Eight Everyday Activities That Count as Exercise
A recent study found even one-minute bursts of activity can get your heart rate up enough to help you live longer. Here are eight everyday things we don't think of as exercise, but they COUNT as exercise.
1. Taking the stairs. It's a classic one.
2. Gardening. Or any activity that's physical.
3. Carrying your shopping bags in. Or even better, walking to the store.
4. Running to catch a train or a bus. (Or, be original and run ON the bus.)
5. General cleaning. Just picking stuff up around the house if you do it quick.
6. Doing laundry. Lifting and folding can get your muscles working.
7. Sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. Again, anything that gets you moving.
8. Just getting up and down a lot. The main goal is don't sit on your butt all day, especially as you get older.
("The Daily Telegraph" ran the list with the headline "Eight Everyday Tasks That Will Give You 11 Extra Years." But the "11 years" part is a stretch. A study found people over 40 who get almost NO exercise could live 11 years longer if they worked out a lot . . . so, if couch potatoes ran marathons.)
Originally posted on January 28th, 2025