Turn Housework into Workout

Forget the gym! If women are really spending almost 2½ hours cleaning and tidying up every day, there’s plenty of opportunity to get a sufficient workout without even leaving home!

Housework is a great way to burn calories. But as is the case with any workout, the more effort you put in, the greater the benefit. In particular, polishing, dusting, mopping and sweeping are great for keeping arms shapely. Bending and stretching, for example, when you make the bed, wash windows or do the laundry are good for toning thighs and improving flexibility. And constantly running up and down the stairs as you tidy is a good aerobic workout.

Meanwhile, more energetic household chores such as decorating and spring cleaning, burn even more calories. Don’t forget the garden either – weeding, digging, mowing the lawn, trimming hedges or bushes and sweeping up are all great muscle toners and calorie burners.

Heavy and Light Cleaning

1. Twenty minutes of heavy cleaning, like scrubbing a floor, burns 90 calories in the woman and 104 in the man. Light cleaning, like mopping a floor, burns 63 calories in the woman and 73 calories in the man.

Vacuuming

2. Vacuuming the floor for 20 minutes burns 69 calories in the woman and 80 calories in the man.

Washing Dishes

3. The woman burns 33 calories washing dishes for 20 minutes, while the man burns 44 calories for the same job.

Cleaning the Bath

4. Cleaning the bathroom for 20 minutes burns 38 calories in the woman and 44 calories in the man.

Cleaning Gutters

5. Kick up the volume by cleaning gutters. Twenty minutes of gutter cleaning burns 102 calories in the woman and 117 in the man.

Washing Windows

6. Washing windows for 20 minutes burns 51 and 92 calories in the woman and man, respectively.

WHAT TYPE OF BODYSHAPE ARE YOU?

COUNT YOUR WAIST TO HIP RATIO

Waist (Inches) / Hip (Inches) = Waist to Hip Ratio is.....

Most women generally fall into a single body shape classification - the Apple shape, or the Pear shape. These body shapes have significant implications for both health and weight loss.

However recent research has shown that a woman's figure can be classified in a number of different ways.


Hourglass

Bust and hips are basically the same circumference - though the bust can be up to 1" larger than the hips. The waist is then 9" or more smaller than the bust.

Spoon

Where the hips are 2" or more larger than the bust. The waist is less than 9.25" smaller than the bust.

Rectangle

Where the bust and hips are basically the same circumference. The waist is less than 9" smaller than the bust.

Triangle

The bust is 3.6" larger than the hips and the waist is less than 9" smaller than the bust.

What about Apples or Pears?

Apple and pear classifications are useful in determining body fat distribution. It is generally thought that there are more health risks for the apple shape. This can be determined by measuring your waist to hip ratio. A ratio of 0.8 or above indicates that you are an apple shape. A ratio of under 0.8 means you are a pear shape.

Apples

The apple shaped woman carries most her body fat in the abdominal region. She will generally have narrow hips, larger breasts, and a relatively large waist. Apple-shaped women have more fat surrounding their internal organs (visceral fat).

This kind of fat presents many more risks than subcutaneous fat; it decreases insulin sensitivity, raises blood pressure, and decreases levels of 'good' (HDL) cholesterol. These are all key indicators of heart disease risk and diabetes risk.

The higher the waist to hip ratio, the higher the risk.

Pears

The pear-shaped woman carries most of her body fat around the hips, thighs, and buttocks. She will generally have a smaller upper body (smaller breasts) and a heavier lower body.

The risks for the overweight pear-shaped woman are quite different to the apple shape. A pear-shaped woman will typically be more susceptible to cellulite and varicose veins - and to eating disorders. However the pear-shaped woman does not carry the same kind of health problems that the apple shape does.

Due to popular culture's obsession with rail-thin women, there is considerable pressure on women to be a certain shape. However even when a pear-shaped woman loses weight - she is still a pear shape. This unrealistic pressure can lead many (often young women) down the path to disordered eating and body image problems.

Weight Loss for Apples and Pears

There are some who believe that a specific dietary regimen will help each body shape.:

Apples
Lower carbohydrate diet (avoiding processed and 'white' carbs).
Pears
Lower fat diet (avoiding full fat foods; cheeses, butter