How to lose weight doing the housework!

Who needs a gym when you've got a home to clean and care for? There are tons of great exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home to lose weight and stay in shape – and there are some you’re doing without even realising how good they are for you!

Doing the housework can be a chore, more often than not we’ll put it off, convince the other half to do it or bump up the kids pocket money for taking out the trash! Do you know what a great workout your missing out on?

We’d all love to keep fit and lose weight without having to put much effort in – well the housework will always need doing so why not kill two birds with one stone and tighten your abs, thighs, bums and tums as you polish your palace?

Inside, outside, open them up, even scrub the sills! Spray your cleaning solution in large sweeping motions, working your upper arms, hold your core tight the whole time too! Work in large sweeping circular motions and throw in a few rapid up – down swipes too, bending into a squat as you go down. The more windows you have to clean the better – so offer to clean your parents’ windows too!

You’ll burn around 150 calories per half hour of window cleaning! Not only will your windows be the envy of the neighbourhood but your butt will too!

Carpet, tiled, wooden or brick, whatever boards you tread through your house it’s time to give them a really good clean. Brush, mop or good ol’ bucket and a rag, whatever your weapon of choice and start scrubbing! Move the furniture, roll the rugs, keep your core sucked in and tight to improve your abs! You’re looking at burning 150 – 300 calories an hour!

Maybe I’m part of a dying breed but I love changing the bed sheets. There’s nothing quite like crawling into a well made, fresh sheeted bed, the linen still tight and crisp from the ironing pile. Pulling off the sheets and stretching yourself about putting the new ones on will burn around 130 calories per half hour! And the bigger the bed the more calories you’ll burn!

Lift the mattress, flip it over and spin it around for a great upper arm workout!

Taking out the trash might not take too long, but going around the house, collecting and emptying each bin, then cleaning them out and putting in a clean liner all adds up. When bin day comes around, don’t just drag your own bin out, give your neighbours a helping hand and take theirs to the curb too. Those extra steps all go towards your daily goal (at least 10,000 steps a day!) and you’ll give a mini workout lugging those bins around!

It might not seem like the most effective way to exercise but every little extra thing you do helps, yes, even taking out the trash! Taking out the trash burns around 100 calories an hour!

If the weather is on your side then get out into the garden and get to work! Pulling up weeds, mowing the grass, sweeping up, pruning the roses and painting the fence boards. Gardening is an amazing way to keep fit, getting both your and your patio ready for summer.

Gardening can burn anything from 200 too 400+ calories an hour! That’s almost the same as going down the gym and taking a class only without the cost or inconvenience of having to leave home!

I love long, luxurious bubble filled baths, especially with colourful and scented bath bombs and salts. As tantalising as they are to the senses – their aftermath leaves little to be desired!

Did you know that giving your bath rub a good, rigorous scrub can burn almost 200 calories? That pretty much cancels out that glass of wine you had whilst soaking in the tub! Scrub hard and scrub fast to tone your upper arms, squat when you bend to tighten your thighs and backside. Don’t forget to wipe the tiles down, rapidly!

…and drying them too! Manually washing the dishes burns around 130 calories per half an hour so delve deep into the suds and get those pots and pans gleaming! It’s not just about what’s in the sink either! Don’t forget appliances, counter-tops, cupboards, even on your knees scrubbing out the cooker at least once a week will not only keep your kitchen sparkling, but it will shed those pounds at the same time too! You’ll be proud of both your shining clean home and your tight abs!

Keeping on top of the housework has never looked so appealing when you think about the workout you’re getting without having to go and sweat it out down the gym. I love multitasking, so any activity that does multiple things at once is a winner in my books. Not only am I more inclined to clean that little deeper, but I’m more inclined to get my butt off the couch and get those chores done knowing it’s keeping me in great shape too!

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