Did you know that household tasks can be a great way to keep fit and trim as you age? As our bodies get older, they require a gentler form of exercise. This means you need to avoid a lot of exercises you would usually use to keep fit.
Staying on top of household tasks is a great way to add gentle exercises into your routine. Not only will it help to keep you active, but you’ll also get to relax in a nice, clean environment.
So, let’s take a look at the household tasks you can do to keep you fit and trim…
Scrubbing and Wiping Surfaces
Scrubbing and wiping surfaces can provide a great workout. Said to burn approximately 4 calories a minute, these tasks can work your calf muscles and core.
If you want to burn more calories, try standing on your toes and switching to standing on one leg to give the muscles a rest.
Vacuuming and Mopping
Vacuuming and mopping the floors in the home also burns 4 calories a minute. However, you can add in a few alterations to give yourself more of a workout. Holding in your core while you vacuum or mop can help to strengthen the stomach muscles and give a more intensive, yet still gentle workout.
Watering Plants
Did you know even watering the plants can burn calories? There is some slightly conflicting advice out there about how many calories you’ll burn. Some experts claim you’ll burn 102 calories per hour, while others claim you’ll burn just 24. Whatever the actual number is, watering plants does burn calories if you are doing it by hand.
Gardening
If you want a relaxing yet effective workout, gardening is the best task you can do. Spending just an hour in the garden can help you to burn hundreds of calories depending upon the tasks you complete.
Mowing the lawn is said to burn around 195 calories, while digging and shoveling will burn 250 calories. What is most impressive here, is that you’ll get this level of calorie burn after just half an hour of each activity.
Washing Dishes
If you wash your dishes by hand, you could lose around 18 calories in 15 minutes. If you spend an hour doing it, you’ll burn 72 calories. It may not be quite as high as the calories burned through other activities, but if you combine it with other tasks, you’ll still get a good workout.
As you can see, doing household tasks can help a lot in keeping you fit and trim as you age. If you find some chores difficult, there are adjustments you can do to make them a little easier. If you make household cleaning part of your daily routine, you’ll automatically be getting a gentle workout for the entire body.
Keep in mind that the number of calories you burn may differ from the guidelines above. It all depends upon the level of effort placed into each task.
