By Kate Faithfull | Tuesday 07 October 2008 | 09:00
Want to shed the pounds? Working on your home gives a surprisingly great workout....
Forget dragging yourself down to the gym. Treating your home to a spot of DIY can build muscle, increase tone and burn off the bulge at the top of your jeans. Swap your old love handles for new door handles this weekend to make your home AND body better:
Spruce up your exterior – and your arms
Giving the front of your house a fresh coat of paint will do more than impress your neighbours. Pushing a roller up and down the brickwork will firm up bingo wings and burn up to 435 calories an hour.
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Plaster your way to a flab-free back
Smoothing plaster onto a wall will engage the muscles in your back with every large, sweeping stroke. You’ll probably be lifting and carrying heavy plastering materials too, which gives an extra edge to your workout, burning up to 197 calories an hour. If only you had eyes in the back of your head to clock everyone admiring your toned back...
Dig deep to trim your tum
Heavy gardening burns an average of 309 calories per hour, and it’s great for targeting your belly too. Make a conscious effort to pull your stomach in every time you bend forward or twist to the side and your muscles will be noticeably firmer.
Sawing adds shape to your shoulders
Using a hand-saw to cut shelves gives much-needed definition to your shoulders and burns about 260 calories an hour. That’s earned you a few squares of chocolate and the right to wear a vest-top with pride.
Sand your way to slimness
Madonna may use Power Plate to keep her wobbly bits in check, but you can get similar results by running a power sander over your floorboards. It gives a full-body workout and burns an impressive 400 calories in an hour. Just don’t get carried away and sand right through your floor, will you?
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