More Than Cleaning: How to Make House Cleaning a Workout

Schedules are tight—work, family, friends, other responsibilities—so the more you can fit into one span of time, the better! You have to get the house cleaned up anyway, and house cleaning can actually become a fantastic workout with a little bit of speed, motivation, and of course, music.

Here are 5 of our favorite ways to turn your housework into a workout:

Race the Clock (or Each Other!). Set a timer for 30 minutes and see how much you can clean before time is up. You can also set a stopwatch and see how long it takes you to clean a room, then repeatedly try to break that record every day or week. If you want to get the whole family (especially the kids) involved, turn it into a race—who can get their assigned room clean the fastest? 

Moving quickly through your tasks not only burns more calories, it also means you get done cleaning faster!

Run up the Stairs. If running's difficult, walk as quickly as you comfortably can. Instead of looking for ways to avoid going upstairs, look for excuses to go up and down. Left your scrub brush up there? Your cleaning gloves are under the bathroom sink? Up you go! Stairs are a fantastic way to burn calories—you get a lot of burn for a little effort.

Squat to Pick Up. You're likely do to a lot of bending over while you're cleaning, but you can get a much better workout by squatting instead. Squat slowly, reach down and pick up the toy or trash, then slowly stand back up. You'll definitely feel this one in your legs!

Speedy Vacuum. Vacuum's can be fairly heavy, and pushing one around takes a bit of effort. Speed it up and it takes even more effort. Speed it up while still doing a good job, and you've got workout material! Take the time to hit every area, overlapping, and pushing in different directions, but do it as quickly as possible

Dance! There's a saying, “Dance like no one's watching.” Crank up your music, get into it, and dance around the house while you clean. Step in place as you wash dishes, twirl when you're picking up clutter in the living room, or headbang while you make your bed—whatever your style, dance while you clean for a great workout and a much more fun house cleaning experience.