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Houses Chores That Double As Exercise
Kill two birds with one stone that your family and your body will thank you for
There’s always so much to do and not a lot of time to do them in. With 9 hours typically spent in the office and an hour—or two or three—on the road, how does the world expect us to keep a home clean and our bodies fit? The answer is simple: Turn your chores into exercises.
Stretch while you mop or broom.
Take a few seconds off every sweep to stretch. Just grab your broom/mop with both hands and raise it above your head. Then slowly stretch down and touch your right hand to your left foot. Stretch up again and then touch your left hand to your right foot. Alternate this a couple of times before you get back to cleaning that floor.
Get down and slide.
Then again, if you’re a fan of cleaning the floor with the traditional rag instead, change up your form. Get on all fours with a rag under both your hands. Tighten your core and slide your hands out as far as you can go into an extended plank. All you need is to hold this for a few seconds before you get back to our original position.
Plank while you pack.
If you have kids or live in a house with kids, you know how messy a house can get with all the little toys everywhere. Gather these toys near their proper places and get into a plank position. Once you’re there, lift one hand to pick up the toy and place it in the appropriate place. Repeat the move with your right hand and then alternate.
Don’t bend; squat.
A lot of chores require us to keep bending down and getting back up, like doing the laundry or loading a dishwasher. But instead of bending at your waist, keep your back straight and lower your body with your thing muscles instead. Then get back up again using your legs. It’ll save you from some back pain and replace it with leg pain—but it’ll be the good kind!
Repeat and skip steps.
Everyone says that stairs are a great exercise tool, so it’s time to take advantage of it. Instead of carrying one big load of clean clothes up the stairs, take multiple little trips instead. Or, if you prefer, you can carry something heavier and just skip a few steps on your way to the second floor—just remember to keep the weight near your body.
Did we just take away another excuse for not working out? Yes, we did.
