A dedicated workout at the gym may be a great calorie-burner, but studies indicate that the total amount of movement your body gets in a day is important to maintaining a healthy weight. Researchers say that incorporating more non-exercise activity into your daily routine will extend the benefits of your workout--and may even replace it.

 

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One of the activities that can get you moving around is cleaning the house. Think about it: it’s difficult to do it sitting still. You bend, stretch to reach high shelves, bend again. Your arms move, your legs move, your core is engaged. Some chores, like cleaning the far side of the bathtub, require muscles in legs, arms and abs to spring into action to keep you from toppling over, giving you an overall strength-training workout.

And as far as fitness programs go, cleaning is inexpensive. It requires very little equipment, you won’t need pricey athletic wear, and there is no monthly membership fee.

How can cleaning house be as good as a workout? The key, according to studies conducted at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the Mayo Clinic, is to increase the amount of non-exercise activity throughout the day. Researchers found that even an hour of vigorous exercise every day did not counteract the negative effects of long periods of inactivity; however, standing instead of sitting, pacing instead of being still, and performing household chores had a positive affect on the body’s metabolism of fat and cholesterol.

Obviously, more strenuous tasks burn more calories. Vacuuming, for instance, is going to give you more of a workout than standing at the sink washing dishes. But both of those activities burn calories, and both contribute to the total amount of energy (i.e. calories) used up in a day.

Cleaning house can not only influence weight-loss or weight-maintenance, but it can reduce allergens and promote an overall sense of well-being.

In the end, you’ll have a fitter body and a nice, clean house.

Sources

Hamilton M.T., D.G. Hamilton, T.W. Zderic. “The Role of Low Energy Expenditure and Sitting on Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease.” Diabetes 56:2655-2667, 2007. PubMed. Accessed 6 July 2009.

 

Levine, J.A., M.D. “Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis.” Mayo Clinic Education and Research. Accessed 6 July 2009.