Options already a constant in most weekly routines:
LAUREN JOHNS ART & LIFE EDITOR:
According to HealthStatus.com, losing a pound of weight requires the body to burn at least 3,500 calories. Luckily, every activity throughout the day adds up. One way to keep track of activity is through any fitness app, such as MapMyRun (even for non-runners), and other free options. Investing in a FitBit and tracking average steps is also ideal but not required. Apple, in particular, has a designated health app. The recommended daily amount is 10,000 steps. When calculating calorie loss for each activity, keep in mind that the heavier the person, the more calories one burns. Now that spring is here, outdoor chores and activities are becoming more prevalent. Completing more laborious activities such as mowing the lawn, raking, or gardening, burn on average 200-450 calories per hour (based on the standard weight of 120 pounds or more). If one is completing landscaping tasks that involve more heavy lifting, 600 calories is attainable. For someone below this weight range, (around 80 pounds or more) calorie burn is less: 100-200 depending on intensity of chore. According to WebMD, several of these activities are equivalent to cardio exercises in calorie burn. Gardening for a half hour burns the same amount as cycling for 45 minutes on flatter terrain or a stationary bike. If mowing is a priority, opt for an old fashioned push mower. This can be substituted for a daily jog or weight lifting session. According to the ActiveTimes, aside from the exercise benefits, heading outdoors leads to more sunlight exposure which releases more endorphins. Not to mention, Vitamin D protects against inflammation, high blood pressure and vastly improves the immune system. As an added bonus, cognitive function reaps the benefits. If weather conditions are not up to par, indoor chores can burn around the same amount of calories depending on one’s weight range. For starters, doing laundry: hanging clothes to dry, sorting and folding can burn 78 calories per hour (50 for those below average in weight). This is equal to caloric burn with 70- 100 crunches. Scrubbing countertops or floors can burn 100 calories (for all weight ranges) in 15 minutes, which is the same as doing 30 jump squats. If a vacuum is utilized, one can burn up to 90 calories per hour which is equivalent to 15 minutes of Zumba or kickboxing and it has the potential to help reach step goals (goodhousekeeping.com). This also applies to sweeping and any other walking intensive chore. Pop in some earbuds and do an improvised dance routine to increase the gains. Washing dishes, with the added walking to the sink after clearing a table, can burn about 50-200 calories. Climbing stairs for ten minutes or more can lead to a burn of about 100- 300 calories, with an additional 90 for running them. In a sense, even doing nothing at all burns calories, particularly sleeping. Someone who is 80-125 pounds can burn 20-38 calories per hour and person weighing more can can burn around 40-70 calories per hour while asleep. If one gets the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep they can burn a maximum of 504 calories. It all depends on one’s metabolic rate and how much muscle mass they have, since muscle burns more calories than fat. On the other hand, if someone were to skip an entire night of sleep, studies show they are likely to burn 130-160 more calories in the time spent awake. However, a consistent lack of sleep would produce the opposite effect, so using this as justification for skipping sleep would be counterproductive.
