Forget going to the gym or signing up for yoga, new research suggests you can stay in shape by simply doing the housework.
A study by the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) found that dusting, mopping and cleaning the bathroom are all effective ways to burn calories without leaving the house.
Window cleaning topped the list, with participants burning an average of 115 calories in just 20 minutes.
Mopping the floor came in second place with 107 calories burned while cleaning the bathroom burned 100 calories – the equivalent1 to two KitKat fingers.
Meanwhile a 40-minute dusting session2 burned nearly 200 calories.
While vacuuming came at the bottom of the list, participants still burned an average of 86 calories in just 20 minutes.
The results show that there can be hidden benefits to giving the house an ‘autumn clean’ as the cooler weather starts to set in, according to the GHI.
GHI cleaning expert Verity3 Mann said: ‘Unfortunately, there are some labor-intensive chores that need to be done but the good news is that you will be getting fit while you’re doing them.