Wellness: Make house work your B*^#&!!!

 So, I have to confess. In my 20s I lived in a 674 sq.ft. apartment and in addition to my monthly rent I sourced Elsa. Who is Elsa? Well, my housekeeper, of course.  I know what you are thinking.  Why would I need a housekeeper for 674 sq.ft.? You are probably shaking your head and judging me right now, but yes, I hired a housekeeper and she was a lifesaver!

I sourced Elsa every two weeks to clean my apartment and tend to my laundry.  Let me tell you, I absolutely loathe housework, it is so mundane. I can’t stand it, however, please don’t get this confused...I appreciate a clean and tidy home. Not only do I appreciate a clean home, I require it.  My mom always told me, “make sure when you leave the house it is clean, because you never know who will follow you back in.” I can attest to this, it is sooooo true.  You may meet your friends for dinner and because you have the best wine or the largest T.V. everyone heads to your house for an impromptu after party. Or maybe you pull up to the house and a neighbor invites themselves in to chat about the latest HOA fine he got for the new un-approved flower bush on the edge of his property line.  So, many thanks mother...I now completely understand and abide by this statement to this day!

Fast forward 10 years and I am now in my 30s and no longer in 674 sq.ft., but now in 5000 sq. ft. home and there is no Elsa in sight.  I know what you are thinking...have I let my mother's sound advice go by the wayside.  Nope! Don’t fret, that is change is definitely by design! Why? Well let me tell you, there is a specific reason for this.

Though I did not think it would happen to me, my metabolism has slowed since my Elsa days, which means that whenever I can do something to keep it going or help it out I try to squeeze that in. So, in addition to working out in a way I enjoy, I have also added Elsa’s job into the mix...dreaded housework.

Now you are probably thinking, what does washing clothes and mopping the floor have to do with your metabolism. Well, let me tell you.  Those chores that I believe to be mundane are some real calorie burners! Who knew?!  Yep, that’s right, doing chores can burn some serious calories and let me tell you, every little bit helps.  

So check out which chores you may want to get on in order to boost those numbers on your FitBit report for the week!

- Cooking: Cooking has really transformed in the past several years, and has even become a competitive sport thanks to the likes of television shows such as: Chopped and Food Network Star! Cooking dinner can rack you up to 150 calories per hour.  So, it looks like you better step your 3-course meal game up! Need some easy recipes to get you going?  Try one of our summer favorites, Fennel Salad and Poached Salmon.

-Mowing the Lawn:  You can take the whole, "quitting Elsa," thing one step further and say goodbye to your gardner!  As long as you don't jump on a riding lawn mower you could potentially burn a whopping 325 calories per hour!  You could even help your neighbors out for good measure!

-Mopping:  When is the last time you pulled out your old school mop? Let me tell you, I use mine quite often and each time I really work up a sweat. I figure that has to count for something, right? Well, come to find out I was right!  Add another 240 calories to your calorie Fat Secret app! 

- Ironing: Here is yet another money saver!  Stop being lazy and sending your clothes to the cleaners to get ironed.  Just do it yourself and score an additional 110 calories while you are at it!

-Wallpapering:  Let me tell you.  We recently tackled our first wallpapering project a couple of months ago and while well worth the final product it did take longer than a hour to complete.  Which at the time I did not realize to my benefit. I was able to knock off 133 calories for each hour of slaving, uh, I mean hanging wallpaper!

-Grocery Shopping:  I am all about prepping and keeping your pantry stocked so there is no excuse to eat something that you know you will regret later.  Which is why I was stoked about the amount of calories you can be burning while grocery shopping!  Get those list ready and put on your trainers because you will record 350 calories on top of all of the other household chores you have tackled!

There you have it! There is no time like the present to get to work.  I mean, even if you have been putting it off because you missed "spring cleaning season," here is additional motivation to tackle those closets and scrub the baseboards! 

Comment below and tell me which chores you are most ready to tackle for your calorie burning session!