Experts Say Housework Doesn't Count As Exercise (As Much As We'd Like It To)
Experts Say Housework Doesn't Count As Exercise (As Much As We'd Like It To)
PA/The Huffington Post UK
People who count housework as exercise could be fooling themselves, research has suggested.
Including gardening, DIY, vacuuming or cleaning in a tally of weekly exercise may give people a false sense of how active they have been.
Until now, studies have suggested housework counts towards a weekly round-up of moderate activity.
Open Image Modal
This is despite NHS recommendations saying it does not raise the heart rate enough to count towards the goal of 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week.
In the new study, experts researching the idea found that those who counted housework were actually heavier than people choosing other forms of exercise.
This may be due to them overestimating how active they are with housework or eating too much to compensate for their levels of activity, the experts said.
Story continues below the slideshow:
New & Unexpected Workouts
Aqua Zumba(01 of10)
Open Image Modal
What do you get when you mix Zumba and water? Why, Aqua Zumba, of course. Performed in a pool and offered at gyms nationwide, this high-energy (and oftentimes comical) workout features all the same heart-pumping moves as your regular Zumba class, but it's easier on the joints. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
Tramping(02 of10)
Open Image Modal
Calling all Spinning enthusiasts: Ever feel like your knees may fall off after that latest SoulCycle bender? We've got a (super-fun) solution -- JumpLife.The new TriBeCa studio, devoted entirely to "tramping," features high-energy classes performed exclusively on -- you guessed it -- trampolines. Indeed, the same contraptions you flipped (or flopped) on as a kid are actually the idea behind this low-impact, high-cardio workout.Do your joints (and mood) a favor and get jumping. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
Yoga On The Roof(03 of10)
Open Image Modal
You've been doing sun salutations for years, but imagine hitting those same poses while actually facing the sun. One step inside NYC's swanky Clay Health Club & Spa and you'll see why it's so exclusive (the espresso/smoothie bar is a must-try).The private roof deck is a stunning setting for not only yoga (classes are available at both sunrise and sunset once a week, mat included) but also a barre workout and a high-intensity circuit routine. Treadmills are so last season. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
Spin In A Pool(04 of10)
Open Image Modal
Since most Spinning classes make us look as if we've just stepped out of a pool, we couldn't resist one that involves just that. At AQUA, the bikes are in water. Seriously.The TriBeCa (by way of France) studio takes elements from traditional Spinning -- like the high-calorie burn, upbeat music and full-body engagement -- but does it all in a waist-deep pool. The result: a low-impact sweat session that accomplishes the same toning and tightening while managing to feel like a trip to the spa (well, as best as physical activity can).See you in the shallow end. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
Underground Hip-Hop Class (Complete With Live DJ!)(05 of10)
Open Image Modal
We've found a place where camaraderie and easy choreography combine, inspiring us to happily funk our way to fitness.GROOV3 is a dance-class workout and pseudo underground cult led by hip-hop teacher Benjamin Allen. Allen's a professional dancer (he was featured in the movie Rent), but his is no snobby, competitive class. The hour-long workout has a live DJ who spins hits of the 90s while Allen patiently demonstrates easy-to-follow steps.While we forgot parts of the dance halfway through, we kept moving and caught up thanks to our fellow students -- one woman even stepped aside so we could see Allen better. And for the entire sweaty, musical hour, we didn't think once of how we looked -- only how much fun it is to dance. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
A Dance-Club-Inspired Cardio Class(06 of10)
Open Image Modal
The lights are dimmed, Beyoncé starts bumping and suddenly you're sweating more than you do in a Bikram session.No, you don't have to step foot in a club. It's 305 Fitness, a new dance-inspired cardio class. (Hint: that’s Miami's area code.) Our likeliest comparison is Zumba on steroids -- but way more fun.There are three styles to choose from (original, Latin and sculpt). We opted for the original 55-minute workout with the founder, Sadie Kurzban. While we were warned of the class's intensity, we figured our childhood days of jazz and tap lessons had us covered. Holy booty-popping, were we wrong. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
The New Workout That Stretches You Out(07 of10)
Open Image Modal
