That Burned How Many Calories? Tenant #4: Physical Activity

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Getting an hour of exercise each day is a great goal, and one that we all would agree goes a long way towards promoting better health. After all, the more exercise we get, the more calories we burn! And, exercise is also a contributor to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, and body weight. There is no shortage of reasons to exercise.

Time, however, is another hurdle. We're busy! Its hard to find time to get to the gym and work up a sweat for 60 minutes every day. Well, there is good news - you may not necessarily need to. Check out the calorie burns for these common activities, many of which you probably need to do around your house!

Raking Leaves:  Go ahead and let those leaves pile up…for now. An hour of working up a sweat by raking them will earn you 275 calories.  Put some muscle into it and get a great upper body workout!

Bagging Leaves or Pine Straw: Bagging those leaves and hauling to the curb will add 255 calories to your daily burn.  Keep your core muscles strong by remembering to bend at the knees and lift heavy loads carefully. Doing these multi-functional squats will work your lower body including hamstrings, quads, and glutes!

Planting Shrubs: Planting saplings or shrubs, including digging holes and hauling plants around the yard, will set you back almost 300 calories an hour. Be sure to drink plenty of water while you work; fall may be around the corner but Southern temperatures still reach almost 90 throughout September. Stay cool  and hydrated to prevent overheating!

Chopping and Splitting Wood: Mild winter nights are perfect for spending time outside around a festive bonfire! So, you’ll be glad that you took time now to chop and split the wood you’ll need to build it. To reward your work, deduct 380 calories from your day for every hour spent at the axe.

Sweeping the Garage or Driveway: Once your fall chores are done, its time to clean up! Sweeping might not seem like much work, but an hour’s work will reward you with 250 calories burned. At that rate, you may be motivated to volunteer sweeping services to your neighbors, too!

Now, does doing these chores mean you can skip the gym? Not so fast! Making exercise a regular part of your day in an intentional way is an important habit to create. It strengthens your body and immune system, burns calories, and gives you valuable time to do something positive for yourself each day. Instead these examples may provide inspiration for finding other ways to make your day more active overall.

Look around for opportunities to squeeze in exercise...they may be hiding right in front of you!

Log your exercise time and more at www.95210.org each day!