Happy Homemaker: Flab Busters and Fat Blasters

I can’t believe I’m writing about housework. Not because of some sort of reactionary feminist instinct, but because I think I missed the Martha Stewart gene that women are supposedly born with. At the age of 25, I’m certainly better than I was at 16 – but this has to do with a former rodent problem (cats and cleaning are the answers, which inevitably leads to disposing of rat corpses, since the dumb things take a few days to figure out that Kitty Has Claws). 

ANYWAY. Since it’s freezing cold and the snow is piling up (here in NYC), and I’ve been sitting on the couch like the proverbial potato, reading about Brad and Angelina’s pre-nup, I decided I needed physical activity more intense than turning the pages of a magazine. I also realized that unless I wanted more cozy evenings with my inquisitive neighborhood cockroach, I needed to clean. It’s an excellent way to burn calories without ever leaving the house. Here are the stats: 

Calories Burned: 

Mopping/sweeping: 220 

Painting: 135 

Scrubbing floors by hand: 400 

Vacuuming: 175 

Washing dishes: 120 

Washing windows: 250 

MORE WAYS TO BURN CALORIES AND FAT AT HOME: 

Canned soup: a Depression necessity. Even rinsed out milk containers or soda bottles can become effective weights when filled with water. Take a look around your pantry or recycling bin to see what’s available. 

Define your deltoids in a doorway. Say goodbye to upper-arm flab by toning up your deltoid muscles (upper-arms). Just stand in any doorway with your arms at your sides. Then, with palms facing out, brace against each side of the doorway and push. Hold for a few seconds, release, and repeat. 

Step up to stairway push-ups. For this exercise, it won’t be necessary to get down on the floor like you do when performing traditional push-ups. While standing at the foot of the stairs, reach forward and position your hands on the step that will allow you to push off while keeping your elbows shoulder height. 

Tush-tone with a chair. Stand in front of a chair or stool and take turns with each leg by standing on one foot while ‘stepping’ on the chair with the other. You’ll feel the ‘burn’ in your butt in a matter of minutes with this simple exercise.