With this rainy days we are having, it looks like the footing on the park and “outside gym” are already out of the equation. We are getting closer to Autumn with its dull weather… but we still need to put those biceps to work!

Do not worry! What could be better than a “cleaning workout” to burn those stubborn calories? It is amazing how many calories you can actually burn when cleaning a house; here are a few examples:

• Fast hoovering can help you burn around 120 cal.
• Mop the floors for about an hour and you can end up burning about 110 cal.
• Gardening is a tough one: do it for one hour and you can burn about 200 cal.
• Hate ironing? think about the 100 cal that you could burn in an hour.
• Cooking (yes! cooking) will help you burn between 40 and 50 cal.

To make it work we obviously need to make an effort, so organize your house work so you are forced to go up and down the stairs; be creative in the kitchen! you won’t burn calories by heating a ready made soup on the microwave; dig and plant in the garden (cutting some flowers for a bouquet is not enough workout).

What do you think? Can you burn calories and get fitter while cleaning your house? Fancy a try?