Here are the 5 best chores that burn as many calories as a 25-minute jog

Virgin Radio

28 Jan 2022, 12:58

Forget the treadmill - it’s time to get the marigolds out!

We might all hate breaking a sweat scrubbing tiles or kitchen counters, but it turns out that could be as good for you as a proper workout. 

Eco-cleaning brand Purdy and Figg have created a list of the best calorie-busting chores you can do which can keep you fit while keeping your house clean - a win-win!

A spokesperson from Purdy and Figg said: “Cleaning the house is one of the most underrated calorie-burning activities you can do for mind and body in 2022. 

“Not only will you be left with a sparkling clean home, but an hour of housework can burn around 200 calories; the equivalent of a 25-minute jog or a Snickers bar.”

Of course, weight and age play a role in how much you could lose, but according to the experts, you can burn 100-300 calories per hour doing the housework. 

So what are the five most effective household chores to burn some calories?

1. It turns out getting on your hands and knees to scrub the floor for 30 minutes can burn around 189 calories. Giving a good scrub without a mop and bucket is the way to go as it adds more intensity. It’ll burn the same amount of calories as a brisk walk for the same amount of time. 

1. Cleaning windows, particularly if you’re going up and down a ladder too, raises your heartbeat and is apparently a good full-body workout. Do that for half an hour and not only will you feel it in your core, arms and shoulders, but you’ll also lose around 158 calories. 

1. Next up is cleaning the kitchen/bathroom tiles. If you can really work up a sweat removing those irritating stains, you can lose around 300 in an hour. Don’t forget - smaller tasks will lose fewer calories - another excuse to leave the stains until they’re ready for some serious scrubbing. 

1. Cleaning the oven and scrubbing the bath, while perhaps the worst tasks of all, can lose you 100 calories after 30 minutes, which is the same as 300 jumping jacks. 

1. Finally, if you need a good spring clean, lifting those jars out from the far reaches of the cupboard is seemingly quite a good workout, and after half an hour, you could burn off around 85 calories. 

Jack Rubin, Co-CEO at Purdy and Figg, added: “People often forget how much hard work goes into cleaning, it can require a considerable amount of energy depending on the size of your home and the type of cleaning you are doing. If you’re looking to get fitter this year and are tempted to start your spring clean, why not kill two birds with one stone?”

So the next time you need to fit in some time at the gym, pick a chore and get scrubbing!