Vacuuming sheds more pounds than a Wii workout

CLEANING the bathroom or vacuuming the hall burns up more calories than using a popular games console to try to get fit, a new consumer watchdog investigation has shown.

Experts at Which? Computing magazine who checked out the effectiveness of the Nintendo Wii Fit found that everyday household chores were more likely to be successful in boosting fitness.

The hi-tech virtual gym, which costs 230, has soared in popularity as it claims to help health-conscious Britons get fit from the comfort of their own homes.

To compare the games console with daily activities, Which? Computing tested ten minutes of housework against ten minutes of activity. But while the volunteer using the Wii Fit burned just 25 calories, the person cleaning the bathroom burned 34 calories and the person vacuuming clocked up 42 calories.

A volunteer on a treadmill burned 115 calories in ten minutes.

The magazine said the Wii Fit Plus recently won the backing of the Department of Health's Change4Life campaign – the first game to do so. "But if you are serious about losing weight, you may want to try other forms of exercise," it added.