Housework: unless you’re in the enviable position of being able to hire a cleaner, chances are the burden of the sweeping, mopping, hoovering and washing lies squarely on your shoulders.
But what if there was a way to do it all in record time? And what if that secret method also resulted in a whittled waistline.
These five tricks, repeated regularly, will leave you with two things: a sparkling house and a trimmer tummy. Result!
1. Vacuum (with vigour): One of the most boring household jobs, the hoovering also seems to take the longest. Unless of course you make a conscious effort to speed it up. Pick up the pace a little and that fast vacuuming becomes a mini cardio workout that will burn around 90 calories in 20 minutes. Aim to break a sweat and tackle the stairs, lunging as you go, for extra toning points.
2. Wash away bingo wings: Window cleaning is a tedious chore, but did you ever see a window cleaner with flabby arms? Speed up your effort and change hands regularly when window washing for a decent toning arm workout that burns more than 60 calories in 15 minutes. Increase the speed until you feel the burn.
3. Tone up at the dishwasher: Use the daily task of unloading the dishwasher as an opportunity to get some bottom-toning squats in. Squat low and really squeeze your muscles to remove a dish, hold it, then stretch to place it in the cupboard. 20 items in the dishwasher means 20 squats – we bet the Kardashians empty their dishwashers this way all the time.
4. Dust yourself off: Dusting is another great workout for arms and shoulders, but for extra benefits, add in a cardio workout by aiming to tackle every visible dusty surface in the house in record time. Grab a can of furniture polish, set a timer and run from room to room (upstairs and downstairs). You’re finished when the house is sparkling and you’re a sweaty mess.
5. Hit the showers: Points one to four will leave the house spick and span, so it follows that you should be squeaky clean too. Having saved so much time on the housework, indulge yourself in a long shower complete with hair conditioning treatment and full body scrub. Not only will you feel amazing afterwards, you’ll also have burned a further 70 calories!
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