• 5 June 2025

Benefits of…Housework

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Let’s face it, there aren’t many people who love housework but there is more to be gained from giving the floors a good vacuum or going mad with a feather duster than having a tidy house. Let’s explore how embracing housework can contribute to your weekly activity levels and what can be gained from it.

All Movement Counts

It’s recommended that adults do 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity each week to achieve overall health benefits and prevent many illnesses. But that can seem quite daunting for many of us. How do we fit 150 minutes into our busy lives? What counts as activity? And do we have to do all of that in one go?

The World Health Organisations (WHO) defines physical activity as ‘any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity includes exercise as well as other everyday activities which are done as part of playing, working, active transportation, house chores and recreational activities.’

This is great news! Anything you do during the day that involves moving your body counts towards your 150 minutes per week and activity doesn’t have to mean finding time to do formal exercise. Being active doesn’t have to be an extra activity to juggle around your daily routine, it can be part of it.

More great news – your 150 minutes can be spread across the week. In fact, research shows that taking small activity ‘snacks’ throughout the day (a few minutes at a time) can be more beneficial than doing one big chunk of exercise followed by sitting down for the rest of the day. Every minute counts and any activity is better than none.

So how can your household chores be beneficial?

“It’s a Win, Win!”

Natalie, mum of two and a busy professional says “Life is busy, so fitting in regular physical activity is tricky and that’s why I enjoy housework. Getting active whilst getting your house in order is a win, win! Cleaning and organising is a great stress reliever for me and due to the physicality of housework, it is a surprisingly effective way to boost physical and mental wellbeing. My children get involved too and help me burn more calories by sitting on the hoover whilst I drag it around the house!”

Which Household chores are best?

Some household chores are better than others for boosting activity levels. Here are a few examples of housework that can help get your body moving:

• Vacuuming carpets and stairs
• Dusting
• Changing bedsheets/covers
• Cleaning windows
• Hanging out washing
• Mopping floors
• Cleaning bathrooms

The Benefits of Moving More:

• Strengthen bones and joints and enhance flexibility
• Increase lean body mass and assist with weight management
• Improve sleep and increase energy
• Improve cardiovascular health and improve blood sugar control
• Reduce depressive symptoms, improve mental health and reduce stress.

Avoid the Mod Cons!

Over the years, physical activity has been engineered out of our lives. With the invention of washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, robot vacuums and other appliances, we could let the machines do all the work. But to get the most out of your housework and really feel the health benefits, we recommend grabbing that mop and pushing it around yourself. Why not dance around the kitchen whilst you’re doing it, for some extra active minutes?

Please seek medical advice if you’re unsure about exercising with an existing health condition.