House Cleaning Workout 101 – 7 Home Chores That Keep You Fit & Clean!
Have you ever considered turning your daily chores into an awesome house cleaning workout? Well, here’s how you can get that done!
Most of us are unaware of the simple things that help us stay fit as we go through the day.
Often, we can be too busy to exercise at the gym due to work, issues at home, or any other activities. By far, the most common excuse that people make is that they are too busy or do not have enough time to work out.
But, it is not that difficult to get a workout done at home!
The house cleaning workout activities I will talk about below can easily suffice for keeping your fitness goals on track, and also allow you to keep up with your household chores!
Having these as options will let you accomplish more during your day, and also stay in shape!
You honestly don’t have to spend a lot of money or time to get a good workout. Jobs done around the house can help you maintain your schedule, and you will burn extra calories through a thorough house cleaning workout in the process.
Furthermore, a house cleaning workout can make a huge difference in your life if you have a variety of allergies as I do. Allergy treatment procedures cannot save your body from allergies, which is why you have to keep your house clean and free of allergies all year if you have bad allergies as I do. Once you do an allergy test procedure in a diagnostic clinic by a certified allergist and confirm your allergies, you can begin making a weekly house cleaning workout part of your weekly routine so you can keep allergies out of your house!
Best Exercises for a House Cleaning Workout
If you own or rent a home, there are always going to be activities for your house cleaning workout involving outside work to do.
My father is always working outside, and he has forearms the size I think I will never be able to obtain! Some yard work can be specifically muscle building, while others more for calorie burning alone. Furthermore, there are some great ways to burn calories without ever leaving the house.
These are especially good for rainy days, or days when you have too much work to do and cannot make it to the gym!
Keep reading below to find which household chores are the best for your house cleaning workout!
Vacuuming:
Unless you have an ultra-lite vacuum cleaner, most vacuums are pretty heavy and difficult to move.
Lugging them around is a workout in, and of itself. Take your time to really get the rooms clean!
Move furniture that has been sitting in the same spot for a long period of time, because that way you’ll get the aerobic activity of walking and pushing the vacuum cleaner, plus the anaerobic activity of moving furniture around.
All these moves are considered functional movement, because it is exercise that mimics everyday life. Becoming better at these activities allows us to perform better in our daily tasks, including the ones we are specifically working on!
Cleaning Windows:
This is a house cleaning workout job that is best reserved for nice sunny days, so you can see if you’re missing any spots through the window. Get a stepladder and a wad of paper towels or regular towels, plus some good glass cleaner.
The act of climbing the ladder to get to the tops of the windows is a great aerobic exercise, and you get to tone your arms by wiping the glass cleaner off the sprayed windows.
If you have windows that tilt in for outside cleaning, do both sides to burn twice as many calories. Working until your windows are spotless will be more difficult than you probably are imaging!
Mopping the Floor:
There are actually two option here! You can this standing up with a mop and broom, or you can get down on your hands and knees for close up scrubbing.
Either way, you can cover a lot of territory on your non-carpeted floors; getting shiny floors, and burning calories in the process.
Be careful to not over strain your back! Work in a good athletic stance to work your core more, and relieve stress from your lower back!
Cleaning the Curtains or Blinds:
People generally don’t do this house cleaning workout job enough, and it needs to be done once or twice a year. Especially for someone such as myself with asthma, cleaning the curtains and blinds is imperative for breathing quality!
Get a blind cleaner, and a step stool.
The up and down of getting on and off the step stool will burn aerobic calories, and you’ll be able to tone your arms in the act of cleaning the blinds. Curtains need to be removed and dry-cleaned or washed in the washing machine.
The act of climbing ladders to unhook the curtains burns calories as well! This can be incredibly taxing depending on how well you do the cleaning!
Cleaning Out the Closet:
This is easily the job which I am sure my own mother wishes I would do more often, as I am a bit of a “hoarder” at times.
One great way to motivate yourself for this is to think about having a garage sale, and begin by cleaning out all your closets to find merchandise you can sell.
Take everything out of each closet, and dust/sweep the closet once it’s empty.
Then, put back in to the closet only those things you definitely want to keep. Everything else needs a place to store, until you decide to have your sale or donate the unnecessary items.
