Everyday fitness

Everyday, people generally have a set list of things they have to take care of. Generally, this includes things like:
-Walk the dog
-Vacuum the house
-Go to work
-Hang up the laundry
etc.

Well all of these "chores" and "to-do's" can really add up as calorie burning activities, which is especially nice when it's all stuff you have to do anyway! Here's a break down of some of your favorite "chores" and jobs on the calories-burned scale:

-Walking the dog: Depending on the size of the dog and the speed of your walk, taking the animals out for a potty break can burn anywhere from 150 to 350 calories an hour.

-Vacuuming the house: This can do double duty to both get your house nice and clean and burn between 170 and 200 calories per hour! This also counts as a weight resistant activity if using a vacuum that is heavy enough to provide some strain on your arm muscles. *Remember to work those arm muscles evenly by switching arms throughout this activity

-Doing the laundry: Folding, hanging and sorting clothes can earn you a nice 140 calories burned per hour, not to mention the nice weight bearing exercise you get carrying around a basket full of clothes.

-Going to work: depending on where you work, this can be quite an intense workout without you even realizing it. Here are some popular jobs and their burn factors:
Serving/waiting tables- 170 calories per hour and a nice arm workout from all the plate carrying
Teaching- approx. 150 calories per hour and great gams from standing all day, especially in heels.
Retail- 150-200 calories per hour, the upper end of this comes from stocking shelves and other weight bearing activities that happen in the retail world. No wonder those Publix stock clerks have such nice arms! lol

**Now, if you're an office worker, this unfortunately does not apply. Sitting at a desk all day is hardly "active" but there are some ways to get these calories quotas throughout your office work day.
1) Instead of calling other offices and employees that you need to speak with throughout the day, get up and walk over to them. The walking will add up and you'll burn more calories a day this way.
2) Take the stairs. It'll probably suck at 7:30 or 8am to go up a few flights, but you'll thank yourself for it when you get compliments on your shapely legs after a few weeks
3) Stay organized. Keep active about keeping your office neat by filing and organizing your area every day. Basic cleaning like this can add up throughout the day, ranging from 150-200 calories per hour.


See? Fitness doesn't have to be hard, especially when its something you already do every day. This doesn't mean you should skip the gym though. :)

***All calorie information is from www.livestrong.com, and is based on a 150 pound person. Those who weight more will burn more calories per hour per activity and those who weigh less will burn fewer calories per hour per activity.