The House Cleaning Workout – 5 Top Tips

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5 tips for vigorous cleaning activities that’ll make you sweat and make your house sparkle

We’ve all complained that there just aren’t enough hours in the day – by the time you’ve been to work, fed yourself (and maybe your kids or partner) and done all of your allocated chores around the house – where’s the time to work out?

Now here’s the clever bit…just step up the pace and your day-to-day activities can become the cardio workout that you’ve been looking for!

‘6 tips for staying fit in the office’ covers a range of exercises that you can try at work, and there is scope for combining your cooking routine with some lunging and lifting action – just make sure that you’re not holding a sharp knife!  This post covers 5 top tips on how you can keep fit whilst keeping your home spic and span – killing two birds with one stone.

1.    Lower floor windows and exterior doors get covered in grime and grit.  Get a bucket of hot soapy water, a brush and a sponge.  Take the worse of the dirt off with the brush and then use the sponge to thoroughly clean, using circular motions – remember to swap and use the other arm to get a work out on both sides of your body.  Great for toning the arms.

2.    When you’re vacuuming treat it as a whole body workout – you’ll be bending down to change the attachments, pushing the Hoover around and twisting your body as you move it into difficult and hard to reach places.  Up the pace and inject some enthusiasm into the process and you’ll be burning calories as quickly as you’re sucking up dust particles!

3.    Hanging out the washing can be a real chore – one great things is that it gets you outside in the fresh air, so make the most of it.  If the washing line is hung high you’ll find yourself standing on your tiptoes, stretching your calves and your upper body.  When you reach down for your washing to peg, why not try a squat instead?  Squats are great for keeping your butt in shape, just stand with your feet a hip width apart and bend the knees, keeping your bottom out behind you.  Press into the heels as you stand.  Repeat until your washing is all pegged out.

4.    Got large rugs that need a clean?  Roll em’ up, take them outside and hang them on the washing line.  Get hold of a stick (or I find an old tennis racket is perfect) and give them a good whack.  Start one end, move all the way along the rug.  Then go from the other end.  Turn the rug over on the line so that what was facing inside is now facing out.  Repeat the process.  You’ll be working your arm and upper back muscles, and getting up a good sweat in the process.

5.    Washing the floor can be an awesome multi stage workout – for a super clean floor start down on your hands and knees with a scrubbing-brush and some hot soapy water.  Use circular scrubbing motions to lather up the floor, remembering to swap and use both left and right hands.  To buff the floor to a high shine, fold old towels or tea towels  and put them under your feet.  Skate around the floor mopping up any excess water, and buffing your floor to a high shine.  This is a great workout first for your arms, and then for your legs, particularly your thighs and buttocks.

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