Fitness
House Cleaning and Exercise
If you think cleaning your home doesn’t count as exercise then you are very wrong – although it may not have the same kick as your regular exercise it may still be possible to enjoy a good deal of physical work while cleaning if you know what you’re doing and if you combine it with exercise. You can use typical household cleaning chores as a way of implementing and combining them into a training exercise routine. Here we’ll give you a few hints on how you can achieve that and although these exercises won’t be something comparable to what you could do at the gym, they will still be useful to you and may even help you regain your edge after long periods of stagnation in your physical activity. The most important thing to remember is that in conditions like those the intensity of your exercise is what makes a great training regimen. Here goes:
Play some upbeat music
There is nothing more stimulating than some great music to give you the nice, positive vibe you require to enjoy a nice exercise routine. It boosts your productivity and has you moving faster, so don’t underestimate the value of great music!
Tighten those abs!
Get used to doing this consciously at first and after enough repeats, you will eventually do this unconsciously up to the point where you’ll be able to keep yourself from slouching. Doing this on a regular basis will keep you from slouching while working and it will help rid you of that belly.
Stretch when possible
If you’re dusting off cobwebs or anything else that requires you to reach overdo so, use every opportunity to stretch and move around the house.
Aim for wide movements and a fast pace
Once again speed is key to a great exercise, so make sure you’re doing things with enough vigor and that you’re widening your movements while cleaning glass or shower cabins for example. The same applies to anything you’re doing really.
Carry heavy items around
If your laundry is in the basement carry all those baskets to where they need to go or even place a backpack filled with something heavy like books while cleaning. It may sound hilarious but it will help you build some leg strength and moving around with it will exercise other groups of muscles on your body you’ll neglect otherwise. Climb stairs and stepladders whenever you can as well to further make this a better exercise, just stay safe as well.
Mop on your hands and knees
Doing this will help you work out with your abs especially if you lunge forward while doing it, much like some exercise machines and tools do today. You should do the same if you’re vacuuming instead of standing in one spot and simply pushing the vacuum cleaner. Pick up the couch with one hand while you vacuum underneath if you’re strong enough for that and use that chance. You can even use the couch as a substitute weight if you lift one end a few times repeatedly.
These are only a few small hints – you should keep in mind none of this is a true replacement for regular exercise aimed at producing long-lasting results via carefully planned workouts. This will at best keep you in a rough shape but don’t expect something amazing as a result. If you want those perfect abs and a perfectly clean home you’ll need to move more and exercise more often.