Move In, Work Out: Discover the Surprising Fitness Benefits of Moving Day

Out of the box, into the van: people use as many as 30 boxes to pack up their lives when moving house and carrying them is a workout.

Moving house is a sweaty, chaotic ordeal - but what if we told you it's also a serious workout? We've all been there - at the end of a long moving day, we collapse on our newly positioned sofa (half of which is still covered in moving boxes) in utter exhaustion, ordering a takeaway to finish off the day. The morning after, your body is aching from all the heavy lifting and the million times you climbed your stairs, and you promise yourself you'll never do it again...   

It's well established that moving house is stressful and takes a mental toll, but what about the physical impact of transferring all your belongings from one place to another? We wanted to explore just how big that impact is by estimating the energy required, steps taken and - ultimately - the calories burnt from shifting all your worldly belongings to your new home.

It's not the first time we have explored the fitness benefits of everyday activities. From discovering how rocking it out at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour can be the workout of your life to how climbing to the top of a city's landmark can leave you with leg-day DOMS, PureGym loves highlighting how fitness can be found outside the gym, but also how regular exercise enables us to enjoy our lives to the fullest.

So how does moving house stack up against other popular fitness routines? Read on to discover how it might be more tiring than running a marathon, and how to prepare your body for the big day, as well as tips on how to look after yourself to prevent injury and accidents.

To estimate the physical toll of moving house, we analysed the contents of a typical home – from kitchen to garage – and gathered the average weight of common furniture items and appliances. For each item, we calculated the likely number of lifts (each item is lifted twice during the moving process – out of your old place and into the new), the approximate number of steps required to get it to the moving van and out at the other end, and the time spent carrying it.

We then assigned MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) values1 to each task required, before using the datapoints to calculate the number of calories burned moving each item. By applying this across various property types, including one-to-two-bedroom flats and two-to-four-bedroom houses, we revealed the total energy expenditure of moving house, comparing these figures to popular fitness activities to see how it stacks up as a workout.

Could the heavy lifting of moving house be on par with a proper workout at the gym?

Our calculations show that moving out of an average two-bedroom house with a study, utility room, and garden/garage would burn more than 5,200 calories over the course of a nine-hour day, with more than 3,000kg lifted in total, and requiring up to 5,000 steps. To put that into context, that is burning as many calories as running two marathons or enduring thirteen hours of cycling. There's really no wonder people are knackered after a move!

Even a full-on house move from a one-bedroom flat - which naturally has fewer rooms and less furniture -- equates to more than a 3,100 calorie-burning workout, or a nearly thirteen-hour weightlifting session.

To complete the calculations, we estimated the number of moving boxes, including furniture, per property to be as follows:

• 1 bed - 20-30 boxes
• 2 bed - 35-45 boxes
• 3 bed - 50-60 boxes
• 4 bed - 70+ boxes

The number of steps taken to move each item were also used as part of the calculation, with the analysis assigning more steps to the garden/upstairs rooms vs ground floor. The "total weight lifted" is the weight of all the items commonly found in this room.

It's also worth noting, that the number of calories is the total burned overall - but this would be split between people helping with the move, so the more people helping, the less tiring it's likely to be!

Explore our breakdown of energy output of moving out of different size properties and their workout comparisons below:

Even the process of moving out of a one-bedroom flat would likely take you more than six hours, resulting in a calorie burn of more than 3,600 - while this jumps to more than 6,800 for a four-bedroom property.

Comparing this to regular fitness exercises, we can with certainty say that moving house is just as impactful as running a marathon in terms of calorie burn (sometimes running two marathons in the case of a bigger house). You would have to complete hours of regular workouts, such as swimming and HIIT exercises, in order to match the calories burnt from moving house.

As with all physical demand on our bodies, there are ways to train to better withstand the impact. With that in mind, we've asked Alvin Walter, Personal Trainer at PureGym London to put together a Moving Day Boot Camp exercise routine, which will equip you for a day of heavy lifting, lots of steps and carrying objects in awkward positions.

Alvin recommends prioritising four key areas to help you prepare -- cardio endurance with a focus on lower body strength; back, core and posture; leg and ankle strength/mobility; and full-body strength. He also advises you start a month before the big day.

"Cardio endurance," Alvin explains, "will help you build stamina for all that walking (especially up and down stairs), while at the same time help strengthen your legs and hips." He suggests warming up with some leg swings before setting out on a jog or brisk walk. "Doing walking lunges and high knees will also help," he adds.

To improve your core strength and to get your back ready for a day of lifting heavy boxes safely, Alvin urges you to warm up with some cat-cow stretches and shoulder rolls before doing sets of dead bug exercises, forearm planks and farmer's carry with weights.

Ankle resilience and leg strength is vital to be able to handle stairs, uneven surfaces and generally for long hours spent on your feet. "Start easy with ankle rolls and single-leg calf raises before moving on to some weighted squats, Bulgarian split squats and lateral lunges," Alvin says.

