10 ways to burn a 100 calories at home

Incorporating exercise into your daily routine is easier than you think – and you don’t even have to leave home!

The hotter and more out of breath you get, the more calories you burn, so put in some extra effort.Here are 10 great ideas for burning 100 calories at home.

1. Digging the garden (for 11 mins)This is hard work and not something you can do for long, but the bonus is the high rate of calorie burning. Do take care with your back.

2. Working out to a fitness DVD (for 12 mins)Choose one with an energetic fat-burning section and you’ll really feel those calories burning away! Highly effective and great fun.

3. Cleaning windows (for 14 mins)This is a great calorie burner because not only are you standing but you are also doing a huge amount of upper body work. Add extra force to get every mark off and you’ll burn even more calories.

4. Sweeping up outside (for 15 mins)This beats mowing the lawn and vacuuming for calorie burning as there is no engine in a sweeping brush and you have to keep stopping to get your breath back – but that only shows how hard you’re working.

5. Mowing the lawn (for 18 mins)Some mowers are harder work than others, so this is a guesstimate – but it’s a physical job that pays dividends in terms of calories burned.

6. Vacuuming (for 20 mins)Maybe housework won’t seem such a bore when you realise how many calories you use up. Try to go through the whole house in one go to make it a proper workout.

7. Ironing (for 25 mins)You might feel hot and bothered when ironing, but that’s a good sign as it means you are using up lots of calories. Just think, a couple of hours of ironing will burn 400 calories. You might even start to enjoy it!

8. Dusting (for 30 mins)This involves a fair amount of reaching and stretching and, as you are standing, it makes a worthwhile calorie burner. So get dust-busting! Great for keeping your joints mobile.

9. Cooking and baking (for 35 mins)Moving around from one side of the kitchen to another is steady calorie-burning work. But make sure you don’t eat everything you cook!

10. Watching TV (for 100 mins)Because you are not moving much, it takes ages to burn off 100 calories. So try to limit your overall weekly watch to around 12 hours, or just under 2 hours a day, and get up and walk around during the ads.