Attend to HOUSEHOLD CHORES to BURN YOUR EXTRA FAT during this season…

It’s hard to stay trim during the holidays, with your favourite exercise class vacations, all the sweet “kawum” and kokis!! But don’t feel too sluggish. You can still get a workout going through your holiday preparations.

House cleaning can be a great way to reduce mess, sanitize the home and burn calories. Many of you may not realize that you can burn upto 500 calories through regular house and garden maintenance. By expanding on your daily and weekly cleaning routine, you can develop muscles in your legs, arms, back and abdominal muscles. It is important to maintain good form in all exercises in order to avoid injury. You should also be creative with your household tasks, creating new exercises and motions as your body develops.

Similar to ZUMBA which is exercise on disguise, here are a few chores you can convert into exercise to achieve maximum benefits.

1. Pick up items on the floor by squatting. Keeping your back straight, squat deeply by bending your knees. Hold for 15 seconds before rising up again. Repeat with each item of clothing, toy or other item. If you are unable to hold for 15 seconds, start with 5 seconds and increase as your hamstrings and quadriceps grow larger.

2. Squeeze in your stomach and oblique muscles as you sweep the floor. Keep your back straight, bring the broom bristles as far away as possible and pull in. Do this for 5 minutes in each room up to 3 times per day.

3. ZUMBA while you make all the “kavili”. Turn on your favourite music and move your hips while you stir. Do spins and walk in place while you wait. While you stand still you can do shoulder squeezes. Pull your shoulders together for 3 seconds at a time and then release. Repeat at least 10 times or until you are done waiting. Imagine you are right at your ZUMBA class and depending upon the amount you decide to dance, you can burn 80 to 400 calories while you cook.

4. Increase the pace of household activity. Just like dancing while you are cooking, you can turn on upbeat music and try to achieve a pace where you are slightly out of breath. You can do this as you clean up, wash windows or sweep the floor. Changing bed linen for the guests staying at your house for 15 minutes can burn upto 40 calories.

5. Wash the windows. This is a great shoulder conditioning workout as long as you use a cloth in a circular motion. Do this for at least 30 minutes to work your shoulders and arms and burn approximately 150 calories.

6. Do deep squats as you clean your toilet. Instead of sitting on your knees and leaning forward, you can stand straight and squat, trying to stay balanced. Apply your cleaning product, brush the toilet and wipe clean.

7. Rake your garden for at least 30 minutes. Just like sweeping the floor, you should flex your stomach and oblique muscles and keep your back straight. Pull as far away as possible and squat, rather than bend, to pick up the leaves. This activity can be extended to other garden activities, such as mowing the lawn, flower planting, composting or general gardening. These activities, when done for at least 1/2 hour, will result in burning between 150 and 190 calories. Try to keep your back straight, as many people can end up with lower back strain.

8. Move your furniture when you vacuum the house. Moving furniture in good form, by bending your knees and straightening your back, is a form of weight lifting. Move each piece of furniture slightly and vacuum behind and replace it again.

9. Squeeze in your abdominal and buttock muscles as you vacuum. Use large sweeping motions and smaller motions. Reach up high with your vacuum extension. Vacuuming a house can burn approximately 80 calories, where moving furniture can burn over 200 calories.

10. Scrub your floors by hand. Use a knee pad or do deep squats while you reach the corners with a cleaning product and a brush. Mopping the floor burns just a portion of the 190 calories you can burn by hand-cleaning one floor.

11. Wash your car by hand. Grab a sponge, some mild liquid detergent, water and a bucket and wash all areas of the car. Use long sweeping motions to get hard to reach places and squat down to clean tires and the running board. Cleaning your car by hand can burn approximately 150 calories and work your arms, core muscles, and legs.

12. Do some laundry by hand. Fill a bath tub with water, laundry detergent and dirty clothes. Rub the clothes against themselves and each other for 10 to 20 minutes. Rinse the clothes twice in fresh water and squeeze to dry. For more delicate items, allow them to hang and drip dry or lay flat. Be careful not to lean too far into the bathtub, as that can put extra strain on your back. Make sure your core muscles are flexed the entire time and you will be getting an excellent core workout.

“Even when you step out for shopping, always use the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator”, says Dharshan, U.S. certified ZUMBA Fitness Instructor!! Carrying groceries for 15 minutes, standing in line at the toy store for 30 minutes or even just socialising while standing for 30 minutes can burn upto 100 calories. The only warning is that you be careful to protect your back while doing all the household chores. Women between the ages of 20 and 40 are especially susceptible to herniated discs, usually caused by sharp forward bending movements. Engage your core muscles at all times to protect your body. You can also protect your lower back by stretching your hamstring muscles. Sounds like a plan?? We sure hope it does!!

Make it your New Year Resolution to become a STRONGER YOU!! Wishing all our fitness enthusiasts a FIT & HEALTHY HAPPY NEW YEAR, from all of us at D-FIT, Sri Lanka!

For any further information, follow us on www.facebook.com/zumbasl
or visit us at our main studio: 169, Alufab Building (Arpico – 1st Floor), Nawala Road, Narahenpita, Colombo-05 or call Dharshan on 0772005677.