Why Adding Extra “Oomph” to Daily Chores is Good for Us!

Melanie Thomassian Health Professional Dietitian My interest in health care began at a very young age, eventually... Send Message Subscribe: Melanie Thomassian

Monday, December 17, 2007
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We all know when it comes to exercise we get out what we put in. Unfortunately, simply showing up for an exercise class won't do us an awful lot of good. But, is it really all about hard slog?

You may be surprised to learn that it is possible to burn a significant amount of calories simply by putting more energy into our daily household chores. According to a pole by British researchers the average number of calories burned each year by simply doing household chores is 50,261. Pretty amazing!

They also estimated that people walk more than 22 miles in a year while cleaning their house, and that each year:

Laundry burns 9,464 calories
Vacuuming burns 6,800 calories
Ironing burns 6,794 calories
Tidying up burns 4,541 calories
Dusting and polishing burns 2,288 calories

What better reason to complete our household chores with extra vigor and enthusiasm?

So, what does this mean in terms of our day-to-day workload?

Well, below is a list of the estimated calories you will burn doing basic household chores. Please note that calories are shown for one hour of activity; if you tend to do more or less, remember to adjust for this.

Activity	130 pounds	155 pounds	190 pounds
Aerobics, low impact	295 calories	352 calories	431 calories
Bicycling, moderate level	472 calories	563 calories	690 calories
Cleaning, general	207 calories	246 calories	302 calories
Cooking	148 calories	176 calories	216 calories
Gardening, general	295 calories	352 calories	431 calories
Mowing lawn	325 calories	387 calories	474 calories
Raking the lawn	236 calories	281 calories	345 calories
Running 10 mph	944 calories	1126 calories	1380 calories
Scrubbing floors	325 calories	387 calories	474 calories
Shoveling snow	354 calories	422 calories	518 calories
Stair climbing	496 calories	592 calories	725 calories
Swimming laps	472 calories	563 calories	690 calories
Vacuuming	217 calories	259 calories	317 calories
Walking 3mph	207 calories	246 calories	302 calories

Information source Nutristrategy.

It's important not to focus too much on calorie intake and expenditure . However, it is definitely encouraging to know that our chores carry a two-fold advantage.

Maximize your potential

Remember, we should be aiming for 30 minutes of activity at least 5 times each week, and thankfully our household chores can count towards this goal.

Try to maximize your calorie burning potential by completing your housework as vigorously as possible. Use your arms, legs and core muscles to really mop, scrub, sweep or clean your home at a pace fast enough to get your heart rate pumping. This way you'll be getting a complete body workout at the same time.