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Walk to health the right way

Household chores are no substitute for structured exercise

If you do the laundry at home by hand, does it mean you can skip your regular walk? The world is full of people who claim they are active and yet are obviously overweight. Many Indian housewives toil at home all day, but that doesn't seem to prevent their heart attacks or weight problems.

Housework may be hard work, but not all of it is effective exercise. Scrubbing the floors and doing the laundry is certainly effective; but standing up to cut vegetables isn't.

Given a choice between housework and going for a walk, most people would choose the walk, but do neither. Around 30 to 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most if not all days of the week constitute the ideal amount of exercise.

Walking is a great exercise, and you should be proud of yourself if you manage a walk a day. But most people do not get the most out of their walks. Done correctly, walking is as good a workout for the heart as any other exercise. However, gentle strolls do not cut it for the heart. Very low intensity walks burn calories but offer little cardiovascular benefit.

An hour of walking should cover at least five km to qualify as moderate intensity exercise. If you are serious about walking as a form of exercise, buy a decent pair of walking shoes. They need not be expensive, but make sure they are snug, light and comfortable.

If you need to step out on a lightweight chore, you should be reaching for your walking shoes rather than your car keys. If you try to get off you feet at every opportunity, you will burn enough calories during the day.

On the other hand, housework is never a complete substitute for outdoor exercise, and a truly active life is not possible without the outdoors, gym or some structured indoor exercise.

RAJIV M.

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