Forget the Wii - Window Cleaning Comes Tops For Fitness

Forget the Wii.. household chores burn off more calories: The daily grind of housework really is a good way to get fit, according to new research. Dusting, mopping the floor and vacuuming burn off more calories than working out on a £230 Nintendo Wii Fit. The hi-tech virtual gym has soared in popularity as it claims to help health-conscious Britons get fit in the comfort of their own homes.

But experts at Which? found good old household chores burned off more calories than using the Wii. They compared calories burned during 10 minutes of housework with those used in 10 minutes on the console and found the Wii burned 25 calories, cleaning the bathroom used up 34 calories and vacuuming consumed 42 calories. The Wii Fit Plus recently became the first game to win the backing of the Department of Health's Change4Life campaign.

But why not save yourself some cash and swap the expensive Wii for housework? Here we look at some of the best ways to burn off calories while cleaning your home from top to bottom. Just remember to make a conscious effort to contract your stomach muscles, keep your knees slightly bent and maintain good posture throughout.

Warm-UP: Put on your favourite music and start with some light housework like straightening and picking things up or dusting for a few minutes. You know you've warmed up enough when your joints feel looser and your muscles are pliable but you're not breaking a sweat. The more upbeat the music, the better. And why not dance while cleaning to alleviate the boredom? Calories burned: 150 an hour - equivalent to three Roses chocolates.

Scrub Up : Scrubbing floors sheds flab. It will also help tone arms, shoulders and stomach muscles. Whether it's the sink, bathroom or kitchen floor, ditch that mop and scrub by hand. The harder you work, the better. Push yourself even more by extending your torso and exaggerating your arm movements.
Calories burned: 220 an hour - equivalent to half a Cornish pasty.

Ironing: Ironing helps build arm muscles, shoulders and buttocks. While ironing, squeeze your buttock cheeks together really hard for 10 seconds. Do this 10 times every couple of minutes and you'll notice a difference in tone in no time at all. The muscles in the bottom will hold in a semi-flexed position for up to 20 minutes after working them. Press down hard as you do this to burn extra calories.
Calories burned: 115 an hour - equivalent to two shots of vodka.

Washboard Stomach: Doing the laundry is great for your abs and hips, helping you get that washboard tum. Squatting down while you do it will help you tone up legs too.
Calories burned: 150 an hour - equivalent to a can of fizzy drink.

Vacuuming: This is great for core stability muscles. Put some muscle into pushing the vacuum forward as far as you can, then back again. Move slowly to get a good stretch. Add lunges to help get a pert bum.
Calories burned: 200 an hour - equivalent to a pint of medium strength lager.

Sweeping The Floor: Sweeping is good for arms, shoulders and abs. Calories burned: 170 an hour - equivalent to Flake chocolate bar.

Mop Up: Mopping is great for the chest muscles.
Calories burned: 190 an hour - equivalent to big packet of crisps.

Window Washing: This targets the shoulders and triceps. Do 10 circles to the right, then 10 to the left. Use this too while polishing or cleaning the bath. Slowly squat when picking up laundry, keeping back straight and heels on the floor. Don't round your upper back. Include one squat for every piece of laundry you put into the basket.
Calories burned: 200 an hour - equivalent to a bowl of cereal.

Also check out: A Geek’s Perspective On Wii Fit – Review.

Or you could adapt the unit to do some cleaning for you!