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It’s not exactly news that being more active makes you fitter, and many of you DIY Doctor users will identify with the thought that physically ‘doing stuff’ makes you feel better about yourself, and gives a sense of satisfaction to what you do.

In addition to the feel-good factor, moving around has many other physical benefits too. According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) around 25% of breast and colon cancers, and 27% of Heart disease and Diabetes could be caused by a sedentary lifestyle. The human body just wasn’t made for inactivity, and sitting down is killing us.

With this in mind we thought we would point out the health benefits of basic DIY and Home Improvement tasks.

We have researched and displayed the amount of Calories per hour for each task, as a guide to show the exertion involved, but it isn’t just about weight loss it is also about decreasing blood pressure, improving mood, lowering cholesterol, and improving the immune system:

Mowing the lawn
Even with electric and petrol mowers there is a certain amount of physical effort involved so this could burn around 250 Calories, but this would be more like 325-425 Calories per hour if you use an old fashioned push mover. If you include fighting the machine out of the shed, and walking backwards and forwards to the compost heap you are getting a full body workout.

If you don’t have a lawn to mow why not find out if an elderly neighbor could use help in the garden. This could benefit both of you if they do the easier tasks and you do the more physical ones, you get the health benefits of the work and the feel good  benefits of being outdoors and helping other people.

Gardening
Depending on what you are doing – gentle sowing, weeding and planting is a good all round exercise, but raking leaves, fencing, double digging, laying walls, or building a shed can be a very physical workout. 200 – 450 calories per hour.

Walking around a garden in the fresh air makes you feel good, improves your circulation, reduces stress and gives you sense of satisfaction when the work is done.

Snow shoveling
There has probably been a fair amount of this going on recently – expect to burn up about 415 calories per hour, and come back indoors with a warm glow.

Chopping wood
If you have a fire or log burner chop your own wood and get your heart pumping, but be very careful, wear leather gloves and safety glasses, for added protection against flying wood and splinters wear a leather apron. Approx 300 Calories.

Stacking and carrying the wood, as well as sweeping the fire and disposing of the ashes are also good physical activities.

Painting and decorating
Bending, stretching, climbing ladders, it is a work out in itself isn’t it? This burns about 215 Calories per hour. However if you are also plastering, artexing, and doing your own carpentry this can be increased to 325 Calories.

There are lots of helpful guides in the DIY Doctor projects section if you want advice on how to decorate. If you haven’t tried plastering but would like to have a go then visit DIY Doctor’s plastering section for a ‘How to’ guide.

Sweeping up after yourself
Be honest, this may not be the thing you are best at but sweeping and mopping burn up about 240 calories per hour. If you are using a vacuum cleaner to clean up after yourself that uses similar amounts of energy and all involve movement lifting and walking around.

The health benefits of doing this is one thing but think of the Brownie points you will earn if you leave your DIY job looking finished, clean and tidy at the end. This increases the feelgood factor tenfold for you and spreads a warm glow into the heart of your partner too!

Washing the car
if you wash and vacuum your car, and give it a nice vigorous polish you can work up quite a sweat. There is lots of upper arm workout and cardiovascular activity, especially if you are carrying buckets of water rather than using a hose to do the job. 300-400 Calories.

You could even do a charity fund raiser offering to wash neighbors cars in return for donations to your favorite charity, get the children involved and away from their computer games for the day.

A cautionary note

Be careful to increase activity gradually, if you have not been doing anything physical. You could split tasks down to half an hour sections at first, building up to a couple of hours a day.

Be careful of your joints, if you have been sedentary you may find your wrists, knees and back are prone to injury. Vary the tasks you do over the time you have allowed and ensure you maintain a good posture.

Take regular breaks from very physical tasks and monitor how you are feeling, if you push yourself too hard and hurt yourself you won’t want to start your DIY task next time.

If you are any doubt about your general health, ask your doctor’s advice before making a lifestyle change.

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The Met Office reported that 2012 was the second wettest year on record and we can expect more of the same in the the next few years.

Not only are we getting more rain but it is falling in more intense downpours, which makes the likelihood of flooding more likely as the rivers cannot deal with taking water off the land quickly enough.

