Need to get your heart rate up, but no time for the gym?  Try interval housework training.

Interval training is a new method of exercise I’ve been reading about. You do any kind of aerobic exercise at a moderate pace for about five minutes to warm up.  Then you spend a minute doing it as fast as you possibly can. Drop back to moderate for three minutes or so, then speed up again for another high intensity minute.  Use this ratio of three moderate minutes to one intense minute throughout your workout.  There is some interesting research that shows you can improve your endurance and recovery from intense bouts of exercise with just one hour per week of interval training compared with five hours per week of traditional endurance training.

Will it work with housework?  Sure it will!  Start in on a room, picking up clutter, dusting, vacuuming, etc.  Do it at your regular speed for a few minutes, then pretend your mother-in-law is in town.  She just called from down the street and will be at your door in a minute.  Clean at that speed for one minute. Then drop back to normal for three minutes.  Keep up that ratio for an hour, or until your house is clean.  You get an interval workout and a clean house at the same time.  And your mother-in-law can drop by any time without angst. Or at least the angst won’t be over  your housekeeping!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown