Housework burns calories too

No time for workout? Don’t worry. The simple, daily routine of cleaning your home is a great workout too

Cleaning your home can burn a great number of calories, making it comparable to a small workout — though perhaps it’s dustier, it could even be better than a workout, health experts say.

“An average cleaning session can easily burn more calories than a short exercise session,” says fitness trainer Henri Ciplajevs who advises those considering a clean-up to not underestimate its value.

The best way to go about tidying up your home is to listen to music and dance a little too, so you barely notice you’re cleaning at all. It’s also a great alternative if you don’t feel like doing a particular sport. After all, it’s better to move in a way you enjoy than to force yourself to do something you don’t want to.

In the same vein, coach Ciplajevs says if you’re aiming to get a flat stomach, you may be better off taking a walk than doing dozens of sit-ups. He suggests heading out for a walk and some fresh air after work rather than making a beeline for the couch.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to do a few squats, push-ups or sit-ups in between. Ciplajevs says there are lots of moments when you might be waiting around, that you could use to squeeze in a few exercises, such as while your coffee machine is brewing your next drink, or during a TV ad break.

When it comes to cleaning, the amount of fat you burn during simple tasks is surprisingly high. On average, the movements involved in cleaning a window, for example, burn 320 calories an hour when done intensively, according to a German consumer association. Climbing up and down the ladder, like walking up and down stairs, improves endurance, while reaching towards the upper part of the window to clean it acts as a sort of stretch. For the lower parts of the window, you’ll have to bend down and then come back up to clean them — not unlike doing knee bends at the gym. If you want to burn even more calories through cleaning, 15 minutes of wiping burns about 200 calories, while scrubbing tiles hard can burn 75 calories for the same amount of time, training up those arms. For reference, these figures apply to someone weighing 70 kilograms.

When it comes to cleaning, the amount of fat you burn during simple tasks is surprisingly high. On average, the movements involved in cleaning a window, for example, burn 320 calories an hour when done intensively, according to a German consumer association