Calories Burned Washing/Cleaning A Car

You are probably well-aware of the fact that exercising is important for your body, as it improves your overall health and functioning. Yet, there are many people who do not exercise, mainly because of their busy and hectic schedules. However, the lack of time should never be cited as an excuse for leading a sedentary lifestyle. Did you know that you can actually burn calories doing everyday activities, like ironing, dusting, mopping, sweeping, cooking, washing the dishes, and so on? The number of calories burned washing and waxing car is also quite high, as compared to many household chores.

In case you are a car-lover, or are the proud owner of a fairly new set of wheels, you probably do spend a couple of hours each week, just washing your car.

When you engage in this task, do you bear in mind the calories burnt while washing a car? Activities like rinsing the car with water, rubbing the surface to loosen dirt, scrubbing each section with a soapy sponge and rinsing away the soap and dirt are bound to burn a considerable amount of calories. Of course, a good car owner will also take the time and effort to wipe off the excess water from the surface of the car, to prevent the formation of water spots. As you can see, all these activities require a significant amount of time and energy.

Here is an incentive for you to start washing your car more often, if you are one of those, who clean their cars no more than 3 or 4 times a year. The approximate number of calories burned while cleaning a car can go as high as 250 calories in an hour. However, the cleaning car calories burned could go a bit higher or perhaps even slightly lower, depending upon the physical intensity with which you perform the task.

Therefore, you can choose to wash your car no more than a couple of times a year, drive to a car wash and spend a lot of money, or you could have a clean car at all times and get in a fair amount of exercise at the same time, by making sure that you give your car a thorough washing at least once or preferably twice a week. Do bear in mind that going to a drive-in car wash a couple of times a week does not count as a calorie burner.

Calories Burned Waxing A Car

After learning about the number of calories your body burns while washing a car, you are now probably wondering how many calories are burned waxing a car. Of course, waxing the car is a more strenuous activity than washing it and therefore it is only natural that the car waxing calories burnt are higher. You can burn up to 325 calories in an hour, if you wax your car for that much time. The amount of time you spend waxing your car depends upon your skill, as well as the size of your car. It can take you anywhere between 2 and 4 hours to complete the entire job. You will also need to wash your car thoroughly before and after waxing it. Most people end up sweating profusely while waxing their cars, which is one of the signs that their bodies are burning fat and calories. Therefore, you can lose anywhere between 600 and 1,000 calories while waxing your car. Of course, you cannot wax your car every week or even every month and therefore this activity is not a substitute for regular exercise. It is best for you to wax your car once every 3 months or so. If your car is exposed to harsh conditions on a regular basis, you may be asked to wax your car more often.

The number of calories you burn while performing any form of physical activity depends on several factors. First of all, the type of activity, the speed and intensity with which it is performed as well as the duration needs to be kept in mind. Some of the other factors that affect the number of calories you burn include age, metabolism, level of physical fitness, body weight and so on. The calories burned figures mentioned above are all of an average person, who weighs 150 pounds. Therefore, the number of calories you burn while washing or waxing your car may vary, depending on these factors.

Both washing and waxing a car are fairly safe activities and can be performed by people of all ages. However, it is best for you to check with your doctor before engaging in these activities, especially if you are elderly, or are suffering from any preexisting medical condition. In case your health care provider asks you to refrain from these activities, do not lose heart; there are many other household chores that you can engage in, to burn additional calories during the day and these are not as strenuous as washing and waxing a car.

Submitted on January 16, 2014