Daily Activities & Calories

To reap the benefits of exercise, you don't have to go to extreme lengths. Many daily activities, such as gardening, walking the dog or even cleaning the house, can burn calories and provide health benefits. Let's Move, the U.S. government program spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama, recommends incorporating moderate activities into your family's daily lifestyle by turning off the television, working together on household projects, or playing sports.

Types of Activity

People use calories during home activities such as cooking, reading, house cleaning, moving furniture or playing with their kids. Home repairs such as painting, remodeling or working on the car require additional energy, as do mowing the lawn, weeding the garden and operating the snow blower. At work, employees expend energy in meetings, at the computer or when operating equipment. Active leisure pursuits such as dancing, walking and golfing step up a person's caloric needs.

Moderate Benefits

Even a person with a relatively sedentary lifestyle burns calories by sleeping, cooking, reading and watching television. According to the July 2004 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter, a 125-lb. person uses 38 calories just by standing in line for 30 minutes, while a 185-lb. person uses 155 calories shopping for food with a cart. Heavy cleaning such as washing the car requires 135 and 200 calories, respectively, depending on a person's weight.

Maximum Benefits

The most vigorous daily activities burn the most calories, the Harvard Heart Letter notes. Workers with physical jobs such firefighting can burn more than 500 calories per half hour, while construction and steel mill workers use 244 to 355 calories in that time. For a 155-lb. person exercising 30 minutes, daily sports with the most caloric impact include: running, at 409 to 614 calories; bicycling, at 446 to 614 calories; and swimming, at 409 calories.

Guidelines

In its physical activity guidelines, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that most adults should aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day. The activity should include weight-bearing exercise, as well as moderate and vigorous aerobic activity, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Considerations

To lose one pound, you need to expend 3,500 more calories than you eat. Exercise, combined with cutting calories, can improve your chances of losing weight, Mayo Clinic staff recommend. If you eat 500 fewer calories or burn an extra 500 calories during daily activities, you would lose about a pound per week.