5 Easy Spring Cleaning Workout Moves

78 percent of Americans make sure to do their spring cleaning every year, prioritizing their bedrooms, closets, kitchens, and family rooms. As for the people who don’t do any spring cleaning, they said it’s because their homes don’t look dirty, they would rather be doing other things, they don’t know how to do spring cleaning, or they don’t have enough time. The good news for people with busy lifestyles (or even those who would rather be doing other things) is that by turning your spring cleaning session into a workout, you’ll be able to accomplish two things at once. Combining exercise with cleaning is also a lot simpler than you might think. So, let’s take a look at five easy spring cleaning workout moves that will allow you to refresh your home, while also strengthening your muscles at the same time. And don’t worry, we’re not going to make you clean the bathroom. We know that’s the most dreaded cleaning task by far.

Mopping or Vacuum Lunges

20 percent of people said that mopping is one of their most dreaded tasks. But, hey, sometimes you have to do things that you don’t want to do. Or, maybe you’ll want to mop more often once you see the benefits from doing mopping lunges.

Mop or vacuum lunges will work most of the major muscles in your lower body, and also engage your abdominal muscles as you move in and out of your lunge. On average, you can burn about 4 calories per minute vacuuming or mopping. By stepping into a full lunge every time that you move the vacuum or mop forward, and then bringing your legs back together when you pull the vacuum or mop back, you’ll be able to burn even more calories. For maximum calorie burn, switch your legs from right to left and bend them at 90-degree angles.

Whenever you want to take a break from doing lunges, go back to mopping with your hand on top of the mop handle. By placing your hand on top of the handle, it’ll help keep your back straight, while also toning your arm muscles as you clean.

Scrubbing Slide-Outs or Scrubbing Climbers

Instead of using a mop or a vacuum to clean your floor, you can do it yourself with scrubbing slide-outs. To do this core-strengthening exercise, get down on your hands and knees. Then with a rag in each of your hands, slide your hands forward until you’re in a plank position. Hold it for a few counts, and then pull the rags back in while cleaning your floor. Make sure to keep your hips and shoulders aligned and only extend as far as you can go without losing balance.

You can also give scrubbing climbers a shot if you want to pick up the pace of your spring cleaning workout session. To do scrubbing climbers, take two rags and place one under each foot. Get down in a push-up position and bring in one knee at a time toward your elbow. Then repeat, alternating your legs and moving as quickly as you can.

Bicep Curls When Taking Out The Trash

When you’re cleaning your house, you might find things that you want to get rid of. Go ahead and throw them out in a garbage bag since decluttering your space might possibly help you feel healthier and happier. That’s because a cluttered environment can make your brain less effective at processing information – and more prone to frustration. Then on trash day, do some bicep curls with the garbage bags that you need to take out to the curb. Curls work the bicep muscles at the front of your upper arm, and also the muscles of your lower arm.

To do a bicep curl, stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart and keep your abdominal muscles engaged. Hold one garbage bag in each hand, and then let your arms relax down at the sides of your body with your palms facing forward. While keeping your upper arms stable and your shoulders relaxed, bend at your elbows and lift the garbage bags so that they approach your shoulders. Keep your elbows tucked in close to your ribs as you do this and make sure to exhale while you’re lifting. Then lower the garbage bags back to your starting position and do five to ten curls, or as many as you can.

Strengthening Your Shoulders By Washing Your Windows or Car

Reaching up to wash windows or the top of your car will engage your shoulder and arm muscles. To really maximize your workout, extend and lengthen your typical wiping/washing movements. So, whether you’re cleaning a window from up to down, polishing your dining room table from left to right, or washing your car in circular shapes, make every movement as large as possible. By doing this as you clean windows, the table, or your car, you’ll be working the muscles in your arms, shoulders, and back.

And if the surfaces that you’re wiping/washing are over your head, feel free to stand on your toes as you clean (as long as it’s safe for you to do so). Standing on your toes will engage your calf muscles and help to shape your lower leg. When it’s time to give your calves a break, you can switch things up and stand on one leg at a time (once again, as long as it’s safe for you to do so). When you stand on one leg and extend your other leg out to the side, you’ll be engaging your gluteal muscles that help to shape your hips and butt.

Dishwasher Air Squats

Every time that you place an item in the dishwasher, do an air squat. Air squats are easy to master and they’re also very good at tightening your booty muscles. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward. Engage your core muscles and pull your shoulder blades together to push out your chest. Squat back as if you were about to sit in a chair, while keeping your weight in your heels so you don’t lean forward. Your hips should move down and back. Also, make sure to keep your heels flat on the floor the entire time. Hold for a few seconds, then rise up by pushing through your heels and using your glutes to return to a standing position.