Can you burn calories doing landscaping?

Options
mblaich
mblaich Posts: 18
in Fitness and Exercise
Today my husband and I were outside most of the day laying out mulch all over our yard. I know its a weird exercise, but in my mind lifting shovels full of that stuff is hard work. Do you burn cal doing that and if so does anyone know an appox amount?
Thanks!

Replies

  • neglet
    neglet Posts: 20
    Options
    If you search the exercise database you can find an entry for "gardening." That's what I use. It's not a lot of calories, but I'd rather not overestimate.
  • Vanessa1977
    Vanessa1977 Posts: 101
    Options
    You burn calories anytime you move your body, I'm sure you burned plenty. That is a hard activity to track though without an HRM.
  • MichelleWagner50
    MichelleWagner50 Posts: 240 Member
    Options
    When my hubby and I raked our yard and picked up all the dead grass, I wore my hrm and burned like 1000cals in 2 hrs. It was hard work! You can look up gardening and pick the one that is closest to what you did. :-)
  • benthinb4
    benthinb4 Posts: 5
    Options
    We burn calories even when we are sitting and doing nothing, it takes calories to stay alive. What matters with light calorie activities is how long you do them.
  • sajar_06
    sajar_06 Posts: 173 Member
    Options
    YES, you do burn calories doing yard work. That is some of the hardest work you can do. Not sure on calorie burn because everyone is different and burns calories at different rates. God Bless, Brenda
  • Photoplex
    Photoplex Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    You burn calories sleeping
  • cathiwim
    cathiwim Posts: 1
    Options
    Yes, and digging and laying mulch are two of the hardest things we gardeners do. Check for other websites using "calories burned digging" or something like that for a search string, and see what you come up with. I have added a few for my list of exercises. It's how I found out that feeding my livestock burned calories, as well as walking the dog or laying tile...:) I haven't asked how many calories I burn as a midwife at a homebirth, though! :)

Categories