Housework is Exercise

Posted by Lisa Newton on February 12, 2008 at 7:00am

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It may not burn as many calories as running a marathon, or even a work-out; however it definitely can help you stay active and to burn calories at the same time.

It may not always get your heart beats per minute as high—unless you might be mowing the lawn or working on a new deck—nonetheless its movement, which is better than non-movement.

Being sedentary is a huge reason why people gain weight. They watch TV, play video games, sit all day at the office, and come home and “relax.”

Our society of couch potatoes must get back to basics of staying active which includes daily household chores.

Photo courtesy of lebit

Here’s an example:

ACTIVITY	CALORIES PER MINUTE
SITTING - TALKING OR TALKING ON THE PHONE	1
MOPPING	5
SHOVELING SNOW BY HAND	10
VACUUMING	5
IRONING	3
COOKING/FOOD PREPARATION - STANDING OR SITTING	2

At first blush, the caloric output may not seem like a lot, but it adds up. Mopping the kitchen floor for 15 minutes will burn 75 calories. Folding the laundry will burn 30 calories.

I know, shoveling snow is a pain, but if you do it for 15 minutes you will expend 150 calories. That also builds muscle, strength, endurance, and you can actually leave your house! Just bundle up!

Photo courtesy of Daniel RA

Compare these figures to other physical activities and you can see that the percentages of caloric output are more than encouraging for housework:

ACTIVITY	CALORIES PER MINUTE
DANCING - AEROBIC LOW IMPACT	8
WALKING DOWNSTAIRS	4
WALKING UPSTAIRS	14
BICYCLING 12-13.9 MPH - MODERATE EFFORT	10
JOGGING IN PLACE	14

Although these activities use more calories, they are also meant to be done 30-60 minutes per day.

Iowa Avenue recommends that you do exercise 3-4x a week; however when you can’t or don’t have time to exercise, at 14 calories per minute, jogging in place is an excellent calorie exchange and can be done anywhere.

Therefore, no matter what, whether you do housework, mow the lawn, work out, or jog at home, it’s better than being a couch potato, because

After all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!

Comment by Eve on February 12, 2008 at 11:07am: I always feel like I've been working out after I vacuum. I have about an acre of carpet in here. I keep telling my son-in-law I want a riding vacuum. ;D

Comment by lisa on February 12, 2008 at 7:30pm: Oh I absolutely agree that housework is great exercise. Now if only my house was cleaner I would be fit. :)

I made a commitment to comment (blog 365 group) and I’m popping by to say hi! *waving*

Comment by TB on February 12, 2008 at 8:26pm: Had to throw the "shoveling" in there didn't you?

Another 6 inches today. I sure am working out. By hand here!

Comment by David on February 12, 2008 at 10:56pm: @ TB

Fun with snow!

Comment by Lisa Newton on February 12, 2008 at 11:05pm: @ Eve, I love vacuuming to music. Kids, you know, don't really like to clean, so one way I used to get them to help was to crank up the tunes. They'd be so busy dancing and singing, they almost forgot they were cleaning.
@ Lisa I hope you pop in often. I also made a commitment to comment, but I made my comment on your profile page here at Iowa Avenue. I hope you don't mind.................:)
@ TB Of course I had to put shoveling in. I was thinking about an exercise appropriate to the weather..............:) BTW, do your kids have their own snow shovels? When you're young, shoveling is fun.
@ David Yupp, fun in the snow is just colder than fun in the sun.............:)

Comment by Sheila Octaviano on February 13, 2008 at 9:32am: My son David used to love to vacuum when he was little. I have the cutest pictures of him lying on his tummy on the floor vacuuming under the kitchen table with the canister vac. He used to dust and "do dishes", too. He is still good at cleaning and always keeps his stuff clean and neat. I wish he could rub off on his brother, Jeren. You can't even see Jeren's floor.

Comment by workout mommy on February 13, 2008 at 1:38pm: I always throw in some lunges and squats when doing laundry. I also like to run up and down the stairs a few times in between chores. And when I am picking up toys off the floor, I make myself do a few sets of pushups. Every little bit counts!!!