This Craft Will Help You Burn Calories

Yahoo Makers
Updated
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(Susie Hewer. Photo: feitoamao.tumblr.com)

Knitting or the gym? If both activities burned the same amount of calories, many crafters would gladly choose their needles over the treadmill.

Unfortunately, it isn’t quite that simple.

But how do stay-at-home DIY and craft projects stack up against going to the gym?  

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(Can you trade your sneakers for knitting needles? Credit blog.gaiam.com)

Lindsey Mauntel, a registered dietician in Dayton, Ohio, breaks down how many calories we’re looking at. But remember, your mileage may vary.

“For calories burned in any given activity, age, weight, heart rate, and time all come into play,” she says.

With that caveat, a typical 150-pound person burns 100-150 calories in an hour of knitting. That’s about the same as half hour of light calisthenics.

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(Credit pixabay.com)

The following calculations are based on a 150 pound person and MET values (metabolic equivalent) for each activity. (The following list was taken from the National Cancer Institute and Harvard Health Publications)

  • Knitting = 103 calories per hour

  • Active home project (such as building a deck) = 308 calories per hour

  • Vacuuming = 172 calories per hour

  • Cooking dinner = 148 calories per  hour

  • Assembling or repairing Ikea furniture = 288 calories per hour

  • Gardening or weeding = 232 calories per  hour

  • Mowing the lawn (electric or push) = 248 or 364 calories per hour

  • Painting a bedroom = 290 calories per hour

  • Changing a light bulb = 17 calories

  • Dusting = 104 calories per hour

  • Moderate walking or playing with kids = 220 calories per  hour

  • Journaling or scrapbooking = 104 calories per hour

  • Laundry = 104 calories per hour

  • Wiring and plumbing = 224 calories per hour

  • Refinishing furniture = 334 calories per hour

  • Desk work =130 calories per hour

  • Watching TV = 56 calories per hour

  • Sleeping = 46 calories per hour

  • Lay or remove carpet/tile  = 334 calories per hour

  • Grocery shopping with a cart =  260 calories per hour

The more calories burned isn’t an indication that it is a better exercise nor is it the only reason to get in a great workout. But says Mauntel, “According to the MET numbers, the household activities that will burn off more calories would be: lawn mowing or raking, playing or dancing with kids, hosting parties (cleaning, cooking, entertaining), rearranging furniture, cleaning appliances, preparing dinner, arts and crafting, and walking the dog!” Obviously the more physical the activity, the more calories are burned.

If your road to fitness begins with crafting and ends with some projects around the home and yard, there are calculators that can help you more accurately tabulate those rates. Try the Calorie Burn Calculator from healthstatus.com or the WebMD.com fit-o-meter.

Enter in your age, gender, height, and weight as well as the number of minutes and the specific activity to find out how your craft or DIY projects compare with your regular exercise routines.

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