I actually did this once this past summer, and after two hours of rummaging through clothes and random items, I can promise you I was tired!
Mow the Lawn With a Push Mower:
To make this job difficult, you can use a self-propelled push mower; or better yet have one that takes some effort to push around. You will be doing both aerobic, and anaerobic exercise in the process, and will have burned serious calories once you’ve mowed the entire lawn.
Add some trimming around trees and fences for added calorie burning, and muscle building work.
Gardening:
Simple gardening; including hoeing, planting plants and seeds, and pulling weeds, burns calories and is something you can do all summer long. This past summer I actually planted my own garden for the first time!
The first few days of building the required area with proper fencing were intense!
Make as big a garden as your yard space allows! You’ll have the added advantage of adding homegrown food items to your dinner table when you plant a vegetable garden.
This is the reason I decided to make my own garden, and it turned out excellently!
Digging holes for plants burns as much as 500 calories per hour.
Weeding involves the need to bend and use the arm and ab muscles; both serve muscle building and functional movement!
Small Jobs that Disinfect Your House of Germs and Bacteria & Keep You Fit
The battle between germs and household owners is an endless one! You might wonder if household germs and bacteria have an advantage. Well, they are everywhere and should be controlled with care.
When you are planning for a hand-to-hand fight, make sure you have a few aces in your sleeve. By keeping household germs at bay, you actually work on improving your health by reducing the risks of infectious illnesses like colds and flu.
As a general rule of thumb, keep in mind that the high traffic areas from your home are the places which are often exposed to bacteria because you are constantly touching them or walking on them. Luckily, not all germs are dangerous.
But, yes, there are a few which might cause serious illness and these are the ones you should prepare to take care of. A recent study revealed that your kitchen sponge has more disease causing germs than a garbage can or the toilet seat.
When it comes to your bathroom, the item which carries the highest percentage of germs is actually your toothbrush. A great piece of advice is to have one of those funny UV toothbrush sanitizers next to it, to zap those nasty germs as fast as possible! We have to be thankful for living in 21st century and enjoying all the technology around us.
It’s amazing how it can help us live a better and cleaner life.
With this being said, here are a few simple tips and tricks to reduce the level of bacteria in your house.
Take Care of Handles
Begin with the handles. As mentioned previously, places that everyone touches and walks-on are the riskiest ones.
This includes appliance handles, doorknobs and faucet levers.
Harmful microorganisms can live in these areas for multiple days, with you coming in touch with them multiple times. You should zap the door handles with disinfectants and make sure you use products that are EPA registered, so you can get the most out of your bacteria-killing efforts.
Bed Check
Next, you should do a thorough bed check. We spend a big part of our lives in beds and sofas, when sleeping or watching TV so making sure that these areas are cleaned from time to time is one of the things that can add to improving your overall health.
Wash pillow cases and sheets often, preferably at 90 degrees Celsius to kill germs also.
Some memory foam pillows come equipped with antimicrobial material to help you out!
Also, choose an effective antibacterial cycle to dry them.
The highest temperature setting is required to kill certain bacteria and viruses.
Additionally, you should follow healthy practices like washing your hands or taking a shower before coming in contact with linens
Dirty Spots
All dirty spots should be tackled with care! Begin from your kitchen. Anyone’s basic instinct would be to clean dishes. Yes, try to clean all dishes with dish soap and warm water. If possible, invest in a good dishwasher.
The next biggest concern would be “dirty tissues”. Have plenty of dustbins at home. Clean these wastebaskets with disinfecting sprays and wipes.
During the dish-washing cycle, you should keep these wastebaskets in mind. Try to keep these baskets as clean as possible. Any homeowners consider these as the most challenging spots at home.
Clean Your Car
Keeping your car clean is a very important activity to add into your house cleaning workout since its add-on to the longevity of your automobile. Below are some tips for keeping your car clean and getting some additional exercise:
Get the Right Supplies
When you buy detergents for your car, you should make sure that you have the best materials available. This is especially true for washing the outside of your vehicle.
Choose a special car wash shampoo that removes dirt while protecting the color and finish of your car. You also want to choose a quality shampoo for the internal cleaning of your vehicle. Do not get carried away by branded material to ruin the color of your car.
Quality deliveries are essential!
