We’ve been talking about making housework into a workout.  Vacuuming is another chore that can become a calorie burner.  Here’s how:

As you vacuum the floor, do split lunges. Lunge forward to work the thigh and gluteus muscles. Be sure to keep your back straight, your head facing forward and don’t let your knees go out farther than your toes.

Too hard?  Well, you can just hold in your stomach, holding the proper pelvic tilt.  You will have an ab workout that way.

Vacuum quickly and energetically.  Do squats to pick up larger pieces of stuff that you don’t want the vacuum to inhale.  Time yourself to see how quickly you can get your floors in shape.

A lot depends on your sweeper and on your metabolism, but you can burn in the vicinity of 100 calories in a half hour of vacuuming.  If you add the extra strength training and aerobic factors, you can up that even more.

So get out your exercise equipment — your vacuum cleaner — and start burning those calories!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown