If you'd like to take some of the guilt out of baking that cake or batch of brownies, I've got a solution...

How would you like to burn some calories while you're baking brownies...

It can be done. The trick is to unplug. By skipping some of our favorite conveniences we can really whip up a productive work in some of our daily routines. Here are some suggestions:

• Mix by hand. Whisking eggs or mixing flour and other ingredients by hand uses most of your arm muscles. You can even help to strengthen your grip which will help you in your next routine.

• Ditch the food processor and chop by hand. It's a culinary upper body workout which involves your shoulders, arms and hands. While you're at it, tighten those abdominal and core muscles while you're standing there chopping. Finely mince your ingredients and you're helping your hand-eye coordination. 

• Forget the juicer. Manually juicing citrus fruits uses wrist and forearm action and helps with flexibility. Put some muscle into it and switch hands full the full effect.

• Don't cheat with an electric can opener – find a manual one. Feel that old-fashioned burn in your knuckles and forearm. 

• Who needs a vacuum cleaner when you've got a broom? Vigorous sweeping can help you achieve a total body workout just in time to take the brownies out of the oven.