We may have discovered the ultimate workout: It comes to you, doesn't involve equipment, is only as hard as you want it to be and helps your body feel healthier and move better.Too easy, right? Well, kinda, but it works.Chicago "stretch therapist" Estelle Harford of Stellar Strength is one of only 25 Global Master Ki-Hara practitioners in the world. The discipline helps eliminate pain, reactivates and releases muscles, builds new muscle and improves what she calls "true flexibility." (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
A Rowing Machine Class In Water(08 of10)
Open Image Modal
We're always looking for off-the-beaten-path gyms that will challenge our stamina but build us up rather than drain our batteries.That's why we're keen on Crowbar Cardio, the studio that focuses on three popular types of exercise but does so in an encouraging manner. Our favorite is Indo Row.Even beginners are welcome in this class that treads the same high-intensity, low-impact terrain but with a watery twist. While traditional rowing machines have cables that pull fans, these feature cables that actually pull blades through water. No need to wear a swimsuit -- only part of the machine is submerged in water. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
Ride A Surfboard -- Inside(09 of10)
Open Image Modal
We're totally stoked about the new exercise studio City Surf Fitness. It's the newest toning trend to wash up in Dallas, and we have to admit we're all for a place where you can ride a surfboard without fear of seeing sharks -- or getting your hair wet. Plus, you're sure to get an epic workout.The four types of classes offered work your core strength and balance, so your abs are really going to feel it. The small studio has room for just 10 stationary surfboards, made by the Mark Cuban-backed company SurfSet Fitness. Each board rests on three stability balls, which create a hovering effect as you wobble, twist and assume plank and warrior positions. Two stability straps can increase or decrease resistance.Our workout pick, the Buddha Board class, had our namaste written all over it. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
The Yoga-Paddle Boarding Hybrid(10 of10)
Open Image Modal
We were skeptical when we first heard about folks flocking to water-top yoga classes on paddle boards. We wondered how this was a) even possible for non-Cirque du Soleil acrobats and b) fun, since it involves falling into the icy Pacific.But we're happy to report that we've now tried and love YogAqua, the brainchild of Santa Monica-based yoga instructor Sarah Tiefenthaler. The 90-minute class takes place on a calm bay off a tiny sand strip in Newport Beach (with a Marina del Rey site launching next month) and begins with a leisurely 15 minutes of stand-up paddle boarding to acquire balance. Then up to 10 students drop anchor in the water, and a slow-flow vinyasa yoga class ensues.One benefit we hadn't anticipated: the stimulation that comes from blue sky, cool breeze and the relaxing slap, slap, slap of the water against our board. (credit:Courtesy of PureWow)
The study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, followed over 4,000 people, of whom 43% said they met or exceeded the NHS guidelines on exercise every week.
Domestic housework in 10 minute bursts or more accounted for 36% of the reported moderate to vigorous physical activity people said they did.
But when weight and height were taken into account, researchers found that those who counted housework as exercise were heavier than people doing other exercise for the same amount of time.
Among women, just a fifth reached the weekly exercise target if housework was discounted.
The team concluded: "Domestic physical activity accounts for a significant proportion of self-reported daily moderate to vigorous physical activity particularly among females and older adults however such activity is negatively associated with leanness suggesting that such activity may not be sufficient to provide all of the benefits normally associated with meeting the physical activity guidelines."
Professor Marie Murphy, from the University of Ulster, who led the study, said: "Housework is physical activity and any physical activity should theoretically increase the amount of calories expended."
"But we found that housework was inversely related to leanness which suggests that either people are overestimating the amount of moderate intensity physical activity they do through housework, or are eating too much to compensate for the amount of activity undertaken."
"When talking to people about the amount of physical activity they need to stay healthy, it needs to be made clear that housework may not be intense enough to contribute to the weekly target and that other more intense activities also need to be included each week."
Chris Allen, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Your exercise should make you breathe harder, feel warmer, and make your heart beat faster than usual."
"So, unless your household chores tick all these boxes, they won't count."
"If you're daunted by the prospect of a 150 minute target, think of it in 10-minute chunks."
"It doesn't necessarily mean forking out for a gym membership either - try a brisk walk on your lunch break or make a resolution to take the stairs rather than the lift each morning."