A necessary evil

Ok people. You hate it, I hate it, your next door neighbor hates it, and even your clean-freak mom hates it. You know what it is: housework. Yes, it is a necessary evil. It must be done, because hello, have you watched Hoarders on TLC? Yeah, that’s why. So what does house cleaning have to do with exercise? Well, let me enlighten you. Here are three little household chores you can do to burn fat and build muscle.

1. Wax on, wax off while you wash the walls. Yes the Karate Kid Master knows what’s up. Cleaning walls is awful work, and very tedious, but it can also be a great upper body workout. Use pressure to really clean the walls and at the same time, work the muscles of the shoulder as well as the bicep and triceps. Apply pressure to the wall and really concentrate on the muscle groups doing the action. Be sure and switch arms to get an even work out, and try switching an up-and-down motion with a circular motion to work a variety of muscles.

2. Mop the flo. Whether you’re on your hands and knees or using the handle-mop, you can still get some burn. When on the floor, use the same motions you used while washing the walls. Round and round, up and down, all the while sucking in and flexing your abs. When you’re prone (on hands and knees) you can really create a good core workout at the same time you’re working your arms. When you’re standing, really push and pull that map to use arm and core muscles.

3. After-dinner delight. After-dinner dishes are the worst. You just prepared the meal, everybody scarfs it down and you’re left with the dishes. What a perfect time to get a little burn going on your calves! While you scrub, do calf raises, alternating the direction of your foot. Turn your toes in (pigeon toed) and then out, then straight forward, doing sets of 20 or more per position. This will give you all the more motivation to show off those rocks hard calves in the sexy heels you’ve been wanting.

There you have it. You’re such a multi-tasker aren’t you! As always, you might want to get a little warmed up before your workout, so run up and down the stairs a few times to get your heart beating (or to chase you child running with scissors). Get a hot bod and a clean house at the same time? Yes please!

Post by the lovely and talented Emily Fonnesbeck