It's that time of year when people have already turned their minds to getting fit. Alongside walks and gym sessions, DIY can be a great way to keep in trim. New research has revealed how many calories we can burn doing typical household chores.
Painting a room - Calories Burnt: 306
To the plain eye, painting a room always appears to be a relaxing and serene task. It’s only when you’ve moved all of the furniture out of the way and are covered in splatterings of paint that the sweat becomes noticeable and you realise this wasn’t as easy as you thought.
On average, painting the walls burns over 1200 calories in 4 hours, and this excludes the energy needed for moving the decor and furniture out of the room. That’s the equivalent of 2 Big Macs or over 5 Mars Bars! No wonder our joints ache so much the following day!
Mowing the lawn - Calories Burnt: 376
We all know you can work up a serious sweat when mowing the lawn, particularly if you’re pushing around a heavy-duty mower and are lucky enough to have a nice, large garden! However, it still comes as a shock to see that we burn almost 400 calories in just an hour of mowing the lawn. This means you can treat yourself to a beer afterwards, as you would have worked off more calories than 2 bottles of Stella Artois in 60 minutes.
So when the time comes for you to cut the grass again, just remember how healthy it is for you. With summer just around the corner, it could become part of your regular workout!
Gardening - Calories Burnt: 339
Even though it doesn’t feel like it at the moment, spring is definitely on the way. It will soon be the time of year to start planting in preparation for summer (if you haven’t started already!). For those who love pruning and weeding, you will be pleased to hear that gardening burns almost 700 calories in only 2 hours.
This means if you squeeze a couple of hours of garden work into your weekend routine, you will not only have a more attractive exterior, but will have burnt off over 3 Mr. Kipling Cherry Bakewells! Time to get out those secateurs…
Carrying Heavy loads, such as Bricks - Calories: 543
With any large-scale renovation comes substantial heavy lifting. Tradesmen often carry around heavy loads for hours at a time to get the necessary supplies on site. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself was once a bricklayer in LA and hired his body-building friends to join his company, which emphasises the workout behind this activity.
Materials such as bricks, sand, cement and even wood can weigh an immense amount. You should always consider your limits as well as your method when carrying heavy loads. However, if carried out safely and correctly it can burn over 500 calories in an hour. This means, in a sense, that you can practice weightlifting whilst getting on with your renovation!
Carpentry - Calories: 237
Carpentry is a useful skill to have around the home. However, if you choose to hire a tradesman, it’s easy to overlook the energy needed for their work. Whether it’s building a new stairway or repairing the kitchen cabinets, carpenters are constantly exerting energy for their projects.
In general, carpentry burns over 200 calories in just 1 hour of work, meaning that a carpenter working an 8 hour day will have burnt 1,900 calories by the time they finish. That’s just under the recommended daily calorie intake for a woman!
Cleaning - Calories: 171
Even a little light cleaning could contribute to your resolution! In only 60 minutes, you will burn just shy of 200 calories, and that’s for light jobs such as dusting or hanging clothes! If you add in activities that involve a little more vigour, such as vacuuming or washing the car, you can burn even more and give the house an early spring clean at the same time!
For a more intense workout, why not give your property a top-to-toe clearout? If there are certain cleaning activities you truly dread or it’s too much to face alone, you can always hire one of our local cleaners.
Building - Calories: 376
Construction is particularly tough if you’re working outside at this time of year! On top of dealing with the cold weather, construction and remodelling projects can involve carrying heavy materials, building, and operating heavy machinery.
Even a short 6 hour shift will burn over 2,200 calories, meaning those who work full days in construction will burn well over their recommended daily allowance of calories! If you’re planning any large scale renovations this year, perhaps ask how you can help if you’re looking to get fit!
Plumbing - Calories: 237
Even plumbing burns more calories than meets the eye. Of course, the size and type of project affects the calories burned. However, whether pipes need installing, a toilet needs unblocking or a simple leak needs stopping, on average plumbing burns over 200 calories an hour.
This means that plumbing for a full working day will burn just under 1,900 calories! No wonder our plumbers never turn down a cuppa!
Moving Furniture - Calories: 408
If you’ve found a new home this year and are looking to improve your fitness, then perhaps consider moving some of the furniture yourself. Just an hour of moving furniture burns an average of 408 calories, which in terms of exerted energy, is similar to playing 50 minutes of tennis.
And that’s not all: moving household objects and boxes can burn around 478 calories an hour, so a relocation is a great opportunity to help work off those Christmas curves! Do be sure to hire extra help for those larger, heavy objects if needed, however. Even most removal companies won’t touch a grand piano unless they have the equipment to do it safely.
Sweeping - Calories: 269
Be it collecting dust within the house, or brushing away the autumn leaves on the patio, sweeping is a quick and simple method to burn off those unwanted calories. Just 30 minutes of sweeping will burn an average of 135 calories, that’s almost a can of Coke. I guess that’s why Cinderella was in such good shape!
Research conducted by Home services marketplace, www.Plentific.com .