Office workers: Increasing age leads to an increase in body weight, which is inevitable. The main reason for this weight gain is due to the slowing down of the replacement rate and the reduction of female hormone secretion, causing the body to begin to accumulate fat.
Did you know? Doing housework is a direct way to lose weight. According to the British Daily Mail report: if a person regularly does housework and keeps the house clean, the energy this person consumes in a year will be equivalent to the calories in 603 glasses of wine, 192 chocolates, 396 cans of soft drinks, 146 hamburgers or 394 bags of potato chips.
So does doing housework help you lose weight?
Of course, because it is actually a type of activity that helps burn excess fat. Previously, experts believed that only vigorous exercise could help burn calories, such as jogging or other sports activities; however, recently many experts have proven that slow, gentle activities are also effective in protecting your figure, such as walking, housework or gardening. So instead of spending money to hire a maid to do housework, and investing in weightlifting and jogging gyms with weight loss support machines, why don't you lose weight by doing housework yourself? Especially before and after Tet, clean the house, sweep, wipe windows, tables and chairs... Although it is quite tiring, it will help you burn a certain amount of calories. Take advantage of opportunities like this to lose weight, kill two birds with one stone! Go shopping and carry things yourself, walk and choose goods, do it continuously for about 30 minutes or more - simple things like that are an effective form of weight loss that you cannot imagine.
Here are the basic principles when applying housework to lose weight that you need to remember:
Remember that you are doing housework to lose weight, so the time must be 15 minutes or more. No matter what form of exercise you use, you must do it continuously for 15 to 30 minutes to achieve the goal. Even jogging, lifting weights or aerobics must be 15 minutes or more, otherwise all your efforts will be in vain.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that the amount of exercise is equivalent to the amount of sweat released from your body. Each person's physical condition is different. For those who sweat easily, walking up and down the stairs for 5 minutes will make their backs wet with sweat, but clearly this amount of exercise is not enough to lose weight. On the contrary, for those who exercise for 30 minutes but do not sweat, sweating is definitely not a method and standard to evaluate the process of fat loss through their exercise.
So how to lose weight through housework?
Don’t think that all physical work is for maids or men. Taking out the trash and scrubbing the floor helps your muscles and bones become more flexible. These are all very healthy jobs.
You can also lose weight even when you are resting and having fun. You can exercise your legs while watching TV, walk around while talking on the phone, and tap your fingers while listening to music.
Don't use automatic means to make yourself leisurely: for example, instead of using the remote control, go to the TV yourself and turn it on. Don't underestimate such simple actions, every day they can help you burn some heat very gently.
Gardening: If you have the conditions to grow your own vegetables, not only will you feel more secure about your food, but it is also a very interesting outdoor activity that helps you relax. If you do not have the conditions to grow vegetables, you can also grow small flower pots. Gardening for 1 hour can help you burn 150-250 calories in your body.
There are also many other small activities that are very effective when you do housework..
In the kitchen: Do you often complain that cooking takes up a lot of your time? Actually, it is not because cooking and exercise are two factors that give you a balanced figure. When taking spices, do not forget to take this opportunity to reach high, stand on your tiptoes and stretch your shoulders. At that time, take a deep breath and exhale when lowering your arms. This movement can prevent the chest from sagging, helping to firm the muscles of the legs, thighs and buttocks.
When watching TV: Don't lie on the sofa, sit down, press one heel hard on the floor for about 8 seconds, then switch to the other heel, continue doing this for about 2 to 5 times. When standing up, you will have to use the strength of your buttocks. Turning these simple movements into habits in life and work will bring great aesthetic effects!
When cleaning: your hands hold a broom, mop or vacuum cleaner but don't just move your hands, let your whole body participate in the movement, let your ankles, buttocks and knees also work. When you have to bend over to clean up, tilt your waist and thighs as if you were working your arms and legs. This helps tone your leg and buttocks muscles. When ironing clothes, stir-frying food, arranging flowers, you can also stand up straight with your legs wide apart.
Let's see specifically how much energy housework will help you consume in an hour:
Cleaning: 200 calories/hour.
Sweeping the floor: 250 calories/hour.
Gardening: 250calories/hour.
Ironing: 125 calories/hour.
Washing dishes, cleaning cooking utensils: 136 calories/hour.
Flower arrangement: 114 calories/hour.
Scrubbing floors and windows: 400 calories/ hour.
Snow shoveling: 350calories/hour
. (Thuy Nga translated - according to "Chinese Women" newspaper)
