We are all busy adults, and we have all lamented that there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. This is particularly true when it comes to performing household chores and making it to the gym; luckily, there is a way to combine house chores and exercise. The British Journal of Sports Medicine reported a study in which they explored something referred to as high-intensity incidental physical activity (“HIIPA”); in this study, it was determined that just a few minutes of high intensity activity counts towards the recommended 75 minutes per week of intense activity. In theory then, if you make cleaning the house into an exercise circuit, you will be killing two birds with one stone!
1. Stretch While Dusting
Every solid exercise routine starts with some light stretching, we’re not spring chickens anymore. The act of bending and reaching for odd locations is a great way to accomplish that goal.
2. Build Some Upper Body Strength While Doing the Laundry
The act of sorting, hanging, and carrying laundry actual works out the three major arm muscles (deltoid, triceps, and shoulder); so maybe get a few extra reps in while moving those loads of laundry around – you will burn abut 78 calories per load!
3. Build Some Muscle with Heavy Duty Scrubbing
I can’t be the only person whose arm gets a little tired after scrubbing vigorously for a few minutes; that’s because it’s exercise. Like laundry, this activity engages your major arm muscles; don’t forget to exercise both arms though! This activity will net you a whopping 100 burned calories!
4. Work That Cardio While Vacuuming!
If you think about it, vacuuming engages pretty much every muscle in your body, albeit to a minimal extent. Pushing a 5 – 10-pound object around the house is bound to yield some positive results though, so have some fun with it! 30 minutes of vacuuming amounts to roughly 300 calories.
At the Chernov Team we understand that knowledge is power, even when it relates to combining daily activities for healthy living. At the Chernov Team we know that whoever comes to the table most prepared leaves with the most, and the Chernov Team always leaves the table with the most.