Is there too much to do around the house and no time for the gym? Well, you’re in luck. Some of the most common fall yard chores scorch calories. So, before you indulge in a guilty pint of ice cream see how you can burn fat while you check off your ever growing to-do list.
Most health expert’s guesstimates of calorie and fat burn during these activities are based off an hour of doing the activity. Since you won’t likely spend an hour on every single activity, we offer some tips to boost your burn in a shorter period of time.
Raking Leaves
The leaves start falling, and that means you start raking. This is an especially great upper body workout, as you reach in front, to the side and behind you to get every last leaf. Rake your leaves into 5 piles. After you finish a pile do 10 side bends on each side holding the rake over your head. Make sure your elbows are locked and that you pull yourself up with your abs. This is a great abdominal workout that will help you scorch even more calories.
Painting the House
If you want to put a new coat of paint on your house before winter comes, you’re in luck. Painting your house can burn close to 300 calories in an hour of work. Make a quick paint session more effective and add in squats. If you’re climbing up and down a ladder, do squats each time you come down. If you’re just standing on the ground, do 5 squats ever 5 minutes.
Mowing the Lawn
Only a few more times around the lawn before winter’s snow will keep you from having to do this pesky household chore. The silver lining is that an hour of hand mowing will burn around 325 calories. If you have a small yard, increase your burn with jumping jacks. Do 10 every 3 to 5 minutes.
Cleaning Gutters
If it’s time to clean out your gutters, you’re in luck. Between climbing the latter, reaching to grab nearby leaves, and scraping out the crud, you’re working your upper body and abs. Make it even better by climbing up and down the latter every 5 minutes, even if you don’t have to. The latter is a great workout for your lower body, so use it as a piece of workout equipment.
Sweeping the Sidewalk
According to health experts at Reader’s Digest, your burn about 240 calories in an hour of sweeping, not to mention you get a great upper body workout. Break your sidewalk up into quarters; after sweeping one get down and do 2 pushups, do another quarter followed by 4 pushups, adding two to your previous pushup number with each section you sweep.
If you have yard work to do, make it count instead of just missing out on your workout. Though it’s not the ideal workout, it’s a great way to finish your to-do and burn calories.
