10 Household Chores That Burn Calories

As part of my job being an OSU Extension Educator, I teach people about the balance between calories in and calories out. Or more importantly, what happens when you take more calories in than you use up. (Hint: your body stores them up. I’ll let you guess where and how.) I have always been a small statured person, which sometimes has people believe I have a good physical activity routine. However, I struggle with this habit and would much rather eat less (or more sensibly) than move more! I really wish it worked this way, but being active does more than keep your waistline in check.

 

But who doesn’t like to burn some calories while also accomplishing a needed task? So, here you go...a list of calorie-burning household chores!

 

It is important to note that calculating number of calories burned has several factors: gender, current body weight, intensity and more. Remember, if you add a little dance or shimmy to your task the calorie amount will go up. This list gives you some general ranges or ideas for how many calories you might burn. If you reduce your calorie intake (or use an additional) 500 calories each day, this should result in about a 1-pound weight loss in a week. It doesn’t sound like much, but it is an attainable, realistic, long-term amount, which is most healthy.

1. Vacuuming – Put that robot away and get to work! If you spend 30 minutes vacuuming your whole house it can burn up to 166 calories (if you weigh 200 pounds). If you are a tad smaller at 125 pounds, it’s closer to 150. (I would say a few calories can be added if animal hair is involved.) Add doing lunges and you are really getting a calorie burning workout.
2. Push mowing – Yes, it does have to be the walk behind and push mower to burn calories! But, it is worth your effort at 324 calories burned.
3. Raking leaves – Maybe not a year-round job, but it does help you burn 288 calories in about 30 minutes. Not to mention, the great workout for your core muscle groups.
4. Gardening – This means digging in the dirt gardening, not the picking vegetables and weeding type. Although there are calories burned there, you can expect about 400 calories when you are really putting your back into it.
5. Bathroom cleaning – Top to bottom and using some elbow grease will burn about 120 calories once you get your bathroom sparkling.
6. Sweeping and mopping – About 200 calories can be burned with this task, if you spend about an hour completing it. If you don’t have that much floor space, add some music and dance your way through the job!
7. Washing your car – 30 minutes scrubbing away on your car will make it shine and burn about 153 calories for you.
8. Light cleaning and straightening up - Spending about an hour putting away, dusting, etc, can burn around 170 calories. If you add a two-story house, then we could up that total depending on how many trips you must take.
9. Doing your hair – Of course this depends greatly on your beauty routine and length of your hair, but holding your arms up to blow dry, straighten & style your hair for 35 minutes will burn off 100 calories of breakfast.
10. Shopping – This does not include online shopping, of course. Walking around the store, filling your cart, loading and unloading, etc. will earn you 88 calories burned. Add a little purpose to your walk—park away from the store and you can add to your total!    

As I mentioned, calculating calories burned isn’t a cut and dry number. The idea is to move more throughout your day, but also get your heart rate up. When you can accomplish this through everyday tasks, it helps get things done and provide you some healthy physical activity. The main idea is to get up and move!

 

Sources: calorielab.vom; webMD.com; USDA Physical Activity Guide