Lesson 3: Unstructured Exercise: The Other Side of the Coin
While you might not have thought of everyday chores as exercise, this lesson will show how the daily grind can help you in your fitness quest.
We will look at gardening, housework, and dance in some depth as to how they benefit you both aerobically and anaerobically.
The final section of the lesson will describe certain key strength-building exercises which are essential to helping in your fitness goal and how you can incorporate them into the program.
For a Cleaner Home and a Healthier You
Would you believe me if I told you that those boring, mundane chores you perform around your house actually count as exercise? That's correct. According to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the U.S. Surgeon General, those often dreaded tasks such as pushing a vacuum, folding clean clothes, and scrubbing your toilet qualify as moderate physical exercise which can help you stay fit and healthy.
Housework utilizes all of your muscle groups. This, in turn, builds strength, endurance, and flexibility. For example, picking up the children's toys works the muscles in your arms and shoulders. Hauling those toys throughout the house also works your legs and buttocks. Walk the length of your house while vacuuming, and you will enjoy a full body workout that will also burn calories and increase your heart rate if you vacuum at a fast clip.
Many experts agree that any household chore can become aerobic if you strive to reach your target heart rate zone. (To estimate your target rate, subtract your age from 220. This will give you your maximum heart rate. Aiming for fifty to ninety percent of this number gives you the target rate.) To make a chore more aerobic, push yourself by working faster, scrubbing harder and more continuously.
Lower intensity chores include doing laundry, making the beds, ironing, washing dishes, and cooking. For housework that provides moderate intensity, sweep the kitchen or sidewalk, wash windows or walls, and mop. High intensity chores involve moving furniture or boxes and carrying heavier items up and down the staircase.
When cleaning your way to greater fitness and strength, it's important to remember to bend properly using your legs rather than your back. Start daily household chores with slow, gentle stretches. When stretching, it is always better to ease into them and don't bounce. If the stretch hurts, then ease off a bit until the muscle feels warm.
Another good tip to remember is to alternate cleaning activities to prevent overworking particular muscle groups and to avoid burnout. For instance, vacuum a couple of rooms, then scrub the bathroom, do some laundry, or make the beds.
Finally, in order to get a good workout, experts recommend that you perform at least thirty minutes of moderate activity every day. However, if you've been sedentary up to this point, start slowly with fifteen to twenty minutes of physical exercise at least three times a week. Pay attention to how you feel as you perform each task. If you begin to feel too tired or short of breath, slow down or move to an easier chore.
While doing housework may not appeal to many people as the ideal form of fitness, on those days when you need to cross train but are short on time, it might offer the perfect solution to your dilemma. Furthermore, you will end up with folded clothes, dust free furniture, sparkling counters, and an overall clean house. What better way to burn calories and get fit.
