More Yard Work During Lockdown Could Help Burn More Calories

Worried about lockdown weight gain? Some simple yard work tasks could help you burn those excess pounds.

A new study involving 2,000 respondents in the United Kingdom shows that homeowners can burn a substantial amount of calories every year by doing simple yard works like mowing the lawn or pulling weeds. They can also burn calories by doing some "DIY projects" in their houses.

The findings show maintaining a garden and lawn is a great way to get rid of excess weight that some have put on while on self-isolation at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. While most homeowners do not view yard work as a workout, the calories burned while performing them is enough to offset those gained from more than 300 Big Macs.

On average, people who perform yard works burn over 80,000 calories a year, the study, conducted by OnePoll for Draper Tools, showed. Most of the participants spent an average of 165 hours annually in fixing up or maintaining their homes.

Routine tasks like pruning plants, pulling weeds, or watering the garden, as long as they are consistently done, can help in burning thousands of calories each year. Moving the lawn alone reportedly helps in burning more than 4,100 calories.

The study also reveals that "serious" gardeners who go about their tasks of harvesting vegetables and fruits from their gardens burn off some 3,100 calories. Researchers say this type of gardening usually requires heavy objects, like bags of soil or compost, to be carried or moved around, which helps in burning more calories.

The researchers found that homeowners spend almost 700 minutes annually in mowing their lawns and almost the same amount of time in watering their gardens. They also spend around 650 minutes each year in pulling out weeds.

Kev Smith, the head of marketing at Draper Tools, told the Mirror that results of the poll research shows gardening and DIY are beneficial, not only in terms of functionality improvement and aesthetics but also for the health. "In addition to being good for you physically, DIY and gardening also help many of those polled to relax and unwind, plus you have something to show for your efforts too - a great looking home," Smith said.