Constant Health Challenge Day 8: Burn Calories While You Clean

Be a Lean, Mean Cleanin’ Machine!

Why wait until spring to detoxify your home and shed those extra pounds? With holiday parties and loads of sweet temptations ahead, let’s call this step “damage control.” Why not combine your list of dust-busting and calorie-burning chores?

Don’t overlook the benefits to be had from detoxifying your home, either. Built-up dust and allergens can worsen respiratory problems and amplify allergic reactions. Plus, getting rid of piles of junk and layers of dust just feels good!

Try these exercises while you clean:

WALKING/JOGGING UP AND DOWN STAIRS

• Burns 500 calories per hour

Strengthen your legs and butt and get a little cardio in by jogging up and down the stairs. Don’t overload your arms with laundry; make a few extra trips and relish in the extra calories you’ll burn!

VACUUMING OR MOPPING WITH LUNGES

• Burns 190 calories per hour before adding lunges

Vacuuming and mopping alone are great calorie-busters, and adding lunges turns up the heat on your lower body. As you reach out with the vacuum or mop, step one foot forward into a deep lunge, then switch sides.

SCRUBBING COUNTERTOPS OR FLOORS

• Burns 250 calories per hour on hands and knees

When scrubbing dirty surfaces in your home, contract your abdominal muscles to make the effort come from your core. Tiny contractions help strengthen the abdominal muscles while taking strain off the rest of your body.

WASHING DISHES WITH CALF RAISES

• Burns 100 calories per hour before adding calf raises

What lessens the dread of dish duty? Calf raises! Tone your legs and bum by raising your heels and standing on your tiptoes, then coming back down to flat feet. Need to reach the soap under the sink? Squat down while standing on your tiptoes – you’ll feel the burn!

WASHING YOUR CAR OR WASHING THE WINDOWS

• Burns 230 calories per hour

Strive for large circular motions with your arms as your scrub and wipe down your car or windows. When you need to bend down, sit in a squat position instead of curving your back to prevent injury and give your booty an added boost.

GARDENING

• Burns 289 calories per hour

Tending to your garden can be quite a rigorous exercise, especially if there are hoes, rakes, pruning tools, and shovels involved. You’ll definitely have to bend down on this one, so remember to use your legs to squat, not your back to bend. If you build up a sweat, unleash your inner child and run through the sprinklers! Life is short; why not add a bit of youthful silliness?

Are you a caregiver? This step is a great one to incorporate into your workday to burn extra calories and get healthy while you work! Plus, did you know you can even burn calories while you cook? You’ll shed about 40 calories in a half-hour of meal prepping! Thanks for taking today’s Step Toward Constant Health. Keep up the good work!

Remember, each time you check in with us on social media or write to us equals another contest entry for you! You can either upload a contest-relevant photo to Facebook using the tags Our Health Co-op and #constanthealthchallenge, upload a photo to Instagram using the tags @cellnutritionals and #constanthealthchallenge, or write to our Challenge coach Hillary (our marketing manager) at hillary@cellnutritionals.com and tell her about your progress and experience completing the different steps.