Last year nearly 8,000 homes and businesses suffered from flooding, which apart from the financial implications is very traumatic for people who have their home life disrupted and favorite belongings ruined by flood water.

In addition farmers suffered loss of crops and even the crops that do survive are less nutritious because essential nutrients are leached form the soil in flood conditions.

The Environment Agency website publishes information on areas that are subject to flooding so you can use this information when choosing where to live, you can sign up for free text alerts of flood warnings in your area to prepare in advance if you do live in an at risk area.

They also have advice on making a flood plan and what to do after a flood has hit.

To look on the bright side the weather is also becoming milder (not so much this last week) and so gardeners will be able to grow more temperate plants, this is a trend that has already started as evidenced by the popularity of some tropical plants such as New Zealand Tree ferns which would not have survived our climate 30 years ago.

It is also going to be good weather for ducks and rice farmers.

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Now, I’m sure most of us own a mobile phone, laptop or home computer of some sort, and chances are, we’d all be completely lost if they were all suddenly taken away from us. Am I right? Because, technology has quite simply, become second nature to us.

But, aside from being able to help us with the more mundane tasks of sending emails and answering calls, our technologies also hold the ability to help us with many other things in our lives, such as being able to help to find the latest deals from our favorite restaurants, book ourselves a weekend break away, and even, help us out with a little bit of DIY around the house. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “How on earth can my laptop help me with improving my home”

Well, I’m here to show you exactly how. Because, if you’d love to become a DIY guru around the house in 2013, but haven’t got a clue how to actually do so, then all you need to do is grab your laptop and try out some of these ideas, and you could be well on your way to making some great home improvements for 2013:

1. Search For a Course Near You

If you want to learn a range of DIY skills that go way beyond basic household jobs, then the best way to learn is through a community or college course. Search for your local technical colleges on the Internet and you’re guaranteed to be able to the right course to suit you. Not only will these courses teach you all you need to know when it comes to DIY, but they’ll also help you to gain qualifications as you do so.

2. Online DIY Websites

Specialist online DIY websites are a great place to start if you want to learn the foundations of basic DIY skills, whether you want to learn for household repair purposes, or even, how to fix your car. Many websites will have a range of step-by-step guides, pictures guides, and even editorial features that are easy to follow, so that you can become a DIY expert in next to no time! You can follow these guides on your laptop while you work. Many websites also offer an email subscription service, whereby you can receive fantastic new DIY tips straight to your email every week, fortnight or every month – allowing you to learn new DIY tips and tricks all year round!

3. Video Tutorials

If you need something fixing in your home, just take a moment to search the Internet on your laptops for personal use before you decide to pick up the phone and call a professional. Why? Well, because you may just be able to fix the problem yourself with the help of video tutorial websites such as YouTube and eHow, that will show you exactly what to do.  Whether you want to install some new laminate flooring, or need to fix the electrical system in your car, simply use your laptop and type in what you’re looking for and there are a plethora of videos that will help you to get fixing straight away! You can take your laptop to the DIY job you need to do. You can then simply play, pause or rewind the video on the spot, to help and guide you through the steps easily, getting the job done much more quickly and effectively!

Ella Mason, an experienced freelance writer, wrote this article. Ella specializes in providing DIY advice for those looking to carry out home improvements.

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One might prove me wrong but when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, most people tend to settle for things that don’t really suit them, so they lose their motivation soon afterwards. Surely, we all can read more, exercise more, spend less time browsing the ‘net and do more around the house. However, one can only be so determined about it.

This year then, why not look to break an old habit or two and start from a place so close to every DIYer’s and gardeners heart? Our pride and joy, the garden shed!

Image by Lenore Edman

Surely, the lazy part of us would insist that de-cluttering our sheds during the season that we can’t use most of its contents is an absolute waste of time. Yet wouldn’t it be nice to have all your tools and equipment all lined up for when the next season of maintenance works and gardening comes around? Here are five easy steps for sorting out that handyman hideout of yours.

