Forget expensive memberships and crowded gyms.
Your daily household and yard tasks can actually give you a solid calorie burn if you tackle them with a little extra energy, according to WebMD.
Here are some activities that help you stay fit while keeping your home and garden in shape.
Vacuum carpets and floors
Thirty minutes of vacuuming burns 99 calories if you weigh 120 pounds, 124 calories at 150 pounds, and 166 calories at 200 pounds.
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Add dance moves or lunges while you push to boost the burn.
Mow the lawn
Using a push mower – even a powered one – burns about 135 calories in half an hour at 125 pounds and 200 calories at 185 pounds.
An old-fashioned manual mower can add 30–40 more calories in the same time.
Wash the car by hand
Skip the car wash and grab a bucket and sponge. Thirty minutes of hand-washing your vehicle burns 135 calories at 125 pounds and 200 calories at 185 pounds.
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Make and change the beds
Stripping and remaking beds for 30 minutes burns 187 calories if you weigh 125 pounds and up to 300 calories at 200 pounds. More bedrooms mean more calorie burn.
Play with your children
Half an hour of play burns 120 calories at 125 pounds and 178 calories at 200 pounds. Ramp it up to active horseplay and you can add 30 or more extra calories.
Rake and bag leaves
Raking for 30 minutes burns 120 calories at 125 pounds and 178 calories at 200 pounds. Bagging the leaves too can double your calorie burn.
Clean up after meals
Half an hour of washing dishes and tidying the kitchen at moderate intensity can burn 187 calories at 125 pounds and 300 calories at 200 pounds.
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Empty the gutters
Cleaning your home’s gutters for 30 minutes can burn about 150 calories at 125 pounds and 222 calories at 200 pounds.
Install new storm windows at the same time and you’ll double those numbers.
Walk your dog
A 30-minute walk at 4 mph burns 135 calories at 125 pounds and 200 calories at 200 pounds.
This is how many calories you burn with your daily choresSpeed up to 4.5 mph and you’ll burn 150 calories at 125 pounds and 222 calories at 200 pounds.
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Combine chores with movement
No matter what household or yard task you do, you can boost your calorie burn by moving more energetically, taking bigger steps, or adding small strength exercises along the way.
This article is based on information from WebMD.com.
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