Better your home and your body with these calorie-burning fix-up jobs
You already know how satisfying it is to revamp your home, but did you know you're bettering your body while you're at it? Many home-improvement jobs require both cardiovascular activity—the form of exercise that torches the most calories—and strength-building for lean, healthy muscle. But exactly how many calories is your sweat equity worth? We came up with the answer for the 15 common jobs, thanks to this activity calculator (and based on a 175-pound adult). Whether you're hauling heavy lumber or merely fixing a squeaky door, your next DIY job will remodel your physique, too.
1. Paint a Room
Calories burned per hour: 357
From brightening up your bathroom to giving the exterior of your house a new hue, the squatting, stretching, reaching, and pressing required to wield a paint roller strengthens all your major muscle groups, especially those in your thighs, core, and shoulders.
From brightening up your bathroom to giving the exterior of your house a new hue, the squatting, stretching, reaching, and pressing required to wield a paint roller strengthens all your major muscle groups, especially those in your thighs, core, and shoulders.
2. Hang Wallpaper
Calories burned per hour: 357
Anyone can hang wallpaper. Successful paper hanging, however, requires both precision and patience. Either way, the body boost comes easily. All those aching, cumulative hours spent holding up measuring tools, trimming, and smoothing tone your triceps and strengthen your back and neck muscles.
Anyone can hang wallpaper. Successful paper hanging, however, requires both precision and patience. Either way, the body boost comes easily. All those aching, cumulative hours spent holding up measuring tools, trimming, and smoothing tone your triceps and strengthen your back and neck muscles.
3. Build Cabinets
Calories burned per hour: 238–595
You can build a new upper body with your own two hands, too. Unless you're the boss, carpentry work requires hauling lumber, swinging a hammer, and installing your finished product—all activities that tighten and tone your arms and back. Give the table saw a rest and cut the wood by hand to maximize the calorie burn.
You can build a new upper body with your own two hands, too. Unless you're the boss, carpentry work requires hauling lumber, swinging a hammer, and installing your finished product—all activities that tighten and tone your arms and back. Give the table saw a rest and cut the wood by hand to maximize the calorie burn.
4. Fix All Those Little Annoyances
Calories burned per hour: 119
Even the pesky projects you keep putting off can provide a body benefit. Light hand-tool work, such as changing doorknobs, hanging artwork, and fixing a leaky faucet, help melt away pounds by keeping you actively on your feet.
Even the pesky projects you keep putting off can provide a body benefit. Light hand-tool work, such as changing doorknobs, hanging artwork, and fixing a leaky faucet, help melt away pounds by keeping you actively on your feet.
5. Remove and Install Carpet
Calories burned per hour: 357
Ripping out old carpet and rolling in the new simultaneously works up a sweat and uses muscle, like circuit training at the gym. But since much of this work keeps you on the ground, take a few moments at least once to stretch your hardworking legs and back. Stand with your right leg crossed over your left and the outside of your feet together, and bend forward with your rear knee straight. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, then cross your left leg over your right and repeat.
Ripping out old carpet and rolling in the new simultaneously works up a sweat and uses muscle, like circuit training at the gym. But since much of this work keeps you on the ground, take a few moments at least once to stretch your hardworking legs and back. Stand with your right leg crossed over your left and the outside of your feet together, and bend forward with your rear knee straight. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, then cross your left leg over your right and repeat.
6. Build a Fence
Calories burned per hour: 476
Setting fence is a grueling job—just ask anyone who's ever wielded a posthole digger or used a breaker bar to pry out rocks. The relentless rhythm of this project gives your arms, back, and shoulders a thorough workout. And if you're mixing cement to stabilize the fence, you'll burn 556 calories per hour doing that project alone.
Setting fence is a grueling job—just ask anyone who's ever wielded a posthole digger or used a breaker bar to pry out rocks. The relentless rhythm of this project gives your arms, back, and shoulders a thorough workout. And if you're mixing cement to stabilize the fence, you'll burn 556 calories per hour doing that project alone.
7. Haul Lumber
Calories burned per hour: 397–635
Heavy lifting is a body-buffing no-brainer. Your biceps, triceps, and shoulders work overtime, and your quads and calves will benefit from the extra weight you're carrying around. Tackling projects in the attic or basement? Climbing stairs boosts the burn by more than 200 calories per hour.
Heavy lifting is a body-buffing no-brainer. Your biceps, triceps, and shoulders work overtime, and your quads and calves will benefit from the extra weight you're carrying around. Tackling projects in the attic or basement? Climbing stairs boosts the burn by more than 200 calories per hour.
