Household Chores Can Help You Stay Fit
In India, it’s common to leave the household chores to the domestic help and hit the gym to get that fab figure. Whether we get the figure or not, the gym charges a high figure to make you do what you can do easily at home and achieve the same result!
It’s not just about exercising, but finishing the household chores, which are a great way to tone the muscles and keep the bones fit. So why not put on your favorite music and get down to doing your household chores?
- Sweeping or vacuuming: This is a great way to strengthen the core, burning easily 180 to 235 calories in an hour. It also improves metabolic fitness and strengthens muscle along with keeping your floor clean.
- Mopping: Rather than with a stick, mop the traditional way, by squatting on the floor. This will strengthen your arms and legs as well as help you burn 110 calories in half an hour. The scrubbing motion on the floor, while stretching your torso and keeping your stomach muscles tight, will flatten your abdomen.
- Dusting and tidying: Reaching into cabinets, picking up things from the floor and putting them back and tidying can help burn 238 calories in an hour.
- Gardening: Burn up to 272 calories an hour with weeding, turning soil, trimming and watering plants.
- Washing the dishes: Cleaning the vessels with your hands will help your arms get in shape easily and effectively, as you burnt 80-100 calories an hour.
- Laundry: Of course, soaking, laundering by squatting, rinsing and wringing the clothes dry are all great exercises for the arms and the shoulders. But even if you use the washing machine, bending to pick up the clothes from the laundry basket, putting them into the wash tub and later, transferring to the dryer, are a good way to lose weight, especially the upper torso. You can easily burn 70-135 calories in an hour.
- Carrying weights: Grocery and vegetable bags, laundry bags and garbage bags can replace dumbbells easily. Walk instead of driving if possible and carry things back. Shop in limited, manageable quantities and even out the weight by carrying stuff with both hands. You can also do some bicep curls and arm exercises after you reach home.
Grinding the idli batter in a mortar and pestle, grinding spices, cutting vegetables and more – the household contains a complete gym package and together, may get done in a couple of hours at the most. So, though you may argue that some of the tasks do not take up much time, the fact is, household chores are very effective, providing you with an opportunity to exercise every part of your body.
Switch on the music and swing to the rhythm as you carry out your chores as that can speed you up and at the same time, the little steps that you dance will further improve the effectiveness of these chores.