Finally, overall body conditioning is important to mimic the endless stop-start movement of moving house, says Alvin. "I recommend warming up with arm circles, torso twists and shoulder openers before starting your workout of burpees, mountain climbers and kettlebell swings."  

When the big day arrives Alvin also has some specific lifting tips that will help prevent injury and reduce any unnecessary toll on the body.

"Start the day with a five to 10-minute warm-up to get your muscles warm and pliable, such as light walking, arm circles and light stretching focusing on your hamstrings, quads, hips, shoulders, and back," says Alvin.

When it comes to lifting, Alvin has the following tips:

1. Plan your route beforehand.Make sure you've cleared the path and know where you are going before you carry heavy items.

2. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart to help balance and take small steps while walking.

3. Bend at the hips and knees, not the back! Squat down to lift, keeping your back straight and head up, so you use the strength in your legs and hips, not your lower back.

4. Holding the object close to your body reduces the strain on your back and arms and keeps the weight more manageable. It can also help to avoid twisting while lifting.

5. Use slow, controlled movements -- no jerking.

6. Breathe out as you lift.

7. Turn with your feet, not your back by stepping in the direction you're turning instead of twisting your spine.

8. Use tools when you can, such as trolleys, dollies, straps, or sliders to reduce physical strain.

A good lifting technique is essential to prevent injury when lifting heavy boxes and furniture. Credit: Vitaly Gariev via Unsplash

Even with your moving day fitness routine in the box, it's also important to look after yourself on the day. This includes taking regular breaks, eating energy-rich foods and keeping hydrated during the hours of heavy lifting, Alvin agrees, and urges you to drink regularly, even if you don't feel thirsty.

"Stay hydrated - moving is hard work and you can lose electrolytes through stretching," he explains.

"Eat a balanced and energy-dense breakfast, prioritising protein and complex carbs, and keep nutritious snacks on hand to give energy on the day," he continues.

He also stresses the importance of regular breaks. "Take a five-minute break every hour, using this time to stretch."

Finally, he encourages you to wear the same kind of clothes you'd wear to the gym -- breathable, non-restrictive clothing and closed toe shoes with good arch support.

As with all fitness, rest days are essential for optimal recovery. Having a restorative day after a big day of moving house is no different, so here are Alvin’s top recommendations on how to help your body rebuild itself after the toll of moving house:

Lower back stretch

• Lie on your back, knees bent.

• Gently pull both knees toward your chest.

• Hold for 20-30 seconds, repeat two to three times.

Hamstring stretch

• Sit with one leg straight and one bent.

• Reach for your toes on the straight leg.

• Hold 20-30 seconds each side.

Chest opener

• Stand in a doorway.

• Place hands on either side, elbows at 90°.

• Step forward gently until you feel a stretch in your chest.

Cat cow stretch (for spine)

• On hands and knees: arch your back (cow), then round it (cat).

• Do 10 slow repetitions.

Hip flexor stretch

• Lunge position with one knee on the ground.

• Push hips forward gently.

• Hold for 20-30 seconds each side.

To understand the physical effort involved in moving house, we began by analysing each area of a typical home (including general living spaces, bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, utility room, study, garden, and garage) and grouped the most common furniture and appliances found in each.

For every item, we identified its average weight, then estimated the number of lifts required, and average number of steps from the house to the moving van, based on needing to carry your belongings out of one property and into another, and approximated the time taken to carry it.

We applied the MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) formula to calculate calorie expenditure for each task. MET is a standard measure used to estimate the energy cost of physical activity, where one MET represents the energy used when sitting quietly. The overall calorie burn of moving each item was calculated using the formula: METs × 3.5 × body weight (kg) ÷ 200 = kcal. The calorie burn for each item was then totalled for all items estimated to be in the property.

The total calorie burn was completed for different types of properties, adjusted based on number of rooms and the items likely to be found in them -- with both one and two bed flats and two, three and four-bedroom houses considered. The final calorie burn for each property size was then compared to the caloric burn of a range of popular fitness activities and sports to put the physical toll of moving into perspective.

We used the following assumptions in our data collection:

• One person moving alone, so we have not taken into consideration the impact of several people helping with the move

• The average person weighing 79.3kg - based on NHS data for the mean weight of men and women in 2022.

Steps estimations depending on ground floor and garden:

• Walking upstairs: 40 steps.
• Walking downstair: 30 steps.
• Walking from garden: 50 steps.

Carry time estimations based on heavier/bulkier items taking longer:

• Small box/light item (0.5kg): 1-2 minutes
• Medium box (6-15kg): 2-3 minutes
• Heavy/bulky item (15kg+): 4-7 minutes
• Very large item (e.g. sofa): 7-10+ minutes (2 people)

All data is accurate as of July 2025.