8. Clean Out the Garage
Calories burned per hour: 397
This organizing project requires a lot of heavy lifting and walking, a good balance of overall cardiovascular exercise and total-body strength training. And you never know—you may even unearth that old treadmill you've stored in there for years.
This organizing project requires a lot of heavy lifting and walking, a good balance of overall cardiovascular exercise and total-body strength training. And you never know—you may even unearth that old treadmill you've stored in there for years.
9. Clear the Rain Gutters
Calories burned per hour: 397
Climbing up and down a ladder strengthens calf muscles and hamstrings, and the balance it requires engages and tightens your core's stabilizer muscles. Notice some loose shingles while you're up there? Roofing work torches a whopping 476 calories per hour.
Climbing up and down a ladder strengthens calf muscles and hamstrings, and the balance it requires engages and tightens your core's stabilizer muscles. Notice some loose shingles while you're up there? Roofing work torches a whopping 476 calories per hour.
10. Dig a Garden Bed
Calories burned per hour: 379
Shoveling dirt benefits your body in two ways: Breaking a sweat is a heart-healthy cardiovascular activity, and unearthing and handling heavy dirt builds up arm, shoulder, and thigh muscles. The same is true for other shovel-ready yard projects, like digging irrigation ditches and planting trees.
Shoveling dirt benefits your body in two ways: Breaking a sweat is a heart-healthy cardiovascular activity, and unearthing and handling heavy dirt builds up arm, shoulder, and thigh muscles. The same is true for other shovel-ready yard projects, like digging irrigation ditches and planting trees.
11. Cultivate Your Garden
Calories burned per hour: 357
Reaping what you sow brings more to your table than vegetables and fresh flowers. Carrying watering cans, bags of mulch, and yard tools strengthens biceps, and squatting and lunging to plant or harvest tones hamstrings and quads.
Reaping what you sow brings more to your table than vegetables and fresh flowers. Carrying watering cans, bags of mulch, and yard tools strengthens biceps, and squatting and lunging to plant or harvest tones hamstrings and quads.
12. Tend Your Lawn
Calories burned per hour: 476
A riding mower may be faster, but you won't break a sweat quite like you do when using a push mower. Powered edgers are heavy to hold, so all the upper body muscles are engaged, while the repetition of using hand clippers targets your forearms. When the mercury soars, keep in mind that thirst is a sign that your body is already dehydrated. Stop to drink water well before you even think you need it (not to mention before and after the project).
A riding mower may be faster, but you won't break a sweat quite like you do when using a push mower. Powered edgers are heavy to hold, so all the upper body muscles are engaged, while the repetition of using hand clippers targets your forearms. When the mercury soars, keep in mind that thirst is a sign that your body is already dehydrated. Stop to drink water well before you even think you need it (not to mention before and after the project).
13. Lay Sod
Calories burned per hour: 397
Wet grass and dirt is unwieldy dead weight, so laying a carpet of green lawn requires a lot of heavy lifting. And you'll be alternating between standing and sitting, which puts your quadriceps to the test. If you use a rototiller to prep your soil before laying the sod, you'll burn an impressive 476 calories per hour.
Wet grass and dirt is unwieldy dead weight, so laying a carpet of green lawn requires a lot of heavy lifting. And you'll be alternating between standing and sitting, which puts your quadriceps to the test. If you use a rototiller to prep your soil before laying the sod, you'll burn an impressive 476 calories per hour.
14. Hang Drywall
Calories burned per hour: 238
Considering that this material is made of rock, hanging sheets of it quickly becomes a highly physical ballet. Electric drills may be faster, but hand drills are more precise and require extra arm power.
Considering that this material is made of rock, hanging sheets of it quickly becomes a highly physical ballet. Electric drills may be faster, but hand drills are more precise and require extra arm power.
15. Rewire Your Electrical System
Calories burned per hour: 238
Electrical work requires more than just mental muscle. Depending on where you are rewiring, you may be up and down on a ladder, holding your arms over your head, or repeatedly squatting and standing to work on lower areas near the floor.
Electrical work requires more than just mental muscle. Depending on where you are rewiring, you may be up and down on a ladder, holding your arms over your head, or repeatedly squatting and standing to work on lower areas near the floor.
Comments:
Only do activities that are safe for you. For instance you don't want to be cleaning guttering on taller houses, unless you have the experience and a suitable ladder. Rewiring electrical system needs knowledge and experience.
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