Clean Your Car Often
To keep your car in good condition, clean your vehicle regularly. If you wait several weeks, it may be time to spot defects and dirt in your paint. Wash your engine at least once a week to remove excess dirt, tar, and insects that may have come into contact.
Invest in a Good Vacuum
The interior of your vehicle is just as important as the exterior. A good vacuum cleaner helps to keep the inside of your car clean. It is recommended to buy a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to prevent dirt and grime from getting inside.
Avoid Car Washing Stations
Although it may seem easier to drive your car through a car wash, you will get better results if you clean it yourself. It is known that car washes leave scratches and paint removal.
In order to protect your vehicle, you decide to do the work yourself instead of doing it in an easy way.
Always Act Fast
Whenever your car get stained from bird droppings, mud or other sources, you must first flush it with water. If you remove these things from your vehicle as soon as possible, the beautiful shiny surface will be damaged as little as possible.
Most cars come with clear water. If you do not believe me, take it to a car wash and just use a rinse nozzle.
However, for some contaminants, some soap is needed to remove them. For maximum cleaning, use a soap that is suitable for washing cars. If you use detergent, the old wax is removed from the vehicle.
Have Car Seat Protectors With You
Even if you do not have a pet, a car seat cover can be your daily seat protector. These car seat protectors help contain dirt, liquids and other objects that can leave marks on your seat. Even if your car seat is made of leather, dirt, grime, etc.
It could interfere with the cleaning of pets. These animal covers not only prevent damage to the car seat but also accidents with toilets. The waterproof material of the pet seat cover may prevent leakage into the car seat if this is not the case.
You can drive from dirty to clean in just minutes, and your passengers will never know what chaos your car has experienced. Just remove the cover if it is not necessary and everything your pet has done with your seat is included. It’s like there’s never been a pet in your car.
Do the Windows and Tires
Finally, pay attention to windows and tires. Any conventional window cleaner is suitable for the glass of a car and should be used both inside and out. Tires should be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed with soap and water.
They can be made bright with Armor All or other tire detailing products. Auto parts stores also sell black tire paint for those who want to make a real impression.
Clean Your Shower
When you think of waterborne diseases, unclean drinking water is the first thing that comes to mind. However, this is not the only culprit.
The cool water you shower with every morning or the warm, relaxing water of your hot tub could be just as dangerous even though you do not drink this water.
The legionella bacterium can typically be found in freshwater sources like lakes and rivers but sometimes, it can enter our water systems. It grows and multiplies in warm water accumulated in showers, faucets, hot tubs, decorative fountains, heaters, hot water tanks and air condition cooling towers.
Breathing in small droplets of bacteria infested water can cause a fatal disease known as Legionnaires’ disease. This disease can affect anyone but the good news is that you can protect yourself against it.
Testing for the presence of legionella bacteria is not difficult. For apartment buildings and home, testing kits make this extremely easy. The kit includes a sterile bottle to be filled with water from a tap or shower and sent to the testing facility.
Over 10-14 days, the water samples will be cultured and tested in a laboratory.
You will then receive detailed test results and a legionella test certificate. Depending on your location and the type of water system being used, testing should be repeated every quarter or every six months. If you think it’s time to get your water system tested, see this website for further details.
This is a small job that you can accomplish quickly and add to your house cleaning workout.
Clean Up After Your Pet
Pets are great, but they definitely can make your house a mess in a hurry!
Cleaning a cat’s litter and vacuuming up animal fur can take a lot of time and effort, which is perfect for a house cleaning workout! The best cat brush for shedding will help to reduce the amount of fur around your house, but it won’t keep all of the fur out of your house.
Having pets are great when they are licking you, but you don’t want to forget they are a responsibility and you must clean up after them year-round.
Take the time to clean up after your pet (if you have one) and you will burn calories and make your house much cleaner!
Concluding Thoughts – How to Do a House Cleaning Workout
Now that you know the benefits of doing some housework, try not to find excuses to avoid it! Remember that an active lifestyle overall is the key to a healthier body.
Not being able to go to the gym or hit the treadmill is not an excuse to just sit down and do nothing at home.
Get up, and get moving!
Especially in the summer, taking a weekend to accomplish to do this house cleaning workout program once every few weeks will keep your house clean and organized, while also burning an exceptional amount of calories!
