Moving house in London is tough…
A lot of mental effort goes into a house move, especially if you live in London where you need to account for extra traffic, parking restrictions galore and – if you live in West London where flats and apartments converted from Queen Anne and Regency houses can result in knuckle-crushingly narrow stairwells – you’ve got some pretty challenging logistics too.
Then there’s the logistics of the move itself. Dismantling furniture can often be like reverse-engineer the world’s most difficult puzzle. Similarly, negotiating heavy, hard-to-grip furniture down three flights of stairs and out of the door – without so much as a crease in the protective dust sheet requires intense mental focus.
One momentary lapse of concentration can result in expensive damage, something we invest a lot of time and effort in preventing at all costs.
But what about the physical effort that goes into a house move?
There’s ALL One Thing London Removal Companies Know About Moving House…
The one thing all London removal companies know is that to get a job done quickly and safely with minimal hassle, the crew has to be organised, well-trained and fit.
We know first hand how much graft is required to get a house or flat full of stuff from one place to the next safely, carefully and quickly. It’s not easy. After ten trips up three flights of stairs, it can be tough to keep up the pace, but when you’re doing a London flat or house move, there’s no time for slacking off. Especially if you want your crew in and out before rush hour starts.
The Kiwi Movers crews are all pretty fit and strong. It’s just part of the job and goes hand-in-hand with rigorous training.
Our crews take pride in getting the job done well and safely…
The Kiwi Movers crews are all pretty fit and strong. It’s just part of the job and goes hand-in-hand with rigorous training.
As well burning off calories on the job, most of our crew are into sports and fitness. It might seem like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference to our clients that the movers they trust with their stuff are capable of lifting safely, carefully and don’t start to flag an hour in.
But it’s not always easy…
After a tough day on the job, energy, concentration and and professionalism can take a hit.
(While this crew have our sympathy, there’s no way they should be tackling a piano removal in this way. Just look at the state of it at the end of the clip).
So just how many calories does it take to do a house move?
You can see how tiring removal jobs can be.
But have you ever wondered exactly just how gruelling it is to complete a full day’s worth of house moves?
As well as the physical effort required, our crews have to ensure they avoid injury and are fit to fight another day for the next big move.
We asked a fitness guru…
Scott Roberts has worked in the fitness industry for five years, specialising in helping a wide of people reach their fat loss and nutrition goals via his personal training consultancy. Alongside his current personal training and nutrition certifications, he’s also part of the UK’s first evidence based nutrition qualification, the Mac-Nutrition Uni.
As well being an expert in fitness and nutrition, Scott knows a thing or two about moving house.
“I last moved house 18 months ago. Luckily it was in the same area so that reduced a lot of the usual stress you get from moving. I like to think my job helps with the heavy lifting and staircases. It would be a bit embarrassing if I struggled!
“Based on the sheer amount of exercise involved, I believe that removals is up there as one of the fittest industries, alongside other very active jobs such as high labour jobs in the construction industry. Postmen too are by nature very fit, given the sheer amount of steps they walk every day, but removals professionals might just edge it in terms of strength.
So how many calories can you burn in a hour?
Scott reckons the calorie-burning potential of moving house is huge.
“You can expect to burn between 250-500+ calories an hour during a house move, assuming you’re pulling your weight and carrying things.
“This of course can depend on factors such as body weight, the size of the boxes and what floor you are taking things.
“If a client of mine was moving house, they would burn more calories over the day than if they had done a normal gym workout and gone to work. I would count that as one workout and possibly have the next day off as recovery before getting back into the gym two days after.
So what’s the best way to prepare physically for moving house?
Scott believes moving house can be as gruelling as a high intensity workout and recommends making the same preparations as you would before hitting the gym.
“To avoid injury people need to concentrate on lifting with correct technique and not rushing things.
“Keep the back straight and lift with the legs rather than the back when picking items up from the floor and do a sufficient warm up beforehand.”
Scott recommends working your way up to moving furniture on the day of a move and advises against ‘getting straight to it’ – even if you are pressed for time.
“Do not go straight into lifting heavy objects as soon as you get out of bed. Spend 10-15 minutes waking your body up and getting active. A simple walk around the block can get the heart rate up, before moving on to some more specific drills.
“Bodyweight squats and hip rotations will mimic picking objects up from the floor and any rotational movements you may do. This is where most back issues occur.
“You should also walk up and down the stairs a few times before then doing it with boxes and basic shoulder stretches will prevent any risk of shoulder injuries.
“if you do have any existing injuries or health risk, please consult your doctor or physio. *
As well as using the correct techniques and looking after your back, you need the right kind of fuel. Scott reveals the best things to eat before, during and after a house move.
The best food to eat for energy when moving house…
“Due to the amount of activity involved in moving house I would recommend fuelling up before and after with well balanced meals consisting of protein (meat, fish, eggs and dairy), carbohydrates (bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes, rice, fruit and vegetables) and fats (oils, avocado, cheese and nuts).
“This will give the body the right balance of energy, nutrients, vitamins and calories to both fuel the activity and also aid recovery afterwards.
Some healthy snack options like fruit, nuts and protein bars, are always good for moves that take up most of the day.
How to mentally prepare for moving house
“Alongside physical health we need to consider mental health and the stressful side of moving house.” says Scott.
“Plan as much as possible beforehand to prevent surprises on the day and to help things run smoothly.
“Moving into a new or “dream” home should be an amazing experience, so treat it as such. Enjoy it as much as possible.”
