Is housework the new aerobics?

IS HOUSEWORK THE NEW AEROBICS?

Let’s fact it, very few of us actually like cleaning the house. But when you’ve got a little one around, keeping things neat and tidy takes on a new priority - even though the older they get the harder it becomes.

But now, you can kill two birds with one stone and use housework for something else - as a way to get fit and lose weight!

An hour of general household cleaning can use up 300 calories (based on a woman weighing 10 stone). Vacuuming for 30 minutes will use up 140 calories, and it will be even more if you’re having to drag the hoover up and down stairs a couple of times. Even just standing around ironing for half an hour will use up 75 calories.

This compares to 360 for rowing for half an hour and 300 for swimming.

It’s not just housework that can help you get fit. Gardening is a great all over aerobic exercise, using your muscles and your lungs, to pump oxygen around your body. You can burn 170 calories doing half an hour of weeding, providing you keep at the same intensity level throughout - so no slacking around those petunias!

And if you take time out to wash your car you’ll burn an incredible 300 calories.

Any physical exercise releases endorphins into our system. These make us feel good as well as helping our body to function well. But it’s not just the physical effects of household chores that are good for us. There’s also the sense of achievement at the end of a job well done. Until the next time, of course...

Activity	Calories used

Playing tennis	274
Disco dancing	206
Aerobics	202
Walking briskly	198
Digging the garden	161
Tai chi	135
Grocery shopping	121
Dusting	79
Folding up clothes	72
Kissing	36

* figures from the Calorie Control Council, relating to a person weighing 150lb exercising for 30 minutes

Click here to work out how many calories you could burn doing various household task