Career Insights

Get a Workout While Brushing Your Teeth

Concorde Staff

Concorde Staff

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Updated August 6, 2015. The information contained in this blog is current and accurate as of this date.
Brushing teeth

In addition to the obvious advantages of good oral hygiene, regular tooth brushing has some rather unexpected health benefits. Recent studies have shown that grabbing a toothbrush and getting to work on those teeth and gums can help prevent lung ailments, reduce the risk of cancerous tumors, and even help women who want to become pregnant. Few people, however, tend to consider the calorie burning potential of brushing your teeth. That's right, you can burn calories brushing your teeth.

Of course, no one is going to get a perfect beach body simply by brushing their teeth, but the activity can actually make an appreciable difference in your gross calorie count over (a lot) of time. Some estimate that brushing your teeth for two minutes or more can burn up to six calories each time. This means that avid teeth brushers can burn more than 20 calories a day. That's enough to work off two cups of beef broth!

Over time, this calorie deficit adds up. Brushing three times a day for a period of two minutes will cause you to burn well over 3500 calories on an annual basis. This means that after a full year of diligent brushing, you stand to lose at least one pound of excess fat. We'll take it!

INCORPORATE STRENGTH EXERCISES

Of course, to really get a workout while brushing your teeth, you need to put in a little extra effort. Try incorporating some simple balance, flexibility and strength exercises into your daily oral hygiene regimen. A number of exercises can easily be done while simultaneously brushing your teeth. LifeHacker.com and the 300 Pounds and Running physical fitness blog suggest a range of exercises that will keep you from simply looking in the mirror and wishing that you looked better while you're brushing your teeth. Make the most of each second by doing some of the following while attending to those pearly whites:

  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • Calf raises
  • One-legged standing exercises

To relax and soothe sore muscles, you can also self-administer a foot massage with the help of an ordinary tennis ball. Be smart and modify these exercises if needed to maximize personal comfort and safety while teeth brushing.

DON'T FORGET TO FLOSS

Need a bit of encouragement to help you add regular flossing to your daily oral health regimen? Then think about flossing as an arm workout, too. Because it gets rid of tiny food particles where they are most dangerous and hardest to reach, flossing is just as important, if not more important, than regular brushing. Fitness and flossing. A decent way to firmer and better-toned arms.

Good luck, and we'll check in with you twelve months from now. We should all be a pound lighter from our new dental care fitness routines, right?

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