How many times do we hear celebrity slim mums harping on about how the weight just fell off because she’s constantly running around after little ‘Pineapple Rose’ ? Admittedly most celebrity mums also do a three hour daily workout with their ridiculously expensive personal trainer and only eat twigs, so probably not the best example, but there is definitely something in it.

Long Hard Slog?

When we think about losing weight, we imagine that it’s going to be a long, hard slog. Waking up at the crack of dawn to endure a painful, exercise marathon and feeling weak with hunger due to some unrealistic, restrictive diet sent from the devil himself. It’s no wonder that most of us who set good intentions of sticking to a ‘plan’ cave in after only a few days or couple of weeks at the most.

Being active is a key word when it comes to losing weight and toning up. So you’ll be jumping for joy to hear that this doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym for several hardcore hours a week. Being more active means making small changes in your life where you won’t even really notice that you are doing exercise, burning calories and shifting that unwanted fat.

Every Little Counts!

We’ve all heard a thousand times over, walk instead of catching the bus, take the stairs instead of the lift and carry a few extra shopping bags like you’re carrying weights. Yes we may have heard them before lots of times which is why they go in one ear and out the other. But we must remember that they DO count as our daily exercise and we ARE burning calories and fat by adhering to these simple changes!

Housework – Make It A Daily Workout!

What you may not have thought about or heard so much is that doing the housework can also count as your daily work out! Think about it, those 1950’s housewives spent their days cooking, cleaning and running around after their kids. Were they on a macrobiotic diet? Did they do Body Pump classes? Did they have a regular colonic irrigation and seaweed detox wrap? My guess is no. The way they maintained those ‘nipped in waists’ was through scrubbing, baking, ironing and washing. Who would have thought a feather duster could be a good alternative to a dumb bell?

The problem with us as modern day women is that our lives just aren’t quite as active anymore. We sit behind desks for long hours of the day, we drive, and we make a quick dinner and then slob in front of the TV for the evening. Some of us even get a cleaner in to do the household chores, which when you think about it, is like taking pounds out of our purses and adding them to our hips!

So the next time you start your household duties, put a smile on your face with the knowledge that you are in fact tightening your bottom, and firming your bingo wings at the same time as burning a whole load more calories than you would do sitting on your backside watching mind numbing daytime TV. And it goes without saying that you will have a sparkling clean house to top it all off.

Here are a few little motivational facts and figures to inspire us to don the marigolds!

Did you know that;

Cooking for half an hour can burn around 90 calories
Washing the pots for half an hour can burn around 80 calories
Gardening for half an hour can burn around 160 calories
Housework in general for half an hour can burn around 130 calories
Ironing for half an hour can burn around 80 calories
Sweeping the floor for half an hour can burn around 90 calories

Your weekend Housework work out plan!
General housework, cleaning and tidying for half an hour
Sweeping the floor for 10 minutes
Washing the pots for 15 minutes
Ironing for 45 minutes
Gardening for an hour
Cooking for 45 minutes

Do this work out and you will have burnt yourself a whopping 780 big ones (calories that is!) Well done Mrs.

Now go and put your feet up!

This feature is sponsored by:

How to Cook In High Heels
(www.howtocookinhighheels.com)