Cleaning is an inexpensive and effective way to help you get more exercise. You might not see too many men using brooms or vacuums at your gym, but you can turn your home into a private health center. And as an added advantage, make your home spotless clean. Over the past decades, a women's work time has increased while time spent doing housework has declined. Modern conveniences such as washing machines, dryers and housekeepers have all helped lessen the housework burden. While liberty from such everyday jobs may appear to be a good thing, it has progressively mechanized a stress-filled society. Today, about 22 percent of adult Americans are active at a level suggested for any significant health benefits, but fewer than 10 percent of adults exercise at an intensity that is adequate to improve cardiovascular fitness. This is where housework can help? Physical activity is the single most important activity you can do to improve your health. Even if you don't have the time or the money to spend on a fitness club, you can still improve your fitness by engaging in daily activities such as housework. Engaging in any regular activity at all can provide considerable health benefits for those who have deskbound jobs which involve sitting for a large part of the day and who do not partake in any regular physical activity or sports in their spare time time. Recent research recommends spending at least 60 minutes each day in a "on your feet" activity. This type of activity uses the large muscle groups of the legs in walking, stair climbing, gardening or housework. Housework combined with walking the dog, yard work and using stairs can help form a foundation upon which you can build your fitness program. Mopping that floor and scrubbing the tub suddenly takes on a whole new meaning when you consider the benefits of this type of housework. |
