Burn Calories While You Do Your Chores!

By Teresa K. Flatley

While you're probably already aware of the amount of calories you burn while working out, you may not realize just how many calories you burn doing everyday tasks. Daily chores like parking your car far away from your destination and walking the distance are not a replacement for a good aerobic workout, but they do burn calories and, in some cases, help tone muscles. The only catch is that you have to change the way you think about how you do everyday things and choose the more active option whenever possible. 

If you weigh 150 pounds and jog through your neighborhood for 30 minutes, you will burn off about 330 calories. But consider this: If you walk your dog or push your grandchildren in a stroller or your parents in a wheelchair for that same length of time, you will burn off about 150 calories. Not too shabby, especially if you add the more leisurely walk to a normal day that includes your half-hour fitness walk or jog.

Plus, when you combine these everyday activities with a fitness routine such as walking or running several times a week, you will find you are feeling fitter than ever. So instead of giving up on fitting more exercise into your hectic schedule, be sure to schedule your workouts in your calendar and plan to be more active during the other daily hours. You'll notice the results.

The following is a list of the amount of calories you will burn while performing daily tasks. (Note: All calorie counts are calculated for a 150-pound person doing 30 minutes of activity. If you weigh less than that, you will burn slightly fewer calories. If you weigh more, you will burn slightly more calories):

Playing outside with kids (If yours are too big for this, borrow your grandchildren or some of the neighbors!): 180 Grocery shopping while pushing a cart: 126 Fixing dinner: 90
Washing dishes: 75
Reading the newest potboiler: 39
Doing laundry: 210
Walking around the outside of the mall before you go in to shop: 150 Surfing the Internet: 60
Gardening: 150
Raking leaves in your yard: 144
Walking the dog at a quick pace around the neighborhood: 147 Climbing the stairs at work (instead of taking the elevator): 306 Light house cleaning: 216 

As you can see, it doesn't take all that much effort to burn some extra calories each day. When you add activities like taking the stairs at work, pushing a cart while food shopping instead of juggling a hand-held basket, and spending a little extra time in your garden to your weekly fitness workouts, you are enhancing your chances of being fit. And you may notice that you are a few pounds lighter on the scale, too!

Teri Flatley is a Pittsburgh-based free-lance writer who specializes in health and fitness articles. She writes a monthly lifestyle column for Baby Boomers for the Pittsburgh, Penn., Senior News. You can read more of Teri's work at www.tflatley.com. 

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