-000-calories-year.html
