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Too busy to go to the gym? Try these household chores instead to burn calories

Too busy to go to the gym? Try these household chores instead to burn calories
If you do it the right way then your activities around the house can turn into your exercise programme and you will no longer feel guilty about missing your gym schedule. © Shutterstock

Today's hectic lifestyle may prevent many of us from taking time out to go to the gym. But simple household chores can also help you burn calories and lose weight.

Written by Paras Hemrajani |Updated : October 19, 2019 3:22 PM IST

Do you miss going to the gym because of pending household chores? It is important to get regular exercise, but it may not always be easy to squeeze it into your hectic day of household chores and various errands. On top of that, you also have to spend time with family and friends. This may affect your fitness routine. But what if you could burn your calories while performing your household chores? Yes, if you do it the right way then your activities around the house can turn into your exercise programme and you will no longer feel guilty about missing your gym schedule. According to the American Cancer Society, Georgia, all kinds of physical activities can burn calories and strengthen muscles as long as that activity increases your heart rate and makes your breathing harder.

Here is a list of household chores that can help you burn your calories if you perform them the right way.

Scrubbing the floor

Scrubbing your dirty floor is a great way of exercising your upper and lower body. Various studies have shown that this activity can help you burn up to 156 calories in an hour. The number of calories you can burn depends on how dirty your floor is. If your floor is very dirty, then you will have to increase your effort. This will help you burn more calories. You could also pop on some music while scrubbing the floor and dance it out to burn more calories.

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Doing the laundry

Laundry is a complex process, which could easily tire an individual. Loading and unloading of the washing machine, followed by hanging of clothes and then putting them away once they are dry can easily burn 78 calories in one hour. This is equivalent to 100 sit-ups. If you think doing the laundry is not enough, try standing on one foot. This will make it harder and you will end up burning more calories.

Vacuuming

Clean your carpet and burn 90 calories at the same time. Depending on the size of the house, a person can fulfil his/her recommended number of steps just by vacuuming the entire house.

Mowing the lawn

Forget about hiring a gardener. Save your money and, in the process, burn your calories. Instead of using an electric lawnmower, push a manual one around your lawn. This will help in increasing your output and also burn more calories. Mowing a lawn for one hour can burn up to 325 calories.

Rearranging the furniture

Redecorate the interiors of your house and burn your calories. Lifting and moving heavy furniture works on the same principle as a weight-lifting workout. Moving your furniture will lead to the cleaning of hidden dust. This will increase your work and the calories you burn with it. Re-arranging the furniture in the house can burn up to 100 calories in just 15 minutes.