During a typical year, house proud Brits will spend a total of 165 hours - the equivalent of almost a week - pottering around the garden and fixing up their dwellings.
In that time they will burn 6,384 calories while weeding, 3,466 calories when pruning and 3,852 calories while watering the garden.
And while mowing the lawn might be considered more of a therapeutic task than a full workout, adults manage to shed 4,199 calories a year doing just that.
In the home itself, they’ll also burn 2,161 calories when removing wallpaper, 4,145 while painting walls and 433 by hammering nails over the course of a year.
Commissioned by Draper Tools, the study of 2,000 homeowners found 39 per cent don’t tend to think of gardening as a way of exercising, while 57 per cent feel the same about DIY.
However, with all the jobs in and around the home they’ve been doing recently, half said it feels like they've been working out more than normal.
Kev Smith, from Draper Tools, said: “It just goes to show DIY and gardening are not only beneficial for your home, but also your health too.
“The amount burnt during a typical year is the equivalent of 349 Mars bars or 312 Big Macs – that’s a lot of food.
“In addition to being good for you physically, DIY and gardening also helps many of those polled to relax and unwind, plus you have something to show for your efforts too - a great looking home.”
The study also found those polled will burn a total of 1,924 calories sawing items during a typical year, along with 1,293 while pressure washing and 588 as a result of building flat-pack furniture.
Even smaller tasks such as painting items of furniture or filling in holes using a filler will see them shed 394 and 760 calories respectively.
And they’ll also shave off 221 calories throughout the course of a typical 12-month period while putting shelves up and 702 when attaching pictures to walls.
In the garden, those polled will burn 3,799 calories digging, 4,194 cutting branches from trees and 2,659 planting seeds and shrubs.
Painting outdoor walls and fencing will shed 3,661 calories and carrying stones, wood, bags of compost, bags of soil and other heavy items will also burn 3,029 a year.
Further to this, harvesting home grown fruit and vegetables will result in 3,118 calories being burnt off each year.
The Draper Tools study carried out through OnePoll also found 73 per cent of homeowners consider gardening to be a nice way to de-stress and to relax and 47 per cent feel similarly about DIY.
As such, seven in 10 find they tend to get so lost in the task when improving the home and doing a spot of gardening they find hours can simply ‘disappear.’
More than half said they get so carried away they have a tendency to take fewer breaks than they would if they were at work.
And 67 per cent said doing a DIY or gardening job to a good standard is more satisfying than doing a good job in the workplace.
Kev Smith of Draper Tools added: “Many of us have been trying out new home workouts recently but you could argue DIY and gardening can be just as effective at helping keep us active and healthy.
“However, as with more traditional exercise, it’s important not to overdo it and to take regular breaks.”
TIME SPENT AND CALORIES BURNT ON DIY AND GARDENING TASKS DURING A TYPICAL YEAR:
• Dead heading plants – 497 minutes and 3,047 calories
• Pruning – 562 minutes and 3,466 calories
• Watering the garden – 680 minutes and 3,852 calories
• Planting seeds or plants – 476 minutes and 2,659 calories
• Mowing the lawn – 707 minutes and 4,199 calories
• Spraying insecticide - 189 and 1,125 calories
• Adding mulch to flower beds – 261 minutes and 1,583 calories
• Turning over soil - 319 minutes and 3,147 calories
• Digging – 385 minutes and 3,799 calories
• Heavy lifting such as carrying stones, wood, bags of compost, bags of soil etc. – 307 minutes and 3,029 calories
• Raking – 364 minutes and 3,592 calories
• Painting walls/fence - 371 minutes and 3,661 calories
• Cutting the hedge - 389 minutes and 3,838 calories
• Cutting off branches - 425 minutes and 4,194 calories
• Weeding - 647 minutes and 6,384 calories
• Harvesting home grown fruit and vegetables - 316 minutes and 3,118 calories
• Hoeing - 321 minutes and 3,168 calories
• Painting smaller objects like furniture - 82 minutes and 394 calories
• Filling-in holes (using a wall filler) – 158 minutes and 760 calories
• Putting pictures up – 146 minutes and 702 calories
• Putting shelves up – 46 minutes and 221 calories
• Drilling holes – 57 minutes and 274 calories
• Hammering nails – 99 minutes and 433 calories
• Building flat-pack furniture - 123 minutes and 588 calories
• Varnishing items - 55 minutes and 264 calories
• Removing wallpaper -219 minutes and 2,161 calories
• Painting walls – 420 minutes and 4,145 calories
• Sawing items – 195 minutes and 1,924 calories
• Sanding down items - 93 minutes and 918 calories
• Tiling floors – 219 minutes and 2,161 calories
• Tiling walls - 295 minutes and 2,911 calories
• Wallpapering a medium sized room – 272 minutes and 2,684 calories
• Using a pressure washer - 131 minutes and 1,293 calories
ENDS
