i have been trying to make exercise a regular part of my routine lately. it's been a struggle. i know i am not alone out there, when the housework, mothering, work, and any other nagging thing you need to get done takes priority over your fitness.
instead of berating myself for having a bad week, i was laying in bed the other night and thought about what i could do to make myself feel better for all the good things i did do this week. were there other ways to burn those nasty calories instead of normal exercise? is lifting my daughter considered weightlifting? is dancing around the house with her cardio? is vacuuming? is the 45 minutes i just spent ironing? i decided to look into this.
what i found was shocking! not only was i still doing cardio, i didn't know i was! wowee! i am excited about this finding. the best part for me about what i found was that i was actually burning calories while crafting - yes, that's right, you read it, burn calories while crafting. sewing, knitting, drawing, reading, you name it. i am burning calories while typing this right now! here's some of what i found from the following two sites - caloriesperhour & healthstatus.(please be advised these are based on my weight, and there is no way in hell i am disclosing it in this post)
brushing teeth: 5 minutes = 15 calories
cooking: 30 minutes = 96 calories
housework: 30 minutes = 105 calories
ironing: 45 minutes = 122 calories
mopping: 15 minutes = 81 calories
playing the guitar: 15 minutes = 57 calories
reading: 60 minutes = 76 calories
rearranging furniture: 45 minutes = 360 calories
showering: 15 minutes = 76 calories
writing: 60 minutes = 76 calories
sleeping: 360 minutes = 403 calories
playing with kids: 180 minutes = 864 calories!!!!
standing: 120 minutes = 172 calories
knitting / sewing: 60 minutes = 109 calories
this post may just be the extra incentive i need to do the chores more often. can you imagine? and fold, one, two, three, and vacuum, one, two, three, and scrub, one, two, three....c'mon ladies. let's get our groove on! sparkling, clean houses and toned, tight muscles. if only life was that easy :)what's your favorite household exercise? mine would be sleeping if i ever got to do more of it.