Turn Housework into a Workout

I'm in the process of trying to pack and move in hopes of selling my house in the coming weeks and I find that my arms and legs have been slightly sore. This got me thinking about ordinary life chores can really be a good workout if performed correctly (of course!). It's recommended to get about 150 minutes of cardio each week, and to some this number may seem high. But just think about the housework you do each week. Some of it consists of moderate intensity work. And one study showed women perform 143 minutes of housework each work. This is where multitasking comes in... Make the most of the household chores to not only clean up but to also tone up!

If you pick 2-4 chores each day to perform, you can ideally burn 300-400 calories if you focus and treat this as your daily workout routine. To start, actually plan out your cleaning schedule. Break each cleaning session into 30-45 minute time frames. Here's a sample of three activities: Cleaning the floors and the bathroom and doing laundry. This plan should take at least 45 minutes...

Turn on some good workout music to pump you up and get into cleaning mode! Start with a low intensity chore to serve as your "warm up", such as vacuuming then grabbing and separating laundry. Then, step it up and mop the floor and clean the bathrooms while the load of laundry runs. Be sure to switch arms so both your left and right get a workout! Don't clean at a slow pace either, pick up your speed and apply pressure to work your arms while mopping and scrubbing the sink and tub. While you're cleaning the sink, do some calf raises. Then, when you clean the toilet, get into a squat position and hold or pulsate while cleaning the bowl. And when the laundry's done, place the clean clothes on the couch or in a laundry basket on the floor. Perform a plié (just a fancy name for a wide-stance squat) to pick up an article of clothing, fold it, then plié to pick up the next piece. Repeat this until all the laundry is folded. Your cool down will then be walking and bending to put the laundry away and any cleaning supplies left out. 

Do you turn up the intensity when cleaning the house?