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How to burn calories when you're not working out

12:23 PM Wed, Aug 06, 2008 | Permalink
Pamela Reinsel Cotter

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Rainy days often make us retreat to a sedentary lifestyle. A guy on Twitter I am following wrote today: "Oy.. 11 am and I'm still in my bathrobe. This is what dark, rainy weather can do to a person. :)"

I'm a bit of a procrastinator myself, but rainy days sometimes motivate me to do chores around the house I've been putting off. And, I've found this great chart -- at right -- from the Medical College of Wisconsin that shows the even a little daily activity can burn calories and keep you fit.

If you're sitting at your desk or watching TV, by keeping active in some way: leg lifts, sucking in that tummy -- even figetting, you can keep your lazy bones at bay. The Mayo Clinic even recommends trading in your office chair for an exercise ball to improve on muscle tone!

In the above Los Angeles Times photo by Anne Cusack, software specialist Sam Mardanbeigi is perched on an exercise ball at the Google office in Santa Monica, CA.

Click here for some more ideas on "hidden workouts."

How to Burn Approximately 100 Calories (Estimated for a 120 to 150-pound healthy person)
Activity	Time in Minutes
clean/vacuum/mop floor	25-35
wash dishes/iron clothes	45-50
mow lawn (self-propelled mower)	25-30
mow lawn (manual mower)	12-15
garden (spade/roto-till)	10-20
rake leaves	20-25
wash/wax car	20-25
wash windows	20-30
paint (brush)	35-40
shovel snow	10-15
blow snow	15-20
stack firewood	15-20
walk (brisk)	15-25
tennis	20-25
golf (walk course)	20-25
cycle (5.5 mph rate)	20-30
cycle (9.4 mph rate)	15-20
aerobics (medium)	20-30