Ditch the gym and switch on the vacuum instead if you want to get fit this spring

Health experts say that spring cleaning your home can help you get fit instead of going to a gym.

Online health and fitness site Vivotion.com has researched just how many calories can be burned by doing regular household chores.

The looked at tasks like vacuuming, washing the dishes and ironing as well as more strenuous jobs like scrubbing the bath and cleaning the windows.

The findings also look at which chores are the best for working out certain areas of your body.

Scrubbing the bath is best for toning arms and shoulder muscles whereas as ironing can strengthen your abs.

A spokesperson from Vivotion.com said: “Who would have thought giving the house a spring clean could help shed weight and tone up?

“Housework is one of those things we do without giving much thought to just how good it is for us.

"Take for example cleaning the bath – a fifteen-minute scrub and you can burn up to 50 calories and tone your arm and shoulder muscles.

“Cleaning the windows is a great one too – and one of those jobs we all love to hate. Spend an hour around the house cleaning them and you’ll have sparkling windows and will have burned 136 calories.”

Here’s the Vivotion.com list in full of how many calories are burned doing the housework:

1. Scrubbing the bath : Removing soap scum from your tub with a bit of added elbow grease for 15 minutes can burn up to 50 calories, which is the same as 250 jumping jacks. This chore is great for toning arms and shoulder muscles.

2. Laundry: Factoring in loading and unloading the washing machine, hanging up the clothes and putting them away, doing the laundry can burn around 70 calories in an hour, which many will be pleased to hear is the same as doing 70 sit ups.

3. Cleaning windows: If your windows have seen better days, spend an hour giving them a good clean them and burn 136 calories while you’re at it. That’s the same as jogging for 15 minutes.

4. Washing up: Scrubbing away at the dishes can burn an impressive 180 calories over a week if you spend 15 minutes doing it every day. This equates to swimming for just under 30 minutes.

5. Vacuuming: Giving your carpets a good clean can burn 90 calories in half an hour, which is the same as 15 minutes of kickboxing. Depending on size of your house, vacuuming can get you nearer to the daily recommendation 10,000 steps

6. Dusting: Something as easy as doing the dusting can burn 25 calories in 15 minutes, the same as two minutes of planking.

7. Ironing: If you spend three hours over a week getting the creases out of your clothes you can burn 264 calories, the same as a Zumba class. Standing still for long periods of time burns calories and works your core muscles too. Make sure to press down evenly and switch arms so both get an even work out.

8. Making beds: Changing the linen of a family of four’s beds can burn 52 calories in 30 minutes, the same as a mile walk.

9. Mopping and sweeping: Cleaning the floors for 30 minutes can burn 96 calories, which is equivalent to 15 minutes on the treadmill.

10. Mowing: Cutting the grass with a regular push mower can burn 150 calories per hour, or if you prefer you can do 10 minutes of HIIT.

11. Gardening: 30 minutes of pottering in the garden can burn around 200 calories, which is same as cycling steadily for four miles. Digging works your shoulder and abdominals so it’s great for an all round work out.