If you're a regular reader you know I've been very busy. My husband is out of town, I've taken over his outdoor chores in addition to my own, and I'm engaging in the occasional wrestling match with my son. I've had very little time for conventional workouts besides a couple of sessions on the exercise bike, uSurf, iGallop, and the Urban Rebounder because they are set up and easy to hop on and do for a few minutes.
But I was thinking about all the chores I've been doing - and the chore load for today - and they've got to add up to a decent amount of calories burned. We all have busy lives, particularly ranch wives, and probably don't give ourselves credit for how much daily activity we really do. Unless you have a desk job, drive everywhere, depend on drive-trus, do very few household chores, and are a dedicated couch potato, your daily activities can really add up. Check out the list of real life chores I've done in the last week:
Gardening - 2 Hours: 201 calories
Horse Care - 1 Hour: 254 calories
Watering Trees - 2 Hours: 200 calories
Laundry - 1 Hour: 51 calories
Doing Dishes - 1 Hour: 65 calories
Cooking - 2 Hours: 75 calories
Walking - 2 Hours: 150 calories
Shoveling Out Dog Run - 1/2 Hour: 110 calories
Cleaning House - 2 Hours: 250 calories
Vacuuming - 1 Hour: 75 Calories
uSurf - 15 Minutes: 25 Calories
Exercise Bike - 15 Minutes: 62 calories
Urban Rebounding (jumping / jogging) - 15 minutes: 87 calories
iGallop - 15 Minutes: 40 calories
Playing and wrestling with kids: 1 hour: 250 calories
Total calories burned: 1898
Now let's compare that to the high end of the minimum recommended duration of moderate to high intensity aerobic workout is 20 minutes to 60 minutes a day for 3 to 5 days a week.
Based on a 150 pound body:
60 minutes of bicycling: 250 calories burned.
60 minutes of elliptical: 464 calories burned.
60 minutes rowing: 500 calories burned.
60 minutes of treadmill: 425 calories burned
60 minutes of brisk walking: 425 calories burned
If you did all five activities above in a week you will burn a total of 2064 calories. That about 170 calories more than my chores burned. But while those exercises will get you aerobically fit they won't get your chores done.
I think the important thing to remember is all activity counts. Being active both in the gym and in your daily life is the whole point to being healthy and fit. They definitely go hand in hand. Working out makes you strong and energetic enough to enjoy doing your other daily activities.
