Spring is here, Boise. With the beautiful weather we had last night, you might be itching to go out and get some exercise. Oh, but you’ve got all those pesky spring cleaning chores to do, don’t you? Well, no worries. You can do both. Here’s a calorie guide for those spring activities on your To Do list.
Gardening We all want to get our gardens in. Whether you are prepping soil, planting vegetables, or digging up flower beds, there’s a lot to do. If you weigh 150 pounds, you’ll burn 272 calories in an hour. A 200 pound person will burn 363 calories in an hour of general gardening tasks.
Pulling weeds It seems like the last bit of frost is barely gone and already you’ve got weeds popping up all over the yard, right? That’s OK. It’s actually a decent way to burn some calories. A 150 pound person will burn 306 calories pulling weeds for an hour. A 200 pound person will burn 408 calories.
House cleaning No one really wants to do this, but it is a necessary evil. For light, general cleaning, such as tidying up, wiping down countertops, dusting, or polishing furniture, you won’t get a great calorie burn. But it all counts for something. A 150 pound person will burn 204 calories in an hour of light house cleaning. A 200 pound person will burn 272 calories.
Cleaning rain gutters A surprising calorie burner, although it’s likely that it won’t take you the full hour. A 150 pound person will burn 340 calories in an hour of cleaning rain gutters. A 200 pound person will burn 454 calories.
Cleaning the garage Time to put those skis away from your last trip to Bogus and make room for your new raft so you can go float the Boise River pretty soon. And while you’re at it, you might want to plow through those mystery boxes and get rid of some extra stuff. If it’s a real excavation, you’ll get the same calorie burn as you would for cleaning rain gutters. A 150 pound person will burn 340 calories in an hour of deep cleaning the garage. A 200 pound person will burn 454 calories.
Scrubbing floors Now that winter is over, you may be noticing more mud on your floors, which no one will ever claim to have tracked in. Getting down on your hands and knees to clean those floors is a great little calorie burner. Don’t forget those baseboards. A 150 pound person will burn 260 calories in an hour. A 200 pound person will burn 345 calories.
Washing windows Now that the sun is coming out, you want to see it. This task won’t burn a lot of calories, but it’s certainly not going to hurt you. A 150 pound person will burn 205 calories in an hour. A 200 pound person will burn 270 calories in an hour.
Cleaning closets Now’s a great time to put away all of the winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves, and replace them with lighter, spring clothes. A 150 pound person will burn 170 calories cleaning closets for an hour. A 200 pound person will burn 225 calories.
Packing boxes Whether you’re moving to a new home or just trying to declutter your current place, you’ll probably be packing (or unpacking) a few boxes. And if you’ve just cleaned the closets, maybe you’ll want to take your items to St. Vincent de Paul, the Youth Ranch, or have ARC pick them up. At 150 pounds, an hour of packing or unpacking boxes will burn 240 calories. At 200 pounds, you’ll burn 320 calories.
Sweeping How’s that front porch or back deck looking? Probably like they need a good sweeping. Grab the broom and get to work. An hour of sweeping will burn 270 calories if you weigh 150 pounds. A 200 pound person will burn 360 calories.
So what are you waiting for? Don’t feel like you can’t get in a good workout with all those chores to do. You’ll be using all your large muscle groups, making your home fresh for spring, and burning some calories, too. Put on some music to keep you motivated. And don’t forget to drink some water as you go. Make it fun and that time will go by much faster.
Talk it up:
What’s your least favorite spring cleaning task?
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