Do you also find it annoying when it’s already time to clean the whole house again? Luckily, there are more (health) benefits to it than you might think!
You can meet the physical activity guidelines from the Health Council in various ways. For adults and the elderly, that means 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity exercise per week. It’s also advised to do muscle- and bone-strengthening exercises twice a week, and additional balance exercises for older adults.
Physical activity doesn’t only happen at the gym. It also includes walking to the store or giving your home a deep clean. Household chores burn energy and help strengthen your muscles.
Washing windows, for example, trains your arms and shoulders. With all the scrubbing and wiping, you can build real muscle and burn up to 300 calories per hour. Make it more fun with an extra challenge: stretch your arms farther, scrub harder, or climb the step stool a few more times. Vacuuming the whole house? Move along with the vacuum instead of just using your arms. In just one hour, you’ll easily burn 250 calories. So you might be hitting the activity guidelines without even realizing it.
So even cleaning and mopping the floors count as physical activity. Regular movement not only reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases but also lowers the risk of diabetes and stress.
Even if you don’t enjoy cleaning, hopefully the health benefits make it a little less unpleasant to do!