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Old 10-18-13, 10:17 AM  
Susan H
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Oklahoma
Why gardening, DIY, vacuuming and cleaning will not keep you fit

The housework delusion: Why gardening, DIY, vacuuming and cleaning will not keep you fit

Do you agree or disagree?
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“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up" —Thomas Edison

“Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy.” — Author Unknown
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Old 10-18-13, 10:32 AM  
frogribbit
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Kansas
I would agree on the housecleaning but definitely not on the gardening. If you are digging, hauling mulch all over and wheelbarrowing stuff around you can get a pretty good workout
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Old 10-18-13, 10:34 AM  
SEV
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Interesting. Most times I am planning to clean the whole house I don't workout that day. Partly for time and also, after 3 or 4 hours of cleaning I'm pooped.

But I don't count the little chores I do everyday as my exercise for the day. Sometime I get behind and need to use my workout hour for cleaning or laundry. I can't stand to let things go too long!

Susan
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Old 10-18-13, 01:00 PM  
Charmed
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Southern California
I say it's all about calories in vs calories out.

If someone cleaned houses for a living, I would definitely consider that exercise! I think any movement is good, but for me, cleaning my house does not result in weight loss.
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Old 10-18-13, 01:07 PM  
carolyn jane
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
I agree with this article. Housework is activity but it is not exercise.
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Old 10-18-13, 01:21 PM  
Nuggie's Auntie
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: I love that dirty water...
I once tried to count cleaning as exercise--I put on some fun tunes and wore my HR monitor. We lived in a multi-story townhouse at the time with lots of stairs. I worked quickly and climbed up and down the stairs a lot with the vacuum. I burned about as many calories as I would have in an intermediate level workout, so I considered it 'counted' on that particular occaision. However, I think it was mainly due to the stairs! And I kept up a good pace.

At the end of the day, I think overall activity counts for a lot, but I wouldn't consider cleaning a workout, unless I tried to make it so!
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Old 10-18-13, 01:47 PM  
cpcathy
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Southern California
I think the article is baloney. Everything counts! I have a two story house and nobody's gonna tell me that carrying laundry or a heavy vacuum up and down stairs isn't helping my fitness. Not to mention cardio in sweeping, mopping and vacuuming (all three!). Just keeping moving!
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Old 10-18-13, 02:40 PM  
pbnj
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Houston, TX
I thought I saw some article saying that gardening would help prevent osteoporosis....some gardening work involves strength.
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Old 10-18-13, 02:53 PM  
Lauracat
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: New York
Since we've been told how dangerous it is to sit for extended periods, and how it increases our risk of an early death, I'm not sure this article is sending the best message. Even if housework won't get you "fit" in the same way that concentrated cardio or strength work might, that kind of everyday activity seems to improve our health: "The impact of movement — even leisurely movement — can be profound." The Mayo Clinic goes on to explain, "... the muscle activity needed for standing and other movement seems to trigger important processes related to the breakdown of fats and sugars within the body."

So yeah, you might not end up buff, but it's not delusional to think that housework is giving you important health benefits.
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Old 10-18-13, 03:03 PM  
beyond.omega
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Well, they are defining health as weight...I don't agree with that. In addition, they are only talking about a correlation between people who do housework and their weight...which is not logically sound.
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