Exercising while cleaning
 

So, obviously cleaning is NOT fun AND it can take quite a while. Tonight I realized that if I did all the cleaning I need to do that I wouldn't have time to exercise - so I decided to exercise while I work out.

I'm about to start so I'll be afk for a good chunk of the rest of the night, but I was wondering who else exercises while they clean? And what kind of exercise do you do?

I sometimes will turn on some good tunes and dance while I clean!

Also now, when I fold laundry I will set the basket about 20-30 feet away and then walk each piece of laundry to the couch so I walk back and forth.

What exercises do you do, I am interested to know so that I can include other ideas!! :carrot:

I'm planning on doing lunges while I vacuum and.. well.. I'm not sure. I'll get back to you after I'm done so I can tell you all that I did! (just stopped on while I was putting my socks and shoes on :P)

Well, sometimes my cleaning is my exercise. I vigorously clean my floors on my hands and knees, moving furniture to do so. I stand while folding clothes. I keep moving for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. I'm burning calories for sure.

I have handwashed a kitchen floor in pushup position. Killer.

Wow Mandalinn! That sounds intense!

I ended up doing calf exercises by going onto my toes on the stairs while I was vacuuming the stairs (and one at a time when I was bringing laundry upstairs), I danced around while I was sweeping and did (sort of) lunges while I was vacuuming the other floors, I did squats while I was putting dishes away in lower cabinets (that was really intense, since they're not my dishes and I couldn't drop ANY of them), I turned putting things up higher into overhead triceps extension, and I folded clothes while sitting on an exercise ball. It was actually really fun!

funny!!

Actually, I read on line that any person that is active daily, even doing housework, is actually in better shape 'heart wise' than a person who goes to the gym 5x per week and has a desk job. Keep moving on a daily basis and it is better then just going to the gym a few times a week.

I sometimes dance when I sweep. lol.

I like some of these ideas! I usually make myself walk more. For example, if I'm putting folding and putting away clothes, I put them far away from the dressers/closets. Then I fold them standing up and walk each item individually to their place. (Sometimes I dance-walk LOL).
I also do squats when putting dishes away! HA!!

bubsy: You raise an interesting point. I've heard that before. I kind of agree. I think we need a mixture of "formal" exercise-strength and cardio and then some "informal"-such as cleaning, painting, yardwork, etc.

Well, back in the day when women "kept up the home" that was their exercise.

Some nights when I don't feel like going to the gym, I'll stay home and clean my apartment. I consider doing laundry, vacuming, hand washing the floors, and scrubbing the bathroom enough activity to not feel like a total bum, and my apartment's livable :) It's a nice trade-off.

I also consider cooking/heavy baking exercise, since I'm on my feet and using my hands. I'll do my balance exercises while I'm at the stove (standing on one foot, etc) so it's doing double duty!

I'm so glad I'm not alone! I thought I was a nut! :lol:

I agree completely. Even though we have more gyms and more exercise gadgets & equipment than ever, as a nation, we're fatter than ever. Back in the 30s - 50s, most women did not formally exercise yet, again, we didn't have the weight problem we have now. My husband always says that if someone from the 40s were to come to our time in a time machine, he or she would think there was mass panic in the streets because of all the runners!

I just finished 1 1/2 hours of cleaning, and I'm wiped!

My fiance and I have been packing to move to Texas in a week and a half and Oh boy! That's been some crazy exercise! Even my kittens are getting in on it (and by that I mean riding around on my back or shoulder while I'm doing things :P)

I've been wanting to drop 5-6 lbs before the middle of December (mom's side of the family visiting. Haven't seen them since last year), so I've been doing 20-60 minutes of cleaning right after my walk/run in the morning. Washing dishes, wiping counters/stove/table, sweeping the floors, and others. If my vacuum hadn't broke, I'd be doing that too. :(