Have you ever wondered how many more calories you could be burning if you actually did something productive instead of watching television? You may be pleasantly surprised at how many calories you can burn making your home and your body look amazing at the same time! But don’t use you these activities as a substitute for your weight and cardio workouts, instead use them as a way to compliment your weight loss efforts while you enjoy beautifying your home.

All of the following activities are based on a 150 pound person performing each activity a duration of 60 minutes at a moderate (as opposed to vigorous) intensity[i].

THE CULPRIT – Watching TV = 72 calories burned per hour.

7 Things that you can do instead of watching television to lose a half pound per week.

Gardening – What better way is there to have healthy and fresh vegetables readily available than having your own garden? Prune, water and feed your garden as you harvest a slimmer you.

Gardening = 324 calories burned per hour.

Picking up litter – There always seems to be things to pick up and throw out both inside and outside of your home. As a bonus you can keep your beaches clean by devoting an hour of sun bathing time to picking up litter. This way you maintain a beautiful beach as well as a beautiful beach body.

Picking up litter = 342 calories burned per hour.

Washing your car – If you are the perpetual procrastinator when it comes to washing your car, then this is a real incentive to do it once  a week. While you’re at it, throw a coat of wax on your ride for some extra luster and burn some extra calories.

Washing your car = 306 calories burned per hour.

Rearranging furniture – All the lifting and movement really adds up with this calorie burning household activity! Have fun creating new and interesting spaces in your home by rearranging your rooms. Choose a new room each week to rearrange and lose weight in the process.

Rearranging furniture = 450 calories burned per hour.

Mowing the Lawn – Do you hire someone to cut your lawn, or are you perhaps considering getting a riding lawn mower? Check this out! You can save money and get leaner by mowing your lawn. If you have a large lawn, then separate it in to two parts to mow on two different days. You can cut your backyard one day and your front yard another day that week. Mowing your lawn is an excellent calorie burning and money-saving activity.

Mowing the lawn = 324 calories burned per hour.

Grocery shopping – Double benefits with this one!

1) Grocery shopping can help you avoid going out to eat; saving you money and from over indulging in high-calorie restaurant foods.

2) You burn calories as you shop for your favorite delicious and healthy foods.

Grocery shopping = 243 calories burned per hour.

Painting the house – Without a musically backed montage of a paint fight; complimented by a surprisingly seamless clean up due to an unnatural time-lapse—as seen in many movies and sitcoms from the 1980s—painting is quite a chore. However, it does lead to the creation of a fresh new look for you and your house.

Painting the house = 342 calories burned per hour.

7 Hours of the household activities listed above = 2331 calories burned doing 1 hour of each listed activity.

7 Hours of watching TV = 504 calories burned.

Difference = 1800 more calories burned each week per 7 hours of avoiding TV and doing household activities.

Since approximately 3500 calories equate to 1 pound, you could lose about a half pound each week, and have an amazing looking home! Remember though that this is ONLY possible if you don’t increase your daily caloric intake because you may have more of an appetite due to all of your hard work. So be sure to track your food to ensure you are in a calorie deficit when you are trying to lose weight.

Determining how many calories you burn is not an exact science. This number should only be used as an estimate of calorie expenditure.