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With the weather warming up to do more activities outside maybe its time to switch up some of your cardio and not just slave away on the treadmill or elliptical in the gym. How about taking your exercise outside and just do some daily chores around the yard or other outdoor activities to help burn some calories. While you burn calories in the gym for your workouts you can burn just as many and sometimes more calories while doing projects around the house or playing games outside.
For example, rather than hiring a mowing crew to mow your yard, get out your mower and get mowing. For a 185lb individual mowing for 30 minutes they will burn roughly 200 calories; which is equivalent to doing moderately intense calisthenics for the same time period. Raking leaves for 30 minutes will burn 178 calories, painting the house will burn 200 calories, and weeding the garden will burn 205 calories.
Harvard Health Publications has posted a list with these and many other activities with the amount of calories that would be burned in a 30 minute time period. The following link is the compiled list: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities.htm .
Keep in mind that these are all averages of individuals within the listed weight ranges. If you are a calorie counter this chart will help you keep track of how many calories you have been able to burn throughout the day with your daily activities. While household chores and playing games outside are great don't neglect hitting the weights in the gym to help with building lean muscle and gain all the benefits that weight training offers. One of the only things that burns less calories than watching television is sleeping. So put down the remote and get moving around with projects around the house or get outside to play volleyball or other games with friends.
