It’s not always easy to find time in our hectic schedules to hit the gym for an hour every night. When prioritizing our to-do lists, fitness often gets bumped down to the bottom, but that’s okay! You don’t need an at-home gym or gym membership in order to have a successful workout. There are many activities you can do around your own home that keep you physically active while being productive and knocking a few chores off of your to-do list. Check out these calorie-burning chores:
1. Mow the Lawn. I think we all can agree that this is indeed a workout. The average number of calories burned for 45 minutes of mowing is 165 calories! Throw in a hilly yard and you’ve got yourself the ultimate glute-workout!
2. Vacuum. Everyone who hates vacuuming, raise your hands…yep, that’s all of us! What if I told you that just 30 minutes of vacuuming can burn an average of 120 calories? Now everyone’s hands are down. Become a vacuuming-machine and clean the whole house to burn even more!
3. Rake the Leaves. Come fall, the lawn won’t need mowed but the leaves will need raking. Just 30 minutes of this outdoor chore will burn about 120 calories! Can you really complain about raking the leaves when you’re burning as many calories as you would at the gym? Nope, bring it on fall!
4. Walk the Dog. This one isn’t just healthy for you, but for your furry buddy as well. It is just as important to keep your pets active as it is for yourself. Next time you’re feeling a little too stuffed after dinner, corral the family and take the pup for a nice long walk. Walking at a normal pace for just 30 minutes will burn 85 calories!
5. Wash the Car. On average, you can burn up to 153 calories by washing your car versus burning 0 calories by taking it through the drive-thru. Save your five bucks and burn those calories by washing it yourself the next time your car gets dirty!