Clear Out Everything

It may seem quite obvious, but the first step to de-cluttering is to actually acknowledge what kind of tools and fixings you’ve been hoarding, along with all the odds and ends and, let’s face it – rubbish. In order to be able to organise everything, clear your shed out completely and move on to grouping the contents, separating garden tools from DIY tools, garden equipment from power equipment and so on. Throw out all the obvious rubbish and set aside the things you’re unsure about. Give your shed a good sweep and, if necessary, a scrub too.

Know What You’re Doing…Or Get Planning

Now that you’ve got a clearer vision of all the hidden treasure you’ve been storing in your shed for so long, the next thing you need is a clear vision of what you want to store in there. Think of what you use all those tools for, and why you’d want to keep them there. Obviously there’s no point in moving your garden tools away from the garden, but if you happen to do most of your DIYing in your basement and just use the shed for all your spare equipment and materials, it’s a sure sign you needn’t keep them there.

Invest In Storage Units

In case you’re still under the illusion that you’re quite an expert when it comes to organising, you’ll be surprised what difference storage units like shelves, box sets etc. can make. As we’re talking sheds rather than a living room, you don’t have to worry too much about making them look aesthetically pleasing which also equals lesser expense. Pick up a plain shelf set and a few plastic storage boxes from your nearest homestore – or, being a hardcore DIYer, you can always make them yourself. However, it may unnecessarily drag out the process. Besides, you can still put your skills to use in our next step.

Use Vertical Space and Walls

Not everything can go on a shelf or in a box, so this is the time to take advantage of our handiness and come up with some installations to make the most of the space in your garden shed.

To prevent any future clutters, focus on solutions that will help you keep things off the floor. Your solutions should also be easily accessible to increase the chance of things being put back again once you’ve finished using them, instead of leaving them lying around.

Try to use as much vertical space as possible: use ceiling racks to store away bikes and bulkier equipment. Use walls for organising tools and smaller hardware; pegboards are great for adjustable shelves and can hold heavier stuff like brooms, garden spades and rakes. If you start running out of space, remember the door is another surface you can make use of.

Quality Control

Even if you’ve managed to rid yourself of a fair share of your shed’s contents, simply stacking everything back would be a crucial mistake if you want to minimise the clutter.

Ideally, I’d recommend you carry out a proper inventory of your tools and equipment, focusing on the ones you really use. Unless it’s a piece of family heirloom, there’s no need to keep holding on to any half-broken or broken stuff that you’ve been meaning to repair for months. Or the one you’ve never used, like that heavily discounted wood-carving set you got yourself two years ago, strongly believing that you might have a knack for that (but didn’t).

However, that doesn’t mean you’ll end up wasting all that hard-earned money spent buying these tools – you can easily try and sell some of the relatively unused ones online. Or why not donate some to charity.

So, did you find these tips helpful for de-cluttering your shed or does it still look like a battlefield? And have you got any useful suggestions of your own?

Estelle Page is an interior designer and a passionate DIYer who knows how easily all those odds and ends one doesn’t want to waste can make a clutter. She blogs for Dunster House.

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Mike Edwards from DIY Doctor has been testing out new products in our film studio. Well we say film studio – that makes our converted container sound very grand. (This photograph above isn’t it by the way – this one is from one of our Pinterest friends).

So we will be letting you know about the products Mike recommends shortly, but in the mean time here is a way you can waste a bit of time when you should be doing DIY.

We would like to pay homage to the humble container – there are so many uses that they can be put to, and we often feature cool container conversions in our blogs. So please send us any photos of containers that you think deserve to be featured. If anyone asks you are doing valuable ‘research’ online.

You can also click over to Pinterest and find the DIY Doctor boards there pinterest.com/diydoctor. If you want to share your own favourite photographs with us then email DIY Doctor and ask for a link to our shared board.

You can Pin photographs of anything to do with Home Improvement, DIY or craft, and gardening. In fact anything home-related that interests you, but keep it clean, or it will be off. Any of us who have found our Pinterest boards will know we also have a fondness for Owls (don’t ask) so you can post those too. But no more cute cats please, or dogs in jackets, pigs in wellies, etc there are enough of those on Pinterest already.

Happy DIY pinning!

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