Clean & Lean: Pick Up & Warm Up

Before working out, you always need to warm up. Before vacuuming or doing any kind of substantial house cleaning you need to pick up the clutter.

Clean & lean, pick up & warm up!

We bought Little Miss a shopping cart for Christmas. She loves it and I do too! Before I start doing any kind of "clean and lean" around the house, I first do a 15 minute pick up.

I set the timer on the microwave for 15 minutes, borrow the shopping cart {or use a basket or tote bag, whatever you've got handy}, and work my way from one end of the house to the other. As I go I pick up toys, shoes, dishes, trash- anything that is out of place.

As I enter a new room, I put up items that belong in that room and pick up items that do not belong. That's what the cart is for- the things that need to get to their home in a different room.

I keep going quickly back and forth, from one end of the house to the other, until the timer goes off. If I am lucky enough to only have 10 minutes worth of things to pick up and put away, I walk quickly for the extra time. It's like walking a few laps around a track but instead it's around your house and you are multi-tasking!

While you are picking up, your body is warming up muscles, getting your heart rate up and prepping your mind and body to clean like you mean it!  You will be able to maximize whatever workout you choose to do next whether it is cleaning or jumping on the treadmill.

Bonus: When the 15 minutes is up you have a de-cluttered house! {I will say that I make my Little Man put his toys where they belong. I will leave them in a pile in his room and he is responsible for sorting and putting them away.}

After picking up, sometimes all I do is vacuum. Other times, I will step it up and dust, clean windows, disinfect kitchen surfaces, etc.

It is nice not to have to stop and pick up each room before you clean it- you can just keep going knowing everything is out of the way!