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5 Ways to Turn Your Housework into Workouts

A sedentary lifestyle may lead to several health problems like diabetes and heart diseases. Because of these negative effects, experts recommend exercising regularly. But, you don’t have to go to the gym or park to build a well-toned and strong physique. With a few tweaks, you can turn your household chores into workouts. The best part is that most of these activities can train different muscle groups and increase your heart rate.

1. CLIMBING THE STAIRS

There are several good reasons why experts recommend taking the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator. Aside from burning more calories, going up and down the stairs is a great cardiovascular exercise, which may help improve your mood and promote a healthy heart. Moreover, doing this activity will develop your glutes and leg muscles. Stair climbing is also an effective weight-bearing exercise. As such, it can strengthen your bones and prevent osteoporosis. So, the next time you’re carrying a basket of dirty clothes, try going up and down the stairs for a couple of times before heading to the laundry area. The extra weight will make the task more challenging and effective for building muscles.

2. VACUUMING

Another excellent workout is to do lunges when vacuuming. You can perform this exercise by placing one foot forward while steering your vacuum cleaner. From there, bend your legs and lower your body, creating a 90-degree angle. After holding the position for five to ten seconds, stand and repeat the procedure on the other leg. Don’t forget to maintain proper posture or a straight back when doing this movement.

As you know, lunges are one of the best exercises to strengthen and tone your glutes and legs. Thus, by doing this housework, you can keep your floors shiny and build a perky butt at the same time.

3. SWEEPING OR MOPPING

Sweeping or mopping the floor is another activity that you can turn into an upper body exercise. The key is to do long and firm strokes so you can efficiently workout your chest, shoulders, and arms. But, you have to make sure to switch arms while sweeping or mopping. This will ensure that you’re evenly training the muscles in your left and right arms.

To spice up the activity, you can try squatting instead of bending when sweeping hard to reach areas. Remember, squats are good exercises to tone your abs and legs.

4. WASHING DIRTY DISHES

Another great way to turn your household chores into workouts is by doing leg exercises when cleaning your dirty dishes and kitchen utensils. For example, you can do calf raises while washing. To do this exercise, start by standing straight. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. From there, raise your heels a few inches above the ground (like tiptoes), hold that position for a couple of seconds and lower your heels.

After washing, you can do some squats while drying the plates and other utensils. Doing this leg workout is simple, you just have to sit up and down- without a chair. Again, you have to maintain proper form or posture while bending your knees and lowering your butt. After holding a sitting position for a few seconds, the final step is to thrust your heels and stand straight. If this exercise is a bit challenging, you can also place a chair behind you for support.

5. CLEANING COUNTERS, WALLS, AND WINDOWS

If you’re searching for an activity that can help tone your arms, you can try cleaning your counters, walls, and windows. In addition, you can stretch and try to reach high areas to work your glutes, abs, and back muscles. To add some challenge to your cleaning routine, you can also wear ankle weights (two or three pounds) on your wrists. The extra resistance will certainly make your arms stronger in a couple of weeks.

Overall, adding a few moves in your daily tasks can certainly turn your household chores into workouts. Playing some upbeat music can also energize and boost your performance- enabling you to burn more calories. Coupled with healthy eating habits, you’ll definitely achieve your weight and fitness goals in no time.

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