• An hour in the bath can burn more calories than half an hour of lifting weights
• HIIT has been named the most popular fitness trend in 202

It’s common knowledge that popular exercises such as running, lifting weights and cycling can keep you fit and healthy, but what about the regular activities we undertake in daily life? New research has revealed some of the most surprising everyday calorie burners, from taking a bath to vacuuming, as well as survey results unearthing the nation’s exercise habits. Health and fitness expert Lee Cain also offered his insights and advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

How many calories can you burn doing everyday activities?

• An hour vacuuming your home could burn 320 kcals for men and 250 kcals for women, while working out arms, legs, and core
• An hour of cooking, could burn more calories than half an hour of lifting weights
• On average, we burn over 3,000 calories a week sleeping

While most of us know the importance of exercise, you may be surprised to hear how you could be unknowingly blitzing calories as you simply go about your day. For example, by spending an hour gardening, you could burn 460 kcals if you’re biologically male or 394 kcals if you’re female – that’s more than half an hour’s worth of jogging (426 kcals for males and 365 kcals for females)! Plus, by getting outside to pull some weeds, you could also soak up some vitamin D, boost your immune system, and lower your blood pressure.

Lee Cain says, “Whether it’s cleaning windows, gardening, making beds, walking the dog, ironing, mopping or sweeping the floor, the amount of energy expended while performing these tasks can be some 4-5 times greater than that at rest.”

Other seemingly mundane tasks that can burn calories are ironing, baking and even sleeping. What’s more, when you take a hot bath, you burn calories more rapidly thanks to your body temperature rising.

This said, Cain explains “It’s important to recognise that exercise and physical activity are not the same thing and that their effects as far as ‘calorie burning’ is concerned, can be equal, but not the same. Exercise is a structured form of physical activity that is usually performed with the goal of improving one or more aspects of fitness, whereas physical activity is a little more general, and may simply include walking up the stairs.”

What are the top trending exercises of 2021?

• 15% of 16-24-year-olds stayed active during the pandemic by trying trending exercises on social media
• HIIT has been named the most popular fitness trend in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic
• Half an hour learning a TikTok dance could burn 253 kcals for males and 216 kcals for females, the equivalent of a Subway sandwich with turkey breast or steak

In the digital age, social media and the internet play a significant role in the fitness industry. Fitness influencers are celebrities in their own right, and there are countless online health and fitness programmes available, and communities to join. In fact, according to the survey, 1 in 10 25-34-year olds say they joined an online fitness community during lockdown.

With an open platform to share content and start discussions, many brand-new fitness trends are born, with the potential to go viral. Fitness challenges are rife on social media, providing much-needed motivation to stay active, especially when gyms are closed. Some of the most popular challenges of 2020 include the 30-day split challenge and the 5k challenge, though HIIT remains the most popular.

In 2020, TikTok took the world by storm, with millions taking to the social media platform to learn dance routines, particularly the 16-24 age group. And it turns out that busting some dance moves is a great way to stay fit, with half an hour of dancing burning over 200 calories. Plus, making exercise enjoyable is great motivation to stay fit.

Cain explains that “With exercise, variety is necessary in order to prevent boredom, staleness and plateaus in progress. If, over-time, you perform the same exercises, in the same order and at the same or similar intensities, the body will find ways of meeting those demands with less. That means that every time you exercise, you burn fewer calories! So, it’s important to keep mixing things up so the body is forced to continually adapt.”