#1: Vacuum The Floor - Thighs And Hips By adding a few lunges to when you vacuum the floor can help strengthen thighs, tone your butt and improve balance! 30 minutes will burn 125 calories and leave you with a sparkling clean rug!
#2: Sweep The Floor/Broom - Abs/Arms/Balance There are some great arm/back exercises you can do with a broom. Hold the broomstick to left side and left right arm overhead. Lean left as you extend right leg to side. Lift right leg and lower. Do 10 times and switch sides. Then sweep the floor. Repeat! This improves posture, works out abs, tones arms and improves balance. 20 minutes of this can burn 80 calories!
#3: Reading A Book - Quads/Glutes Reading sounds like one of the most sedentary things you can do, but that’s not necessarily true! While reading, do wall sits for one-minute intervals. Start with your back against the wall with your feet shoulder width apart. Slide your back down and make sure your thighs are parallel to the ground and knees directly above your ankles (not over your toes!). This helps tighten your quads, glutes and calves and you can burn up to 5 calories/minute! But know that if you have pain in your knees, stop the exercise!
#4: Washing Dishes - Calf Muscles Wash dishes while doing calf raises. Calf raises: point toes inward, push down through your toes, lifting heels off ground. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat at least 15 times. Then point toes outward and repeat set. Then face feet forward and repeat again. Combine this with some elbow grease and you’ll be burning up calories, chiseling calf muscles and toning arms. Do this for 30 minutes and you’ll burn 61 calories!
#5: Grocery Shopping - Biceps Ditch the grocery cart and carry your groceries to the car (and park far away!). Or if you’re in a rush to get home, do bicep curls with your full bags before unloading everything in the kitchen! This will engage all the muscles in your body and strengthen biceps. Do this vigorously for 5 minutes and you’ll burn 36 calories!
#6: Laundry - Triceps Although doing the laundry can already feel like a heavy burden, I say, "make it heavier!"
I put a layer of bricks in the bottom of the laundry basket to give it some extra weight. Bend at the hips, making body parallel to the ground, grab your basket and pull in and squeeze shoulder blades together. Let it come down and pull it right up to your chest. Remember to breath and keep your stomach engaged! You can make it as heavy as you want. This is a great tricep work out! Get additional tips from lifestyle and beauty expert Kym Douglas at KymDouglas.com. Follow her @KymDouglas and like her on Facebook.
