How Many Calories Do New Yorkers Burn Schlepping Around the City?

We know that door-to-door delivery service is tempting, but seriously consider bringing your own laundry to the ’mat. Lifting a heavy bag for ten minutes can burn 150 calories, and even a short, five-minute burst will increase your heart rate and fire up your metabolism.

Why did you rent the charming prewar apartment instead of that swanky place with the elevator? Because you burn 10 calories and tone your hamstrings, calves, quads and butt each time you walk those five flights. Keep yourself challenged by running or going up two at a time.

Carrying two paper bags of groceries for eight blocks takes up only 12 minutes of your day, but you’ll burn about 150 calories and tone your biceps, shoulders and core--just make sure the weight in both bags is evenly distributed. (This means you, Naomi.)

Oh, rush hour. We don’t know why we even bother. Walk those 20 blocks home instead--you’ll burn roughly 100 calories, especially when you’re in a hurry and your adrenaline is pumping.

Running down the block after the bus for one minute burns 10 calories--it’s not much, but every little bit adds up. Hmm, being late to work actually has its perks.

OK, we know the subway announcer guy is always telling us never to run for trains, but (carefully) running down the stairs to catch the N train before the doors close will burn about 10 calories and give your quads a mini workout.

It happens more often than we’d like--we’re stuck carrying our gym bag, sample sale loot, work bag and dry cleaning all at the same time. But schlep this stuff around for an hour and you’ll burn 200 extra calories. Bam.

Need to get from Avenue A to Chelsea Piers in a hurry? Grab a Citi Bike and start pedaling. Biking for ten minutes burns 50 calories and works your hamstrings, quads and butt.

The next time you’re suffering in a hot, packed train next to a smelly guy who doesn’t understand what personal space is, look on the bright side: You’ll burn up to 200 calories if you ditch the pole and spend an hour subway surfing.

There’s nothing more satisfying than scrubbing your own toilet, right? OK, fine, it totally sucks. But cleaning your apartment for an hour burns about 500 calories! We love scrubbing the toilet. Scrubbing the toilet is awesome.