News background: Experts have found that for the elderly over 60 years old, the risk of heart disease or stroke can be reduced by nearly 30% if they do simple housework such as weeding or washing cars. It is found that the elderly who do more housework, whether jogging or going to the gym, last longer than those who sit still.
A set of numbers: sweeping the floor 15 minutes consumes about 60 calories; Hand washing clothes 1 hour consumes about 190 calories; Ironing clothes for 45 minutes consumes about 180 calories; Cleaning the glass window for 30 minutes consumes about 150 calories; Vacuum for 30 minutes with a vacuum cleaner, which consumes about 120 calories; Washing dishes 15 minutes consumes about 45 calories; It takes 10 minutes to wrap things, which consumes about 30 calories.
Bian Xiao has something to say: With the acceleration of urbanization in China, the pace of life of many people is getting faster and faster. They are busy with work every day and have no time to exercise. However, we sometimes see such a strange phenomenon: many people hire nannies and hourly workers to do housework, and then spend money to go to the gym to exercise. What would you do if I told you now that doing housework is as effective as going to the gym? You can not only save money on hiring people and going to the gym, but also kill two birds with one stone: doing housework and exercising. Why not do such a good thing?
Can housework replace fitness exercise?
As early as 2006, experts recommended the mopping exercise method for the first time in Shanghai's "Guide to Physical Fitness for Shanghai Citizens". There is no doubt that proper housework can increase the amount of activity and exercise. There are two views that have caused controversy many times: First, doing housework is a good way to burn fat in daily life. Secondly, vacuuming and washing can clean the room, but not the fat. In a sense, this kind of controversy is unnecessary. Because doing housework can burn a certain amount of fat, which is no problem. The key point is that it is obviously unrealistic for a person to lose weight and keep fit by doing housework completely. Health care is most taboo to go to extremes. Any method beneficial to health has its limitations. People should reasonably choose the appropriate methods at different times and places. Housework has the function of fitness, but it can't completely replace fitness.
However, different methods of doing housework have different effects on fitness. We might as well change the way we usually do housework to get a better fitness effect:
Part 1: kitchen fitness
Wash dishes and stand on one leg.
Exercise site: calf
Difficulty index: ★
The kitchen can stand on one leg in the basic kitchen chores, consciously straighten the trunk, put the whole body's center of gravity on one foot, walk sideways to straighten the other leg, touch the ground with your toes, and change to the other side after 20 seconds.
Cook with bent legs
Exercise site: leg muscles
Difficulty index: ★★
When washing dishes, consciously straighten your torso and then bend your knees slightly. The deeper the knee joint bends, the greater the exercise intensity, and the bending range can be adjusted according to individual circumstances. You can take a rest every 3-5 minutes during exercise to avoid too long.
Wash vegetables and turn your back.
Exercise site: waist
Difficulty index: ★★
When washing dishes or vegetables, you can stand by and wash your hands, put your feet together, keep your torso straight, use your waist strength to turn your waist to do housework, and circulate on both sides.
Part II: Clothes Finishing
Get your clothes and get down.
Exercise parts: waist and thighs
Difficulty index: ★
You can put the clothes basket to dry on the ground and you must squat down to get it. When squatting, put your legs together and straighten the waist and above, which can exercise the strength of the waist and thighs.
Hang clothes on tiptoe.
Exercise parts: calf, waist and buttocks.
Difficulty index: ★
When hanging clothes, let your legs stand on tiptoe slightly and stretch your whole body as much as possible. When you straighten out, inhale and exhale. This will not only lengthen the calf muscles, but also strengthen the lines of thighs and buttocks.
Tidy up your clothes and tighten your hips
Exercise area: waist and buttocks.
Difficulty index: ★★
When tidying clothes, you can do a set of bending movements, tighten your torso and hips, and bend over to tidy up.
Part III: Window Cleaning
Wipe the door and stretch your arms.
Exercise parts: chest, cervical vertebrae, arms.
Difficulty index: ★★
When cleaning the high door, it is best to move your body as much as possible with large movements. When doing the action, you should straighten your back, separate your feet slightly, use your arms to exert your strength, and at the same time, your head will rotate with the swing of your hands, so that your cervical spine can also be exercised.
Bend over the edge of the glass.
Exercise parts: waist and back
Difficulty index: ★★
Try your best to clean the window without moving your feet sideways. This kind of action does not need to be too big, but it can effectively exercise the waist line and stretch the muscles of the whole body.
Part IV: Floor Cleaning
The vacuum extends forward.
Exercise parts: shoulders, hips, limbs
Difficulty index: ★★
When vacuuming, one hand holds the body of the vacuum cleaner, the other hand holds the handle, bends forward, and the right arm and left leg stretch forward at the same time, exchanging different hands and feet to repeat the exercise.
It's important to be in a good mood when doing housework.
If housework is too heavy, it is not good for people's mental and physical strength. Therefore, if you want housework to achieve the effect of fitness, you have to do it in a happy mood. After investigating thousands of middle-aged women, foreign experts found that women who can do gardening for two and a half hours a week and like to take frequent walks are full of energy, not easy to gain weight, and have a lower heart rate at rest, which is healthier than those who often fall into heavy housework.
Housework should be done happily, that is, in an orderly manner in a happy mood. Besides drilling the kitchen to wash vegetables and cook, cleaning the room, gardening and collecting books can also adjust the mood. Besides, it is also a good way to play some relaxing music while doing housework. In this way, an average daily 1 hour of housework can also play a role in fitness.