Exercise to Tighten your body with Spring Cleaning

This Spring brought to us warmth and longer days almost as if it is meant to be a wake up call to get our thought, bodies and homes in order. And even though our bodies are still adjusting to the time and weather change we know there is no time to waste – it’s time to act. Those who start acting on getting in shape for the wonderful summer to come soon, are often constrained by time. So what a better way to do the spring cleaning chores, but to combine them with workout.

Promise this spring cleaning will not be hard at all and it’s going to be fun. First and foremost you’ll have to follow your intuition and make yourself comfortable. Decide where to start and remember that the key to the successful spring clearance is taking it step by step. You won’t be able to finish it all in one day and even if you try it, you’ll find yourself finishing the job sketchily, because you’re too tired and annoyed. Don’t let that happen! Plan ahead – it is the key of success in most areas of life.

Here’s my plan:

Day 1 – Spring Cleaning Kitchen

Before all else, and that goes for any space in your home – get the spider nets and remove the curtains.

I prefer to start with the kitchen as I find it heavy-duty enough to tire myself, but also to be satisfied with the day’s work. Before you get to the cabinets empty the fridge and freezer and let them defreeze. My kitchen is quite big so I can manage to get all items out of the cabinets and place them aside. The exercise here is stretching and bending – actually quite similar to yoga. Be sure when you stretch to pick the items, placed above your head to stretch nicely, try not to use a chair or ladder. Picking the items placed low is similar – don’t bend your knees and keep your back straight, whilst feeling your abdominal muscles working.

In case you don’t have much space around to place it all there is no trouble to work piece by piece, one cabinet after another. That strategy will bring some variety to the exercise and will allow your body to rest between the sessions. Additionally the mess you initially do will be less.

So once all is empty or the cabinet you have decided to start with, it’s time to clean. The circular moves of your hands should be accompanied by circular moves of your waste. Switch your preferred hand with the other, even if it is harder and slows down the process.

Note: Play your favorite music – get in the mood. Preferably choose energetic songs. I personally listen to 50’s Rock & Roll – it just gets my body moving in the rhythm.

Once all surfaces – from the inside and out are sparkling clean you would think it’s time to place all back, but… no. By now you must be surely tired, so you may sit down and check the expiry date of all products. Get to waste everything out of date, get to waste those products, that have been laying around longer than you remember. Make sure to create a list with all the items you buy and don’t use and for God’s sake stop buying them. Now look at the empty cabinets and think hard (did I mention it is an exercise for the brain as well?) was the previous order the best for your space and necessities? If yes – great, place it all back, if no decide on how to utilize the space better, so that all you use frequently is handy.

Clean Mama’s blog is focused on cleaning and offers similar advices, so you may take a look there as well.

Now that you have finished with the cabinets it’s time to move on to the fridge. Get all the removable parts out and clean them well. Whilst those parts are drying up clean the fridge from the inside and outside – don’t forget to keep your legs and back straight when bending and stretching. It is crucial to keep on dancing. When all the fridge and freezer parts are clean and dry place all back, again after checking which products are good and which are waste. If appropriate add more items to the “never buy list”.

So while you have been working hard on the kitchen clearance your washing machine has been doing the same, washing your curtains. Since you already are knackered make tomorrow a rest day and plan only to iron the curtains (of course all the while dancing on the music).

No, I did not forget the stove, kitchen sofa and the windows. Cleaning the windows is a perfect exercise for the lower back and the legs, in case you bend your knees this time and keep your body straight up. Anyway I get really angry when the windows are not perfect and when I clean them they never are, so since this is an article for a body and mental exercise during your spring cleaning, meant to unburden you, getting angry is bad. That’s why I call a cleaning crew for the windows and for the sofa (they clean it so much better than I ever could). The carpet cleaning those companies offer is also great and I take advantage of it every spring cleaning. I also hire rubbish removal guys to pick up the waste, since after the spring cleaning there is so much accumulated. My advise is to contact a local rubbish removal company, since they come so much faster.

Finish up by mopping the floors.

Day 2 – Spring Cleaning Rest Day

As mentioned above day 2 is a rest day with only a small ironing task.

Day 3 – Spring Cleaning Bedroom

 

The idea is the same as with the kitchen, so I’ll be shorter. Get all of the clothes out of the wardrobe and swap all the surfaces. Check if there are any clothes you won’t use anymore and bag the for goodwill. Bag the winter clothes – hopefully you’re not going to need them any longer and place them in the top cabinets. Rearrange your spring and summer clothes. Do all those activities the same way as in the kitchen – straight back and legs – bent only from the waist keeping your abdominal muscles working.

It is a good idea to turn your mattress if it’s double sided and to let it breath outside for a little bit. You will probably need some help with that one. Dust nicely all the parts of the bed. You’ve got the hang of it – do the same with all the furniture there.

Apartment Therapy gives great advices on how to clean your mattress.

! Don’t forget the music and dancing part, it’s utterly important for the whole spring cleaning process.

 Day 4 – Spring Cleaning Living Room

 

For the living room I will be even shorter. All is the same as with the other listed spaces. A good tip is to beat up your books to get the dust out – you will be amazed how much dirt those can gather, and as you know it is very bad for the health and can cause or aggravate existing allergies. Dance around, let yourself sink into the music and the good memories of reading a book or receiving that souvenir.

Day 5 – Spring Cleaning Bathroom and Lavatory

 

Same old. Make sure to disinfect all surfaces, replace or wash the bath curtains, remove any old cosmetics, feel that upward and downward movement tighten your body.

 Day 6 – Spring Cleaning Children’s Room

 

In case you have children, but for some reason they can’t help you out (maybe they are too young, or away on a vacation) – you know what’s the drill.

 Day 7 – Spring Cleaning Attic/Basement

 

Those are tricky ones. Always so much unnecessary stuff there to be removed. It is the dirtiest job in the spring cleaning routine and by now you may be annoyed and tired even with all that dancing and music. If you feel like that – give yourself a break – call a rubbish removal company to take care of it. If you still have some stamina left, I must congratulate you, and advise you that wherever you decide on starting it seems mission impossible only for the first half an hour, after that things start to find their places to bring more clarity to you. If a day is not enough – don’t overwhelm yourself continue the next one.

 Now that all is clean and you must feel your body tightened and energized get that lovely outfit of yours and relax with your friends – you deserve it!