Spring has sprung and the yard work has begun for many of us. Weekends are busy and getting to the gym to workout or take your favorite group exercise class may not always fit into your schedule.

Yesterday I spend the day cleaning my house, not just picking up, but deep cleaning. I then headed outside to rake the back yard and mow the front lawn. I also pruned some of the bushes and moved lawn furniture. The one thing I didn’t do was run. I was planning on running all day but got involved in projects and had a family commitment later in the day so was very pressed for time.

As I was laying in bed I began to think about how many calories I would have burned on my 10 mile run, probably 900-1000. Then I started thinking about the exercises and activities I did while completing my chores. Many squats bends to reach low shrubs, several calf raises to reach high branches, there was lifting lawn furniture, raking (feeling my back, shoulder and abdominal muscles today), walking while pushing my lawnmower, and dragging the tarp from the back to front yard filled with branches/clippings/leaves. I haven’t even mentioned all the movements involved in cleaning the inside of my house!

While we all feel great once we’ve gotten our ‘workout’ in, there is also a sense of accomplishment when there is order and balance in our homes.

So lets compare the 900-1000 calories I would have burned in my run to what calories I did burn:

*results vary based on individual

OUTDOOR CHORES -

Weeding for 30 minutes burns 115 calories, the same amount you'd burn in 15 minutes of weight training. Weeding tones your thighs and buttocks. 

Raking leaves for 30 minutes burns 225 calories. The resistance offered by the leaves makes this chore a type of weight training. Raking leaves tones all the major muscle groups in your upper body.

Mowing the lawn with a push mower burns 187 calories.

INDOOR CHORES –

Scrubbing the bath for 30 minutes burns 200 calories. Removing that stubborn soap scum from your tiles is a great way to tone the muscles of your arms and shoulders.

Vacuuming for 30 minutes burns about 90 calories, the same amount you'd burn in 15 minutes of kick boxing.

Dusting for 30 minutes burns about 50 calories.

Fitday.com

Approximate total calories burned: 867 

Not all workouts happen in the gym.

Happy Spring!!!